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WALANG MAYOR’S PERMIT AT ECC

Dapat isara ang Ming Hong,ilegal ang operasyon – EMB

Basahin ang ulat ni Dino Balabo sa Pahina 5

BIGAS NG NFA PINAG-AAGAWAN PA RINRice traders umaangal dahil nalulugi

NI DINO BALABO

LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS— Pinag-aagawan pa rin ngmga mamimili ang murangbigas ng National Food Au-thority (NFA) sa mga pami-lihan, ngunit umaangal angmga negosyante dahil sakanilang pagkalugi.

Dumarami naman angmagsasakang Bulakenyo nanagbabalik sa tradisyunalna pagsasaka gamit angmga sinaunang binhi atorganikong teknolohiya,

samantalang namahagi angpamahalaan ng “fertilizersubsidy coupon” bilangayuda sa mga magsasaka.

Ayon sa mga mamimili,kahit pumila sila ay maspinipili nila ang bigas mulasa NFA dahil sa mas muraiyon.

Maging ang mga nagti-tinda ng bigas sa mga bayan

ng Hagonoy at Guiguinto aygayundin ang naging paha-yag sa Mabuhay.

Binigyang diin nila nadahil sa pagdagsa ng bigasng NFA sa mga pamilihanay nahatak pababa angpresyo ng mga komersyalna bigas.

Sa kasalukuyan, ang bi-gas ng NFA ay nabibili sa

Basahin ang kaugnay na ulat at tunghayanang mga larawan sa pahina 8.

DINALUYAN NG LANGIS — Mababakas ang panghi-hinayang sa mukha ni Raldy Pagador ng EnvironmentalManagement Bureau (EMB) habang pinagmamasdan angpalaisdaang dinaluyan ng langis na ayon sa mga residenteay mula sa Ming Hong Trading (dulong itaas). Ayon kayApolonio Marcelo (kaliwa), isa sa mga kasosyo sa MingHong at dating alkalde ng Angat, hindi sa kanilang plantanagmula ang langis, samantalang sinabi ni Mayor Feli-ciano Legazpi ng Norzagaray na hihintayin niyang maka-tupad sa pamantayan ng Department of Environmentand Natural Resources (DENR) ang Ming Hong. — DB

halagang P18.25 bawat kilosa mga barangay, at P25 samga Bigasan ni Gloria saPalengke (BGP), samanta-lang ang mga komersyal nabigas, na dati ay nabibili sahalagang P34 hanggangP40 bawat kilo, ay bumabana ang presyo sa P28 hang-gang P38 bawat kilo.

Hindi naman ikinatuwang mga negosyante angsitwasyong ito dahil sila aynalulugi.

Ngunit para kay Arturo sundan sa pahina 6

2 AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008

Kakampi mo ang Batas ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

Hindi pagbabayad ng tamang sahodTANONG: Sir, magandang haponpo. Gusto ko po sanang ihabla angagency namin kasi nasa kontratana may holiday pay tapos walanaman po. (09262016954).

Sagot: Maraming salamat posa tanong na ito. Ayon po sa LaborCode of the Philippines, o kilalabilang Presidential Decree 442,as amended, kung may kontrataang kompanya at ang manggaga-wa ukol sa mga benepisyong dapatbayaran sa huli, kailangang tupa-rin ito ng kompanya. Kung hinditutupad ang kompanya sa pagba-bayad ng mga benepisyong pinag-kasunduan, maaaring makulongang may-ari o ang mga opisyalesnito, batay sa Articles 116 at 288ng Labor Code. Ang kulong aymula tatlong buwan hanggangtatlong taon. Upang makuha ng

EDITORIALAlfredo M. Roxas, Jose Romulo Q. Pavia, JoseGerardo Q. Pavia, Joey N. Pavia , Jose Visitacion Q.Pavia, Carminia L. Pavia, Perfecto Raymundo Jr.,Dino Balabo

PRODUCTIONJose Antonio Q. Pavia, Jose Ricardo Q. Pavia,Mark F. Mata, Maricel P. Dayag

PHOTOGRAPHY / ARTEden Uy, Allan Peñaredondo, Joseph Ryan S.Pavia

BUSINESS / ADMINISTRATIONLoreto Q. Pavia, Marilyn L. Ramirez, Peñaflor Crystal,J. Victorina P. Vergara, Cecile S. Pavia, LuisFrancisco, Domingo Ungria, Harold T. Raymundo,Jennifer T. Raymundo, Rhoderick T. Raymundo

CIRCULATIONRobert T. Raymundo, Armando M. Arellano,Jess Camaro, Fred Lopez

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e-mailmabuhaynews25@yahoo.com

manggagawa ang benepisyongayaw bayaran sa kanya, kailanganniyang magsampa ng kasong sibilsa National Labor Relations Com-mission, dagdag sa kasong krimi-nal na binanggit natin dito. Kayalamang, kailangang magpadalamuna ang manggagawa o angkanyang kinatawan o abogadokung mayroon na ng isang demandletter sa may-ari o opisyales ngkompanya, na kung saan bibigyanang mga ito ang sapat na panahonupang magbayad ng benepisyo.Kung hindi magbabayad angkompanya sa panahong nakasaadsa demand letter, maaari nangisampa ang kasong kriminal atkasong sibil. Ganito din angalituntunin kung ang benepisyoay hindi pinagkasunduan ng man-agement at ng mga manggagawa,

IMPOSIBLE, sa palagay ko, naasahan natin ng lantarang pama-mahala si Pangulong Macapagal-Arroyo pagkaraang mabunyag(sila rin ang nagbunyag) ang“Hello, Garci” tape.

Kung susuriin, ang pagkaka-bunyag nito ang naging ugat ngpatuloy na paglilihim ng Admi-nistrasyong Arroyo, lalo na ng ma-seselang isyu na may kinalamansa pambansang interes, dignidadat soberanya ng Pilipinas.

Dalawa lamang sa mahaha-lagang “pakikipagkasundo” nahalatang gustong ipaglihim ngAdministrasyong Arroyo sa taum-bayan ang babanggitin ko: angJapanese-Philippine EconomicPartnership Agreement (JPEPA)at ang nauntol na paglalagdaansa Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) sa pagitan ng Pamahalaanng Pilipinas (GRP) at ng Moro Is-lamic Liberation Front (MILF) —na sa pagtutuos ay kasunduangmagpapatibay sa pagtatatag ngisang malaya at kahiwalay (ngPilipinas) na bansang Moro.

Ang pagmamatigas ng Admi-

nistrasyong Arroyo na huwagibunyag sa mga Pilipino angnilalaman ng mahihiwagang ka-sunduang ito ay ikinakanlong saumano’y “executive privilege” okarapatan bilang tagapagpaga-nap ni Gng. Arroyo, na pinagka-kaloob ng Konstitusyon.

Ibig bang sabihin, kahit gawingtambakan ng nakalalasong basurang Hapon ang Pilipinas dala ngJPEPA, papayag na tayong masa-panganib ang kalusugan at buhayng 88.5 milyong Pilipino —kapalit ng umano’y magiging pag-unlad ng ekonomya?

Ibig bang sabihin, kahit humi-walay at magtatag ng sarilingbansa nila ang mga Muslim —para magkaroon umano ng “kapa-yapaan” sa Mindanao — ay payagna sina GMA, Esperon, Garcia atiba pa? Sa palagay ba natin, papa-yapa nga ang Mindanao kungpayagang magtatag ng sarilingbansa ang MILF?

Paano ang nakararaming Kris-tiyano — na nakakalat sa mara-ming lalawigang masasakop ngbansang Moro? Hindi ba lalong

malaking gulo ang mangyayari?Sa pagsusuri, nakalulungkot

sabihing hindi lamang salat sapolitical will si Gng. GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo, kulang siya,dahop siya at ang umano’y mgalider natin sa pagmamahal atmalasakit sa sariling bansa!

Lumalabas na SALAPI lamangang mahalaga sa AdministrasyongArroyo — salaping kinukulimbatsa kabambansa o naka komisyonsa mga kontrata, at ipinamimilinaman ng mga kakampi, isinusu-hol sa mga magdedepensa atsusuporta sa pananatili ni GMA saMalakanyang.

Ngayon ay binibili ang kapaya-paan (daw) sa Mindanao; binibiliat ipinagpapalit sa kauntingkaluwagang ibibigay ng Hapon angbuhay at kamatayan ng samba-yanang Pilipino — sa mga lihimna kasunduan.

Sa ibang salita, unti-unti nangibinebenta ng AdministrasyongArroyo ang buong Pilipinas — samga lihim na pakikipagkasundona makakaagrabyado at makapi-pinsala sa mga Pilipino.

kundi iniutos ibigay ng gobyerno.SSS ID ibibigay sa lahat ng kasapi

ng Social Security SystemTANONG: Magandang tanghalipo, Atty. Batas. Magtatanong sanaako. Tungkol po sa pagkuha ngSSS. Anong mga kailangan? ID,NBI, ano pa? At saan puwedengkumuha? (09069504828).

Sagot: Salamat din po sa ta-nong na ito. Ang problema la-mang, hindi ko alam kung anong“pagkuha ng SSS” ang tinutukoydito. Kung ito ay ID card mula saSocial Security System, ang sina-sabi ng mga opisyales ng SSS nanakakapanayam natin sa atingmga palatuntunan sa UNTV ayganito: kailangang maging kasapiang manggagawa sa SSS para ito

sundan sa pahina 4

EDITORYAL

Malakas na sampalANG patuloy na operasyon ng Ming Hong Trading sa isang sulok ngBarangay Partida, Norzagaray na nagbubuga ng usok na mula sasinusunog na gulong ay hindi lamang isang banta sa kalusugan ngmga residente at tibay ng Inang Kalikasan, kungdi isang malakasna sampal sa mga pamahalaang lokal sa Bulacan.

Walang business permit ang nasabing planta, bukod pa sawala ring Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), at lalongwalang Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Ito ang mgapangunahing dokumento na kailangan ng isang katulad na negosyobago makapagsagawa ng operasyon.

Noong nakaraang buwan, binigyan ng Environmental Man-agement Bureau (EMB) sa Gitnang Luzon ang Ming Hong ng Noticeof Violation (NOV) at ipinatawag para sa isang technical conference,ngunit matigas ang pamunuan ng planta. Hindi sila nagpakita saEMB at sinabing wala silang natanggap na notice.

Kung tutuusin, walang karapatang magsagawa ng operasyonang Ming Hong Trading at wala rin silang karapatang unti-untingpuksain ang hininga ng mga residente ng Sitio Diliman ng Baran-gay Partida sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na pagbubuga ng usokmula sa sinusunog na gulong, upang kumita ng salapi mula sanakakatas na langis.

Ngunit tuloy ang ligaya ng Ming Hong sa kabila ng pagdurusang taong bayan na umaasa ng proteksyon sa dapat sana aymapagpalang pamamahala ni Mayor Feliciano Legazpi na isangdoktor, na nasa ilalim naman ng pamumuno ng diumano’y“makakalikasang” Bagong Bulakenyo na si Gob. Joselito “Jon-jon”Mendoza at Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na patuloy namangnakakaramdam ng pag-asenso.

“Hanggang kailan kami magtitiis,” daing ng mga residente ngSitio Diliman, ngunit ang tunay na tanong ay “hanggang kailan silatatagal” at “kailan pa kikilos ang pamahalaan na ang pangunahinggampanin ay pangalagaan ang taumbayan.”

Hihintayin pang magkasakit at magkamatay ang mgamamamayan bago kumilos ang gobyerno?

Dagdag pang hapdi sa mga sugatang residente ng Sitio Dilimanat iba pang lugar sa lalawigan na nakakaranas ng katulad napagkikibit na balikat ng mga taong dapat magtanggol sa kanila ayang mga ipinagmamalaking karangalang natanggap sa mganagdaang taon ng Bulacan sa pamamahala katulad ng mgaprestisyosong Gawad Galing Pook.

Ang tanong: Ano ang halaga ng mga ipinagmamalakingkarangalan ng lalawigan kung ang mga taong dapat bigyan ngproteksyon ay unti-unting nalalagutan ng hininga dahil lamang sakawalan ng pamamahalaang tutugon sa kanilang panganga-ilangan?

May panahon para magbago at kumilos. At ang panahongiyon ay hindi bukas, kungdi NGAYON NA!

Kastigo BIENVENIDO A. RAMOS

Lihim na bentahan

Promdi DINO BALABO

Kahanga-hanga, kamangha-manghaMULA 1986 hangggang 2007, omula sa panahon ni dating Gob.Roberto Pagdanganan hangggangsa matapos ang siyam na taongpanunungkulan ni dating Gob.Josie Dela Cruz ay katakot-takotna pagkilala at parangal angtinanggap ng Bulacan.

Kahanga-hanga!* * *

Ito ay batay sa librong Run-ning a Bureaucracy na sinulat nidating Provincial AdministratorGladys Sta. Rita na naglingkod sapanahong ng dalawang datinggobernador.

Kagulat-gulat!* * *

Ilan sa mga parangal na tinang-gap ng Bulacan sa nasabing pana-hon ay ang mga prestisyosongGawad Galing Pook (GGP) awardpara sa mga kooperatiba (1994),kultura (1995), kalusugan atnutrisyon (1996), kabataan(1997), reinventing government(2000), Hall of Fame (2000), con-stituent responsive governance(2002), women’s commission(2003), continuing excellence(2003), Project JOSIE (2005), atiba pa.

Kamangha-mangha!* * *

Ilan naman sa mga programang kapitolyo na binigyan ngparangal o pagkilala ay ang mgaprograma sa pagpapaunlad ng

kooperatiba (1986), kabataan,palakasan, kultura (1986), e-gov-ernance program (1997), ProjectJOSIE (2001), Gawad GalingBarangay (2002), at iba pa.

Katangi-tangi!* * *

Kung Bulacan ay hinangaan sabansa mula 1986 hanggang 2007dahil sa dami ng mga parangal natinanggap, bakit basura lamangay hindi masinop.

Ay, sus!* * *

Kung ang mga kagulat-gulat naparangal tulad ng GGP para sakalusugan at nutrisyon na ti-nanggap ng Bulacan sa nasabingpanahon ay nasulat pa sa librotulad ng Running a Bureaucracy,bakit wala yatang malinaw naprograma nabanggit sa panga-ngalaga ng kalikasan?

Ah, ewan!* * *

Kung tumanggap ng GGPaward ang Bulacan for reinvent-ing government noong 2000, itoba ay nangangahulugan na nagka-roon ng pagbabago sa pamamahalasa kapaligiran at napigil ang mgakumpanyang nagsisipagtapon ngkanilang waste water sa mgakailugan mula noon?

Hindi siguro — may mganaitalang fish kill sa Balagtas atLungsod ng Meycauayan mulanoong nakaraang taon.

* * *Kung tumanggap ng GGP

award ang Bulacan for constitu-ent responsive governance noong2002, ito ba ay nangangahuluganna natutugunan lahat ng pamaha-laang panglalawigan ang kara-ingan ng mga Bulakenyo tulad ngmga residente ng Mambog, Ma-lolos sa mabahong basura, pati nang mga residente ng BarangayPartida, Norzagaray na dumada-ing laban sa plantang nagsusunogng lumang gulong doon?

Duda kami!* * *

Kung ang Bulacan ay tumang-gap GGP Hall of Fame Award no-ong 2002 at continuing excellencenoong 2003, ito ba ay nangangahu-lugan na talagang mahusay angpamamahala sa bawat bayan atlungsod sa lalawigan hangggangngayon?

Kayo na ang humatol!* * *

Kung ang Bulacan ay tumang-gap ng APEC-ADOC Best e-Prac-tices award para sa informationtechnology noong 2005, bakitmabagal ang paghahatid ng im-pormasyon at pagpoproseso ngdokumento sa kapitolyo at ma-ging sa iba pang pamahalaanglokal sa Bulacan?

Subukan ninyo!* * * sundan sa pahina 4

AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008 3Depthnews JUAN L. MERCADO

Memo to their honors

Forward to Basics FR. FRANCIS B. ONGKINGCO

Pilgrimage down under

Regarding Henry

HENRYLITO D. TACIO

AT a dinner party one evening,there was a heated exchange be-tween British statesman Win-ston Churchill and a femalemember of the parliament. Atthe end of the argument, thelady said scornfully, “Mr.Churchill, you are drunk.” Re-plied Churchill , “And you,madam, are ugly. But I shall besober tomorrow.”

Revenge or vengeance con-sists of retaliation against a per-son in response to perceivedwrongdoing. Although many as-pects of revenge resemble orecho the concept of makingthings equal, revenge usuallyhas a more injurious than con-structive goal. The vengefulwish to make the other side gothrough what they went throughor make sure they’ll never beable to do what they did again.

Actually, revenge is a de-ceiver — it looks sweet but ismost often bitter. Now, let meshare with you a true story thathappened to Hungarian artistArpad Sebesy.

At one time, Elmer Kelencame to his studio and when hesaw his portrait, he was very an-gry. Before leaving, Elmer toldArpad: “That’s a rotten portraitand I refuse to pay for it!”

The artist was crushed. Hehad spent weeks on this paint-ing, and now the 500 pengos(Hungarian currency) that hewas going to lose on the dealflashed through his mind. Bit-terly, he recalled that the mil-lionaire had only posed threetimes so that the painting hadto be done virtually frommemory. Still, he didn’t thinkit was such a bad likeness.

Before the millionaire lefthis studio, the artist called out,“One minute. Will you sign thisletter saying you refused theportrait because it didn’t re-

semble you?” Glad to get off thehook so easily, Kelen agreed.

A few months later, the Soci-ety of Hungarian Artists openedits exhibition at the Gallery ofFine Arts in Budapest. Soon af-terwards, Kelen’s phone beganto ring. Within half an hour, heappeared at the art gallery andheaded for the wing where aSebesy painting was on display.It was the one he had rejected.

He glanced at the title andhis face turned purple. Storm-ing into the office of the gallerymanager, he demanded that theportrait be removed at once.The manager explained quietlythat all of the paintings wereunder contract to remain in thegallery the full six weeks of theexhibit.

Kelen raged. “But it willmake me the laughing stock ofBudapest. It’s libelous! I’llsue!” The manager turned to hisdesk, drew out the letter Kelenhad written at Sebesy’s re-quest, and said, “Just a moment.Since you yourself admit thatthe painting does not resembleyou, you have no jurisdictionover its fate.”

In desperation, Kelen offeredto buy the painting, only to findthe price was now ten timesthat of the original figure. Withhis reputation at stake, Kelenimmediately wrote out a checkfor 5,000 pengos.

Not only did the artist sellthe rejected portrait to the manwho had originally commis-sioned it, he also received tentimes the first price andachieved his revenge by exhib-iting it with the title: Portraitof a Thief.

Charles Caleb Colton oncesaid, “Revenge is fever in ourown blood, to be cured only byletting the blood of another; but

continued on page 6

Cebu Calling FR. ROY CIMAGALA

Our crisis of faithWE are supposed to be creaturesof faith, but I wonder how we areliving according to that ideal. Wecan look around, and we canreadily see signs and symptomsthat faith is not lived as it should.Faith seems to be in crisis.

Faith is a human necessity. Wecannot rely simply on our reasonor intelligence, no matter howhigh it may be. Much less do wesolely depend on our senses, nomatter how indispensable theyare. We need faith. We need to be-lieve, because we are meant forit. We need faith because we knowthere’s a world beyond what ourintelligence can penetrate, andwe need to enter it since it’s aworld to which we belong also.

Our intelligence is more likethe moon rather than like thesun. It reflects light, and thus itslight is a reflected light. It’s notthe original source of light. In oursystem, that light source is thesun. Our problem starts when wemake our intelligence like the suninstead of the moon.

Our intelligence emits lightinsofar as it receives and processesdata first from outside itself, andthen once it has accumulatedsome data, it can emit light alsofrom within itself. It has to re-ceive something first, before itcan give.

Usually we start using the in-formation we gather from the ma-terial world. But from there, itcan build its own reservoir ofknowledge and can continue re-flecting on it, emitting more lightalong the way.

Still our intelligence can de-

tect that there is still anothersource of light other than thematerial world and itself. In fact,this source is the higher and theultimate one, ever stimulatingthe mind to catch it but can neverquite get it.

It’s the world of the spiritual,and more than that, the world ofthe supernatural, shrouded inmysteries that are truths that sur-pass our intelligence’s capacity tounderstand. This is where wesimply have to believe. Of course,we can also choose not to believe.

This is the world where we areasked to have faith. This is wherewe are capable of going beyondthe limitations of our human con-dition to merge ourselves into adeeper, richer albeit supernatu-ral reality.

Our problem often is that weget stuck with the sensible andintelligible realities. We ignorethe supernatural realities. Weprefer to stay on the natural level,failing to see our nature’s longingfor the supernatural.

We can even go to the extent ofclaiming that there’s nothing su-pernatural, nothing outside whatis natural, what we can under-stand. But our catechism says:

“The desire for God is writtenin the human heart, because manis created by God and for God; andGod never ceases to draw man tohimself. Only in God will he findthe truth and happiness he neverstops searching for.” (27)

Obviously, the skepticismabout the supernatural world andabout faith can stem from the factthat myths and superstitions have

very often spoiled if not annulledwhatever tendency we may havetoward the supernatural.

We are afraid that all talkabout faith and the supernaturalworld may just redound to somesubtle human invention or sometricks that our mind and will canplay on us, that is, that such claimreally has no objective basis, thateverything is purely subjective.

This predicament does not to-tally negate the existence of ob-jective basis for faith and the su-pernatural world. Rather, it leadsus to discern which among the dif-ferent faith systems truly have anobjective basis.

In the case of the Christianfaith, it is based on a divine rev-elation — God coming to us —that is historical, involving a realperson and other personages, andevents and teachings that can behistorically verified. It’s not a fig-ment of someone’s or a people’simagination.

We need to live by faith. Forthis we need to learn how to thinkusing not only our reason, but alsofaith. This requires study and thedevelopment of certain habits —like praying, reflecting, recollect-ing, etc. The ideal to reach is thatwe get to develop such a life offaith that would enable us to seeGod and his ways in all our dailyevents and activities big andsmall. We become contempla-tives.

This is our crisis of faith. Notso much doctrinal controversiesas our indifference to our task tolive by faith at every moment.

— roycimagala@hotmail.com

LOCAL officials here should per-haps ask themselves aloud: “Didwe ever have the misfortune toclone Cesar Moreno?”

Cesar who?He’s the vice-mayor of Alo-

guinsan, a fifth class town 73 ki-lometers northwest of Cebu City. His wife, Cynthia, is mayor. Butthat’s not where Moreno’s “15minutes of fame” stems from.

The curse of dynasties plagueus. President Gloria MacapagalArroyo’s extended family is em-bedded in official posts. Dynas-ties corral two-thirds of Congress’seats, Philippine Center for In-vestigative Journalism reports.

The Commission on Auditlashed Aloguinsan officials for rig-ging contracts, pocketing cashfrom equipment sold sans bid-ding, etc. They peddled town as-sets “as if it were their privateproperty”.

So do many officials in 79 prov-inces, 136 cities and 1,501 towns.If prosecutors did a tenth of theirjobs, our jails couldn’t hold allconvicted officials.

Aloguinsan’s net income year-ly is P7.48 million. Only 12 per-cent of residents have toiletslinked to septic tanks. Yet, offi-cials splurged P540,000 for “a liveconcert and a dance-breakout”.Worse, their Honors billed it to atrust account for the poorest —“the 20 Per Cent DevelopmentFund.”

Have local officials, in this cityand province, similarly pillagedthis safety net for the vulnerable?

Examine this trust’s history.One may start with the landmark“Local Government Code” of1991. Section 287 provides: Lo-cal government units shall appro-priate, in its annual budget, noless than 20 centavos out of every

internal revenue allotment peso,for “development projects.”

But the roots, in fact, go backto Sweden in 1972. Delegatesfrom over 100 countries, includ-ing the Philippines, gatheredthen for the UN EnvironmentConference in Stockholm. Del-egates crafted an innovative “20-20 Pact”.

This committed governmentsto earmark 20 percent of devel-opment resources for the poorest.Resources were to address basichuman needs of the mostmarginalized: nutrition, healthcare, medicine, potable water andsanitation, education, etc.

“Human development spend-ing,” the Stockholm consensuswent, relieves grinding poverty. Itcurbs disease and tamps downdeath rates. Unmet human needs“usher more Filipino pre-school

continued on page 4

“FATHER, where are you from?”a young girl from Chicago asked.

“I’m from the Philippines,” Ireplied.

“That’s really cool!” she ex-claimed. “Can you please signsomething on my World YouthDay bandana?”

“Sure,” I said as I took her pen.“I will not only write something,I will also give you my blessingand I will pray for your parents.”

She suddenly became speech-less and I noticed how her eyesstarted to become watery.

“Are you alright?” I asked quiteconcerned.

“Yes, Father. I’m just so movedthat you should say a prayer formy folks ’coz my mother’s sick.”

“Then, I have more reasons topray for her. What is she sick of, ifI may ask?”

“She has cancer and she under-went an operation yesterday.”

“What’s her name?”“Claudia … [SNIFFLE]”“Listen, Lisa,” I said, “will it

comfort you if I include her in myMass tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, Father, very much!Thanks so much!”

* * *I was waiting for a relative in frontof Milson’s Point when a womanand her companion greeted me.“Gud evenin’, Fathe’!” Hope yu’rnjoyin’ Sydney durin’ this WorldYouth Day!”

“Of course, madam! Thank you

and God bless you!”She stopped when she heard

these words and slowly walkedback to where I was. “Father,please pray for me, because Godwill never forgive me.”

“But our Lord loves you, daugh-ter of God. And there is no sin thatHis love cannot forgive.”

“Thank you, Fathe’! But I haveso many sins and it’s been 20years since I last went t’ confes-sion.”

I smiled at her and made thesign of the Cross on her forehead.“Is there anything that God’slove cannot do?” I reminded her.

“Yu’r right, Father. But ourparish priest is new.”

continued on page 5

Ka Iking Reports

IKE SEÑERES

THIS is a continuation of my pre-vious column, where I invited ev-eryone to have a conversationwith me, about giving charity toothers, and about nation build-ing.

It may be difficult to establisha connection between these twotopics, but suffice it to say thatdevelopment is all about givingaccess to public services, and giv-ing access to others as a way ofsharing is both an act of charityaside from contributing to nationbuilding.

I will leave it up to the Circlesand Clubs to choose their ownbeneficiary targets. As a matterof fact, they could also chooseneedy individuals as their directbeneficiary targets. Preferably,however, it would be best for themto provide assistance in any of thefive main programs, so that wecould support them at the na-tional level.

It is part of human nature notto talk about our own acts of char-ity, which we usually keep closeto our hearts. This is not a prob-lem, but since we need to hearabout what each of us is doing, weshould encourage the members ofthe Circles to talk about whatthey are doing as a group, or whattheir friends are doing as indi-viduals.

As part of our conversations, Iam going to talk about individu-als who have come to me for help.

I will also talk about groups thatapparently need help, even if theyhave not approached me. I willlist down these individuals andgroups, and the members of theCircles could choose which onesthey would want to help.

In order to be able to keeptrack of all our conversations, letus all agree to post our commentsin the following website, listedbelow. In order to limit the num-ber of conversations in our web-site, let us avoid talking about ourplans to help. Instead, I wouldencourage the Circles to talkabout their experiences and theproblems they are encounteringin implementing their own pro-grams. The internet is already fullof loose talk; let us be differentby balancing our talks with ouractions.

In a manner of speaking, ourpublic services do need the charityof our citizens, because of the usualreason that government budgetsare always lacking, not to mentionthat these public funds often fallvictim to graft and corruption,thus leaving very little to actualpublic expenditures.

Charity to persons is almostalways urgent in nature, andwould always need urgent actions.While it is good to respond to sub-jective needs, let us balance ouractions with objective purposes,and we could do that by helping

continued on page 4

The subject of our conversations

Vengeance is not ours

4 AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008

Buhay Pinoy

MANDY CENTENO

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Kakampi mo ang Batas mula sa pahina 2

Sona ... Sana! Nasa, SaanS–ONA noong araw pinagsama-samaAng kalalakihan upang makilalaKung sinong rebelde o mga girilya?Panahon ng Hapon ganoon ang sona.O–pisyal ng bayan sama-sama ngayonKilala ng lahat pangunahing layonIsipan ng tao kanilang malasonKasinungalingan daming nagugutom.N–aalimpungatan mga mamamayanNag-alsa, protesta di na makayananAng matinding hirap nitong kabuhayanHangad pagbabago ang nanunungkulan.A–lipin ng hirap, pasakit at dusaAng kawawang dukha lalong naghirap paTaas ng bilihin hindi na makayaWala na ba tayong tunay na pag-asa?* * *S–ana ay magbago itong patakaranMga nasa poder at nanunungkulanBayan ang isipin bigyang kabuhayanHindi ang sariling mga kapakanan.A–buridong tao dahil sa hirapHindi na maabot ang mga pangarapHalos kahig-tuka itong nagaganapPag-ukulan SANA ng konting paglingapN–ababagot tuloy sa hirap ng buhayIniisip wari ang anak na mahalPapaano kaya sila mapag-aral?Sa pagkain pa lang ay kulang na kulang.A–yuda na tulong limang daang pisoKatulad ni Ninoy na malungkot itoIlang kilong bigas mabibili nitoSANA ay dagdagan, mahal na pangulo.N–asa ni GMA siya’y makatulongPagkalinga itong pangunahing layonKung baga sa limos ay kokonti iyonKapupuna nito nasa atin ngayon.A–ng kanyang hangarin kahit papaanoLubhang makatulong limang daang pisoBatid naman nating tunay kulang itoDamdamin ng pobre nasaktang totoo.S–ilang nasa puwesto nagpapayaman paPagawaing bayan may porsiyento silaSangkaterbang kwarta ang nalulustay naAng maruming NASA impiyerno ang punta.* * *S–aan nangapunta patabang pang-palay?Masukal na lungsod ang kinasadlakanSa mabatong putik? Ito ay “Joke, joke” langMadawag na lupa kung SAAN ay tigang.A–no ang nangyari sa combo na “Broad Band”?Dada ni Lozada nawalan ng saysayAng hilo na Garci ngayon ay nasaan?“Madam, I am sorry” hindi ko po alam.A–lipores ni Ma’am ay nagbabalikanSaan puwesto kaya sila magtatagal?Mga taga-upos walang pakialamLugar kung saan man hanggang 2010 lang.N–asa Pilipino ang ikasusulongSANA tayong lahat ay magtulong-tulongSAAN mang lupain manirahan doonSONAta ng buhay ay ipagpatuloy.

Mga kaso sa NLRC, kailangangdesisyunan sa loob ng 90 araw

TANONG: Atty. Batas, magandangumaga po. Tanong ko lang po kungilang buwan bago magdesisyon angkaso sa NLRC. (09167665681).

Sagot: Salamat po sa text questionna ito. Sa ilalim ng NLRC Rules ofProcedure, kailangang madesisyunanang isang kasong “submitted for deci-sion” sa loob ng 90 araw na nakasaadsa Saligang Batas ng 1987. Kung hindinaglalabas ang NLRC — ke ito ay angkanyang mga commissioner o ang la-bor arbiter lamang — ng desisyonkahit na nakalipas na ang 90 araw naito, maaari nang magreklamo angapektadong partido sa hukuman, saCourt of Appeals, sa pamamagitan ngpagsasampa ng kasong ang tawag aypetition for mandamus. Maaari dingmagreklamo ang isang apektadongpartido ng kasong katiwalian o graftand corruption sa Ombudsman, dahilang hindi pagpapalabas ng desisyon sa

panahong itinakda ng Saligang Batasng 1987 ay isang uri ng katiwalian.

* * *BATAS NG DIYOS: Ito ang araw nagawa ng Diyos; tayo ay magalak atmagdiwang. (Awit 118:24)

* * *PAALALA: Maaari po kayong tuma-wag sa aming mga landline, (02) 994-68-05, (02) 433-75-49 at (02) 433-75-53, o di kaya ay sa aming mga cell-phone, 0917-984-24-68 at 0919-609-64-89. O sumulat sa aming address:18 D Mahiyain cor Mapagkawanggawa,Teachers Village, Diliman, QuezonCity. O mag-email sa website na ito,www.batasnews.com, o batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

* * *PARTY LIST: Maaari na po kayongmaging kasapi ng BATAS Party List, oang Bagong Alyansang Tagapag-taguyod ng Adhikaing Sambayanan.Ipadala po ang inyong mga pangalanat kumpletong address sa parehongmga address at telepono sa itaas.

Napapanahon LINDA R. PACIS

Di sumipot si GMA sa pista ng God the FatherNOONG ika-3 ng Agosto, ipinagdi-wang ng isang misa at kainan angkapistahan ng God the Father sa He-roes Hall ng Malacañang Palace.

Si Bishop Ramon Arguelles angnagmisa ngunit wala si PangulongGloria Macapagal-Arroyo na dapat aypinangunahan ang “consecration” ngbansa sa God the Father gaya ng mganakaraang taon.

Gaya noong 2003, idinaos ang pistasa Quirino Grandstand, Luneta sapamamagitan ng concelebrated massna pinangunahan ni Bishop Arguellesat may parada ng walong karosa mulasa grandstand hanggang Baclaran atpabalik.

Noong 2004 sa Ceremonial Hallng Malacañang Palace naman idinaosang pagdiriwang ng God the Fatherat naroon ang first family, mga mi-yembro ng gabinete, mga opisyal nggobyerno atbp. Si Pangulong Arroyoang nagdasal ng “Consecration Pra-yer” na dapat ay ginawa din niyanoong Linggo. Ayon sa mga ulat, siGMA ay deboto monthly octave de-votion ng ng God the Father at nagda-rasal ng tatlong oras na nakaluhod.

Pero bakit noong Linggo ng kapis-tahan ay “no-show” siya, inindiyanang pinakamakapangyarihang Diyosna gumawa ng langit at lupa at lahatng bagay sa sanglibutan.

Dahil ba sa Cha-Cha, martial lawat iba pang paraan na makapagpa-

patagal ng kanyang termino saposisyon ng kapangyarihan? Dahil sabumibitiw na siya at may iba nangipagmamalaki?

Sabi ng mga opisyal ng God theFather Movement, kapag may krisissa Malacañang kagaya ng nakaraangimpeachment proceeding ay tuma-tawag sa kanila si Madam Gloriakahit hating-gabi at humingi ng da-sal. Ngayon ba ay di na niya kailanganang proteksyon ng Ama ng Sang-libutan? Makakatayo na siya sasariling lakas at kapangyarihan?

Ang debosyon sa God the Fatheray nagsimula dito sa Pilipinas noongideklara ni Pope John Paul II angtaong 1999 na Year of the Father sakanyang Tertio Millennio Adveniente.

Mula 1932 nang si Mother Euge-nia Elisabetta Ravasio ay 25 taonggulang hanggang 1943, nakatanggapsiya ng mga mensahe sa ilang apa-risyon ula sa Diyos Ama. Siya noonay madre ng French missionary or-der of “Our Lady of the Apostles” saDiyosesis ng Grenoble.

Nagbigay din ng mga “revelation”ang Diyos Ama kay Barbara RoseCentilli (1996-2003) na mababasa saaklat na Seeing with the Eyes of theSoul, Vol. 1, 2 at 3.

Nadala sa Pilipinas ang debosyonsa pamamagitan ni Tony Yap, kapatidni Nena Yap (Chair ng God the Fa-ther Movement) at Dr. Carmencita

Yap, na nagpadala ng mga aklattungkol sa debosyon.

Hindi tumigil ang selebrasyon ngPista ng God the Father noong naka-raang Linggo, Agosto 3 kahit wala siPangulong Gloria at masama man angpanahon. Pagkatapos sa Malacañang,nagprusisyon sa Holy Family ParishChurch, Roxas District, Quezon Cityang mga deboto.

Umuulan nang magsimula angprusisyon ngunit nang lumalakad naay tumila ng kaunti ang ulan at patakpatak na lang hanggang makaratingsa headquarters sa Panay Avenue, Q.C.Kaya di nabasa ng ulan ang mga umi-ilaw. May meryendang inihanda satahanan nina Nena at Dr. Mita Yap atmarami ang hindi umalis hanggangdi natapos ang selebrasyon.

Ayon kay Nena Yap, ang taunangselebrasyon ay magpapatuloy at ma-rami nang simbahan ang sumasalimula sa iba’t ibang pook, gaya ng mgasumusunod: Bulacan (Divine Mercy,Marilao; Barasoain Church, Malolos;Regina Carmeli University, Malolos);Imus Cathedral, Cavite; Our Lady ofPeace and Good Voyage, Antipolo; Sto.Domingo Church, Q.C.; God the Fa-ther Parish, Sauyo, Novaliches; ClaretParish, Teachers Village, Q.C.; SanFernando Cathedral, Pampanga;Mary the Queen Parish, Parañaque;San Sebastian Parish, Lipa City atmarami pang iba.

ay mabigyan ng ID. Siyempre, angkailangan dito ay ang katibayan naempleyado nga ang manggagawa, at,kadalasan, ang katibayang hinahanapdito ay ang certificate of employment(o pagpapatibay mula sa kompanya),at pangalawa, katibayang nai-reportang manggagawa bilang kasapi ng SSS.Sa ibang mga sitwasyon, hahanapin dinng SSS ang inyong birth certificate,marriage contract ng inyong mgamagulang o marriage contract ninyomismo kung may asawa na kayo noongkayo ay mag-apply bilang kasapi nito.Sa kabilang dako, kung ang tinutukoysa mga salitang “pagkuha ng SSS” ayang mga benepisyong ibinibigay ngnasabing ahensiya para sa mga kasapinito, kailangan pong magsumite ngclaim ang isang manggagawa o angkanyang mga tagapagmana sapinakamalapit na tanggapan ng SSS.Depende sa kung anong benepisyo anghinahabol, kailangan din ang pagpa-patibay ng kung magkano na ang nagingkontribusyon ng manggagawa sa SSS.○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Depthnews continued from page 3

children to premature graves than evenin poorer countries like Egypt, Kenyaor Tanzania,” Asian DevelopmentBank noted.

Section 287 is the Philippine side-walks, even “tourism promotion”, etc.

GI roofing for a market or fillingroad potholes can be photographed forvoters. But you can’t tack, on electionbillboards, lower infant death rates, dueto vaccine bought from the 20 Per CentDevelopment Fund.

Predictably, officials slurp at thistrough. Sangguiang Panlalawigan offi-cials in Davao Oriental paid P669,892“as financial assistance” — for them-selves. Ifugao amortized loans. They“drunk the tears of children and turneddeaf ears to the sighs of orphans.”

Few LGUs draw up adequate An-nual Investment Plans. Many politi-cians prefer doles. Taking credit forhanding out taxpayers money is easy.Others are incompetent. They can’tcraft development projects.

Yet, $50 dollar livelihood loans forpoor women, to take one example, wonthe 2006 Nobel Peace Prize forMuhammad Yunus and GrameenBank. “Micro-credit is a means …whereby large population groups findways to break out of poverty,” the Nobelcitation said.

But the track record on the Fundshows “there’s little for a people-ori-ented strategy that builds human as-sets for the poor,” Sun•Star dailynoted. “But it reveals elbow room forgraft.”

Persistent theft of the Fund doesnot stem from ignorance. Ruling afterruling has come down to safeguard it’s“preferential option for the poorest”.

Mountain Province barangay offi-cials, for example, lobbed two ques-tions at DILG: Could they use the 20Per Cent Development Fund tosupplement salaries of national highschool teachers? And could they patchup funding deficits in other projects

from the Fund?No way, Jose, said DILG Opinion

No. 5 on 10 August 1999. And thatpolicy remains in force today. But it is,alas, honored more in the breach thanin the practice, as the Aloguinsan casestudy shows.

Speaking to the League of Provinces,President Arroyo urged: “Prioritizethe use of (the 20%) development fundfor improvement in delivery of basicsocial and health services.”

Led by Bohol Governor Rico Au-mentado, the League responded witha resolution that called on members:Use this Fund to ensure “quality edu-cation … access to electricity and po-table water, and affording people live-lihood opportunities.” Infrastructureprojects for job generation can … pumpprime the local economy in the coun-tryside.”

But when one shashays on the dancefloor, as in Aloguinsan, who bothers tolisten? — juan_mercado@prime.net.ph

from page 3our local institutions with their physical and materialneeds, that way we could help more people as they areable to service more people in need.

Examples of local institutions are the local govern-ments, the court systems, the prosecution offices, the po-lice units and the health services in your own villages.Examples of infrastructures are roads, bridges, buildingsand other physical facilities, including school buildingsand hospitals, among others.

It’s not a very easy goal, but I am now trying to inte-grate what I am doing in my TV show, in my website andin my syndicated column. The purpose of my TV show isto bring out “The news behind the news”, but since I ama practitioner of developmental journalism, I always tryto pick issues that have something to do with nationaldevelopment and nation building.

Generally speaking, we could say that the purpose ofmass media is to inform the public about issues and events.Practitioners of developmental journalism, however, wouldlike to also use the mass media as a tool for national devel-opment. The challenge I think is to make the mass mediaparticipatory, so that readers, viewers and listeners couldget involved in issues, not only to comment, but also to dosomething to solve national needs and problems.

I know that I could not convince everyone to do some-thing for others or for our country, but I am sure that thereare many individuals out there who would like to do some-thing, or are in fact doing something already. Let these bethe subject of our conversations, what we do as individu-als or as groups of friends who are doing something forothers and for our country.

Email me at iseneres@yahoo.com or text me at+639293605140. Watch my TV show “Ka Iking Live”every Friday, 9:30 to 10:30 PM in Destiny Cable Channel3 (Windows Media Player MMS://202.128.41.99/gnn).Read my column “Ka Iking Reports” published by 24local newspapers nationwide.

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Ka Iking Reports

Congratulations nga pala sa sabumubuo ng Doña Rita Realty Corpo-ration sa matagumpay at simplengpagpapasinaya sa pinakabagong mallsa Bulacan na tinawag na The Cabanasnoong Biyernes, Agosto 8.

Matatagpuan ang The Cabanas sakahabaan ng MacArthur Highway saBarangay Longos, Lungsod ng Malolos.Nakakahalintulad nito ang East WoodPark sa Libis, Lungsod ng Quezon.Magkakaroon ito ng department atgrocery store, mga bangko, kainan, sine-

han at iba pang negosyo.* * *

Inaasahan na ang The Cabanas aymagiging isang pangunahing desti-nasyon, pasyalan at pamilihan saLungsod ng Malolos sa mga daratingna buwan.

Bukod dito inaasahan din na mag-hahatid ito ng maraming oportunidadsa trabaho para sa mga Bulakenyo dahilbawat negosyanteng magtatayo ngnegosyo doon ay tiyak na kukuha ngmga trabahador sa lalawigan. Goodluck

sa mga walang trabaho na gustongmagkahanap-buhay!

* * *Congratulations din kay Rommel

Ramos ng Lungsod ng Malolos samuling pagbabalik ng kanyang pala-tuntunang Rommel Ramos, Po! sahimpapawid simula noong Sabado,Agosto 9.

Mapapakinggan ito tuwing Sabado,mula ika-8:00 hanggang ika-9:00 ngumaga sa DZSS 1494 kilohertz sa tala-pihitan ng inyong mga radio.

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Promdi mula sa pahina 2

AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008 5

Dapat isara ang Ming Hong, ilegal ang operasyon – EMBDapat isara ang Ming Hong, ilegal ang operasyon – EMB

NINJA — Animo’y isang “Ninja warrior” ang mangga-gawang ito ng Ming Hong Trading na naglalakad palabasmula sa bungad ng isang incinerator dahil sa balot nabalot ang buong katawan nang makunan ng larawan ngMabuhay noong Hulyo 31. Mapapansin ang pangingitimng damit ng manggagawa at maging ang sahig, paderat bubong ng planta sanhi ng uling na hatid ng ibinu-bugang usok ng sinusunog na gulong. — DINO BALABO

NI DINO BALABO

NORZAGARAY, Bulacan —Dapat itigil ang operasyonng Ming Hong Trading, angsunugan ng gulong sa SitioDiliman, Barangay Partidasa bayang ito, dahil ilegalang operasyon nito.

Ito ang pahayag ng En-vironmental ManagementBureau (EMB) ng GitnangLuzon hinggil sa inirerek-lamong planta na nagsusu-nog ng gulong sa kabila ngpangako ng isa sa mga ka-sosyo doon na isasara iyonsa Agosto 31 kung hindimagiging epektibo ang mgapasilidad na kanilang ika-kabit.

Ang EMB ay isang sa-ngay ng Department of En-vironment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) na angmandato ay bantayan angmga kumpanya o katuladna pasilidad na pinagmu-mulan ng polusyon.

Sinabi naman ni MayorFeliciano Legazpi, na napa-kiusapan matapos na mag-utos noong Hulyo 31 na i-sara ang planta at nagban-ta na ipadadakip sa pulisyaang mga manggagawa ngMing Hong kapag hinditumigil, na binibigyan niyang pagkakataon ang mgamamumuhunan sa Norza-garay na makasunod sapatakaran.

Ayon kay Raldy Pagador,environmental manage-ment specialist ng EMB,hindi maaaring magsagawao magpatuloy ng operasyonang Ming Hong Trading, namatatagpuan sa Sitio Di-liman, Barangay Partidahangga’t hindi nakasusu-nod sa batas.

“Dapat tumigil munasila,” ani Pagador at binig-yang diin na dapat ay ipasa-ra muna ng pamahalaanglokal ang operasyon ng na-sabing planta na nagsusu-nog ng gulong, hangga’thindi pa lumalabas angresulta ng pagsusuri ng

kanilang laboratoryo sa wa-ter at air sample na kani-lang kinolekta noong Hulyo31.

Lalabas ang resulta ngmga sample sa susunod nalinggo, at kung ito ay hindinakapasa isusumite iyon ngEMB sa Pollution Adjudi-cation Board (PAB) paramakapaglabas ng Cease andDesist Order (CDO).

Ayon kay Apolonio Mar-celo, ang dating alkalde ngbayan ng Angat na kasosyosa Ming Hong Trading, anginerereklamong planta nanagsusunog ng lumang gu-long upang makatas anglangis, ititigil na ang kani-lang operasyon sa Agosto 31kapag hindi umepekto angmga bagong pasilidad napamigil sa polusyon na kani-lang ikakabit.

Sinabi pa ni Marcelo naMing Hong ang tunay napangalan ng planta at hindi“Meng Hong” tulad ng u-nang napaulat sa pahaya-gang ito.

“Kung hindi magigingsuccessful ang mga im-provements na ginagawanamin ay tuluyan nangititigil ang operasyon ngMing Hong sa katapusan ngbuwang ito,” ani Marcelo saMabuhay nang siya aymakapanayam sa bayan ngSta. Maria noong Agosto 8.

Sinabi niya na namuhu-nan ang planta ng mahigitP1 milyon para makabili atmakapaglagay ng electro-static precipitator na siyangpipigil sa polusyon na ibinu-buga ng planta.

Ang electronic precipi-tator, ayon kay Marcelo, ayparang dust collector naginagamit ng mga pabrikang muwebles sa Pampangaat mga pabrika ng sementodito sa Norzagaray.

Ipinaliwanag niya namahihigop ng nasabinginstrumento ang mga usokna may dalang uling mulasa sinusunog na gulong.

Sa ganitong paraan, ani-

ya, mapipigil ang polusyonna inirereklamo ng mgaresidente na nakatira mala-pit sa kanilang planta.

Bukod sa nasabing in-strumento, sinabi ni Mar-celo, na sa kasalukuyan aykanila itong kinukubkob ngyero na katulad ng isangbodega ang planta upangwalang lumabas na usok.

“Mayroon kaming appli-cation para sa ECC (Envi-ronmental ComplianceCertificate) mula pa noongnakaraang taon,” ayon kayMarcelo. “Naaprubahan nasana yung ECC namin, kaso,dahil sa open pa yung areaay sinabi ng EMB na holdmuna hanggang sa maka-comply kami.”

Tinanong naman ng Ma-buhay kay Marcelo na kunghindi pa aprubado ang ka-nilang ECC ay hindi banararapat lamang na itigilmuna ang kanilang ope-rasyon.

Ang sagot niya ay kayapatuloy ang kanilang ope-rasyon kahit wala pang ECCay upang masubok kungepektibo ang kanilang in-strumentong inilalagay atpasilidad na idinadagdag.

Ayon naman kay Paga-dor, hindi maaari ang sina-sabi ni Marcelo na magpa-patuloy ng operasyon ha-bang isinasaayos ang anti-pollution device.

Ani Pagador, “Hindi silamabibigyan ng ECC hang-ga’t hindi tumitino angkanilang operasyon.”

Hinggil naman sa kawa-lan ng Ming Hong Tradingng Business Permit, sinabini Marcelo na hindi munasila kumuha ngayong taongito dahil hindi pa aprubadoang kanilang ECC.

Hinggil naman sa lara-wan ng isang palaisdaan napuno ng langis na lumabassa nakaraang sipi ng Mabu-hay, pinabulaanan ni Mar-celo na sa Ming Hong galingang mga langis na iyon.

Sinabi niya na may nag-

tatapon ng gamit na langissa isang loteng may sukatna 15 ektarya di kalayuansa kanilang planta, at iyonang dahilan kaya’t napunong langis ang nasabing pa-laisdaan.

Ngunit nang liwanaginng Mabuhay ang eksak-tong kinalalagyan ng nasa-bing lote ay taliwas ito sasinasabi ni Marcelo.

Binigyang diin pa ngMabuhay na batay sa ob-serbasyon sa topograpiya nglupa sa paligid ng palais-daan, at batay na rin sapahayag ng mga residenteay imposibleng sa sinasa-bing lote ni Marcelo nagmu-mula ang langis na nakitasa palaisdaan.

Matatandaan na noongHulyo 31 ay muling nagsa-gawa ng isang inspeksyonang EMB sa Ming HongTrading kung kailan aykumuha sila ng water at airsample.

Ayon kay Pagador, kulangsa water treatment facility

ang Ming Hong kaya’t ma-laki ang posibilidad na kon-taminado ng langis angitinatapong tubig nito nadumadaloy sa palaisdaanna pag-aari ng isang LuisClarin.

Batay sa pahayag niMarcelo, ang Ming Hong aynagsasagawa ng operasyonsa loob ng 12 oras bawataraw at nakakarekober ng4,000 litro ng langis kungang lahat ng anim nilangincinerator ay umaandar.

Sa kasalukuyan ay tatlolamang daw sa kanilang in-cinerator ang umaandar.

Ang langis o bunker oilna nakakatas ng Ming Hongsa mga gulong ay ibineben-ta nila ng P17.50 hanggangP20 sa mga pabrika saLungsod ng Valenzuela atsa bayan ng Sta. Maria.

Ito ay higit na mababasa benta ng mas malalakingkumpanya sa bunker oil nanagkakahalaga ng mahigitsa P20 bawat litro.

Sinabi rin ni Marcelo na

mas pinipili ng mga pabri-ka ang bunker oil dahil masmura iyon kumpara sa die-sel o krudo na ngayon aynagkakahalaga na ng ma-higit P56 bawat litro.

Sa panig naman ni MayorLegazpi na naunang nag-utos at nagbanta na ipasa-sara ang planta ng MingHong, hihintayin daw niyana makasunod ang MingHong sa atas ng EMB.

Ayon kay Legazpi, hindiniya alam na may aplikas-yon para sa ECC ang MingHong sa EMB.

Sinabi pa ni Legazpi saMabuhay na bilang isangalkalde, binabalanse niyaang kalagayan ng mga ma-mumuhunan at mga ma-mamayan.

Inihalimbawa niya angkaranasan sa mga pabrikang semento sa bayang ito nahalos 20 taon bago nagkabitng mga electro static pre-cipitator na pumigil sa mgaalikabok na ibinibuga ngpabrika.

DI PA RIN NAISASARA — Tuloy pa rin ang operas-yon ng Ming Hong Trading, ang sunugan ng gulong sa

Sitio Diliman, Barangay Partida, Norzagaray, sa kabilang mga reklamo ng mga residente. — DINO BALABO

6 AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008

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Regarding Henry continued from page 3

mula sa pahina 8negosyante 587,000 kaban ay nasa mga negosyante.

Hinggil naman sa presyo ng bigas ng NFA, sinabi niyana sa mga Tindahan Natin (TN) sa mga barangay, angbigas ng NFA ay ibinebenta sa halagang P18.25 bawatkilo, samantalang sa mga Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke(BGP) ay P25.

Bukod dito, nagbebenta rin ang NFA ng matataas naklaseng bigas na nagkakahalaga ng P 35 bawat kilo at P38 bawat kilo.

Bigas ng NFA pinag-aagawan pa rin mula sa pahina 1

Figueroa, tagapamahala ngNFA sa Bulacan, walangibang dapat sisihin sa pag-bulusok ng presyo ng bigaskungdi ang mga negosyante.

“Panay kasi ang ispe-kulasyon nila, pero hindinila naagapan ang magigingreaksyon ng gobyerno,” aniFigueroa, na binigyang diinna noong Marso at Abril ay

biglang sumibad pataas angpresyo ng bigas sanhi ngkakulangan ng produksyonat pagtaas ng presyo ng pro-duktong petrolyo sa pan-daigdigang pamilihan.

Sa hanay naman ng mgamagsasaka, marami angnakumbinse na magbalik satradisyunal na pamama-raan ng pagsasaka sanhi ngpagtaas ng presyo ng kemi-

kal na pataba na nagmu-mula sa petrolyo.

Ngunit hindi namanlahat ng magsasaka ay nag-balik na sa tradisyunal napagsasaka kaya’t namahagiang Kagawaran ng Pagsa-saka ng fertilizer subsidycoupon bilang ayuda sa mgamagsasaka.

Ayon kay Redentor Ga-tus, director ng Kagawaran

ng Pagsasaka sa GitnangLuzon, ang pamamahagi ngmga nasabing kupon aybahagi ng programang tina-guriang Fertilizer, Irriga-tion, Extension Services,Loans, Dryer and Post–har-vest facilities and Seeds(FIELDS). Ang layuninnito, ani Gatus, ay paratumaas ang produksyon ngbigas sa bansa sa 2010.

Negosyante umalmasa dami ng NFA rice

pay, and then the man sued. The judgeruled that because the insurance com-pany had agreed to insure the cigarsagainst fire, it was legally responsible.

The company had no choice but to paythe claim. Then, when the man acceptedthe money, the company had him ar-rested for arson.

“Don’t get mad,” Josh Billings sug-gests. “Get even.” But Martin LutherKing, Jr. reiterates, “That old law about‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybodyblind. The time is always right to do theright thing.”

“Live well,” said Francis Bacon. “It isthe greatest revenge.”

— henrytacio@gmail.com

the remedy too often produces a relapse,which is remorse — a malady far moredreadful than the first disease, becauseit is incurable.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley agrees.“Something of vengeance I had tasted

for the first time; as aromatic wine itseemed, on swallowing, warm and racy:its after-flavor, metallic and corroding,gave me a sensation as if I had been poi-soned.”

English author Samuel Johnson isone person who would get even withthose people who would exploit him.When he was completing his dictionary,a London journal published two anony-mous “previews” of the book. The ar-

ticles were favorable but superficial.When he learned that the wealthy Earlof Chesterfield had written them, he wasfurious.

After all, he had applied to him re-peatedly for patronage while writing thedictionary, but the earl had been cheap,giving the poverty-stricken writer nomore than ten pounds (about US$250).Now, Johnson felt, he was trying to takecredit as a patron. In the dictionary, hedefined patron as “commonly a wretchwho supports with insolence, and is paidwith flattery.”

Irish author George Bernard Shawhad also experienced embarrassing mo-ments. After the premiere of Arms and

the Man (1898), he took the stage tomake a curtain speech. When the ap-plause subsided, there was a solitary boofrom London critic Reginald GoldingBright. Shaw looked directly at Brightand said, “My dear fellow, I quite agreewith you, but what are we two against somany?”

Finally, here’s another story thatshould end this piece.

A cigar smoker bought several hun-dred expensive cigars and had them in-sured against fire. After he’d smokedthem all, he filed a claim, pointing outthat the cigars had, in fact, been de-stroyed by fire.

The insurance company refused to

AUGUST 16, 2008

Pagbati sa Pagdiriwang Ika-9 na anibersaryong Art Angel Printshop

Ika-18 kaarawanni Mikey P. Vergara

Pang-anibersaryong larawan ng mga nagtataguyod sa Art Angel Printshop. Nasa dulong kaliwasi Bebs Q. Pavia na siyang nagtayo ng imprentang kabahagi ng lingguhang pahayagang Mabuhay.

Ika-94 na kaarawan ni Lola Dahl Pavia

Micky Pavia Vergara, 18 — ngiti ng isang nagtapos sa high school. Si Lola Dahl at ang kanyang apong si Edgar Pavia na dumalaw mula Los Angeles,kasama ang amang si Pat Pavia upang magmano.

AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008 7

SHOWING ONAUGUST 13, 2008 ONWARDS

subject to change without prior notice

A VERY SPECIAL LOVE

DOBOL TROBOL

WALL-E

TOMB OF THE DRAGONEMPEROR

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESREGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGION

BRANCH 82CITY OF MALOLOS, BULACAN

SPC NO. 173-M-2008

IN THE MATTER OF THE CORRECTIONOF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OFROBIE S. MAPE

ROBIE S. MAPE, ANGEL C. MAPEAND AMBROCIA S. MAPE,

Petitioner,

– versus –

THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF PULILAN,BULACAN AND ROGER B. SEVILLA,

Respondents.

X—————————————X

AMENDED ORDERBefore this Court is the Petition for Correction of Entries in the LocalCivil Registrar of Pulilan, Bulacan filed on July 15, 2008 by hereinpetitioner, through counsel, praying that after due notice, publicationand hearing, an Order be issued directing the Local Civil Registrar ofPulilan, Bulacan to effect the necessary correction of the entries inthe Certificate of Live Birth of Robie S. Mape from the surnameRevilla to the correct surname Mape; from the father’s name of RogerB. Revilla to the correct name Angel C. Mape; and that from the entryreflecting that petitioner’s parents were married on September 21,1985 to the correct entry “Not Married”, pursuant to Rule 108 of theRules of Court.

The petition alleged that the petitioners Robie S. Mape, Angel C.Mape and Ambrocia S. Mape, are all of legal ages, Filipinos andresidents of Paltao, Pulilan, Bulacan. The respondents are the CivilRegistrar of Pulilan, Bulacan and Roger B. Revilla who is likewise oflegal age, Filipino, marital status and whereabouts are unknown andbeing impleaded herein considering that his name was erroneouslywritten as Robie S. Mape’s father was born on July 24, 1986 inPoblacion, Pulilan, Bulacan, (Annex “A” of the petition); that in thesaid Certificate of Live Birth, the name Roger B. Revilla was errone-ously written as the father the petitioner Robie, when in truth and infact, the latter’s father is petitioner Angel C. Mape, as evidenced bythe latter’s Affidavit of Acknowledgment dated May 20, 2008, (Annex“B” of the petition); that likewise, petitioner Robie’s parents, namelyAngle C. Mape and Ambrocia S. Santos were not yet married at thetime of petitioner’s birth; that petitioner’s parents were only marriedon April 29, 1990 as evidenced by their Certificate of Marriage,(Annex “C” of the petition); thus, the following entries in the petitionerRobie’s Certificate of Live Birth are erroneous and should thereforebe corrected accordingly to reflect the truth: a) the name of thepetitioner is erroneously entered as Robie Santos Revilla, instead ofhis true and correct name, Robie Santos Mape; b) the name of thefather to petitioner is erroneously entered as Roger B. Revilla, insteadof the true and correct name of his father as Angel C. Mape; c) theerroneous entry as to the marriage of petitioner’s parents, instead ofthe correct entry which is “Not Married”; that in all documents wherethe above entries are also stated, petitioner Robie has stated hiscorrect surname of Mape ad the correct full name of his father asAngel C. Mape, as evidenced by the following documents attached inthe petition: a. Certificate of Baptism, (Annex “D” of the petition); b.Certificate of Confirmation, (Annex “E” of the petition); c. Voter’sIdentification Card. (Annex “F” of the petition) d. Application forregistration, (Annex “G” of the petition); e. Students’ PermanentRecord, (Annex “H” of the petition); f. Community Tax Certificate(Annex “I” of the petition); g. Postal Identity Card, (Annex “J” of thepetition); and h. TIN I.D., (Annex “K” of the petition); that the errone-ous entries in the Certificate of Live Birth of petitioner Robie resultedby reason of the fact that at the time of his birth, petitioner’s grand-father, Jose Santos, did not want his daughter, petitioner Ambrocia,to give bir th to an illegitimate child, hence, Jose Santos made itappear that Ambrocia was married to Roger B. Revilla and the later isthe father of the petitioner Robie, when in the truth and in fact, thefather of the child was Angel C. Mape; that petitioner Ambrocia S.Mape was already pregnant of Robie when her then boyfriend, AngelC. Mape was assigned as a member of the Armed Forces of thePhilippines in Mindanao; thus, when Ambrocia C. Mape gave birth toRobie, her father, Jose Santos, made it appear that Ambrocia wasmarried to one Roger B. Revilla to avoid social embarrassment; thatsubsequently, petitioner Angel C. Mape returned and was able tomarry petitioner Ambrocia on April 29, 1990 as shown by their mar-riage contract, (Annex “C”)’ and that to avoid confusion and to put inorder the Certificate of Live Birth of Robie S. Mape, it is necessarythat the erroneous entries therein should be corrected in an adverseproceeding as required under the law.

Finding the said petition to be sufficient in form and substance,the Court sets the same for hearing on November 11, 2008 at 10:00o’clock in the morning at which date and time, interested parties mayappear and show cause why the same should not be granted.

Let this order be published once a week for three (3) consecutiveweeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Bulacanat the expense of the petitioner.

Send copies of this Order to the Local Civil Registrar of Pulilan,Bulacan, to the National Statistics Office, and to the Office of theSolicitor General as well as to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor,who is directed to appear on behalf of the government.

SO ORDERED.July 29, 2008.

Herminia V. PasambaActing Presiding Judge

Mabuhay: July 25, August 1 & 8, 2008

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESSUPREME COURT

OFFICE OF THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFFMALOLOS CITY, BULACAN

E.J.F. NO. 229-2008

EXTRA JUDICIAL FORECLOSUREOF REAL ESTATE PROPERTY/IES

UNDER ACT 3135AS AMENDED BY ACT 4118

PHILIPPINE SAVINGS BANK,Mortgagee,

– versus –

SPS. JONATHAN M. UYTICO& JULIET C. UYTICO,

Respondent/Mortgagor.

X—————————————X

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amendedby Act 4118 filed by PHILIPPINE SAVINGS BANK with postal ad-dress at PS Bank Center, 777 Paseo de Roxas cor. Sedeno St.,Makati City, against SPS. JONATHAN M. UYTICO & JULIET C.UYTICO with the postal address at Blk. 615, Lot 19 PH 6, PelictasHeritage Homes, La Loma De Gato, Marilao, Bulacan, the mor t-gagor/s to satisfy the mor tgage indebtedness which as of July,7, 2007 amounts to THREE MILLION NINE HUNDRED NINETY NINETHOUSAND ONE HUNDRED NINETY NINE PESOS 03/100(P3,999.199.03), Philippine Currency, including interest thereon,excluding __% of the total indebtedness by way of attorney’sfees, plus daily interest and expenses thereafter, also securedby said mor tgage and such other amounts which may becomedue and payable to the aforementioned mor tgagee, the Ex-Offi-cio Sheriff of Bulacan thru the undersigned Sheriff hereby givesnotice to all interested par ties and to the public in general thaton SEPTEMBER 2, 2008 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, in frontof the Office of the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Bulacan, located at theback of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Provincial Capitol Com-pound, Malolos City, Bulacan will sell at public auction thrusealed bidding to the highest bidder for CASH and in PhilippineCurrency, the described real proper ty below together with all theimprovements existing thereon:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T- 509595 (M)

A parcel of land (Lot 2 of the cons. Subd. Plan Pcs-03-007000being a portion of the cons. lots 4651-C to D of Psd-03070626 LRCRec. no. ) Situated in the Bo. of Lawa, Mp. of Meyc. Procince ofBulacan. Bounded on the SW., along line 1 to 4 by Lot 4651-G Psd-03-070626(Rd) on the NW., xxx containing an area of THREE HUN-DRED TEN (310) SQ. METERS, more or less. xxx

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T- 509596 (M)

A parcel of land (Lot 4651-E-1 of the subd. Plan Psd-03-106428being a portion of lot 4651-E Psd-03-070626 LRC Rec. No. ), situatedin the Bo of Lawa, Mun. of Meycauayan, Province of Bulacan. xxxcontaining an area of SEVENTY FOUR (74) SQ. METERS, more orless. xxx

This Notice of Sheriff’s sale will be posted for a period of twenty(20) days in three (3) conspicuous public places in the municipalitywhere the subject property is located and at Malolos City, Bulacanwhere the sale shall take place, and likewise a copy will be publishedfor the same period in the MABUHAY a newspaper of general circu-lation in the province of Bulacan, once a week for three (3) consecu-tive weeks before the date of auction sale.

All sealed bids with its accompanying transmittal letter addressedto this office must be submitted to the undersigned on or before theabove stated date and hour at which time all sealed bids thus,submitted shall be opened.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the saiddate, it shall be held on SEPTEMBER 9, 2008 at 10:00 A.M. or soonthereafter without further notice.

Prospective bidders or buyers are hereby enjoined to investigatefor themselves the title to the property and encumbrance thereon, ifany there be.

Malolos City, Bulacan, July 29, 2008.

EMMANUEL L. ORTEGAEx- Officio Sheriff

By: Pablo R. GloriosoSheriff IV

Copy furnished: All parties concerned

Mabuhay: July 25, August 1 & 8, 2008

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OFENRIQUE VALENCIA WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS

NOTICE is hereby given that the estate of the late ENRIQUE VALENCIAwho died intestate on June 7, 1997 leaving a parcel of land coveredby TCT No. 55738 situated in the barrio of Sindalan, Municipality ofSan Fernando, Province, of Pampanga was extra-judicially settledamong his heirs before Notary Public Nepomucneo Z. Caylao; Doc.No. 238; Page No. 49; Book No. II; Series of 2008.

Mabuhay: July 25, August 1 & 8, 2008

Pangalagaan ang kalikasan at aalagaan ka nito!

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATIONNOTICE is hereby given that the estate of the deceased FLORENCIALAXAMANA who died intestate on February 12, 1970 at San Luis,Pampanga left a TWO (2) parcels of land covered by OCT No. 1795more particularly described as follows: (1) “A parcel of land (Lot.No.2013 of the Cad. Survey of San Luis, Cad. Case No. 52, L.R.C. Cad.Record No. 1972) situated in the Barrio of Sto.Tomas, Municipality ofSan Luis, Prov. of Pampanga containing an area of FOURTEEN THOU-SAND FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR (14,564) square meters moreor less.” (2) (Lot No. 2015 of the Cad. Survey of san Luis, Cad.CaseNo. 52, L.R.C. Cad. Record No 1972), situated in the Barrio of Sto.Tomas, Municipality of San Luis, Prov. of Pampanga, containing anarea of TEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX (10,456)square, meters more or less” hereby adjudicate unto MAXIMO L.VICENTE, JR., as her only forced and compulsory heir the TWO (2)parcels of land above described and the Sto. Entierro, its caroza andother equipment/accessories hereby request the Register of Deedsof Pampanga to register and render the same effective as per Doc.No. 321; Page No. 66; Book No. 65 Series of 2008 in Notary Public PioKenneth I. Dasal.

Mabuhay: August 8, 15 & 22, 2008

from page 3“But Christ who hears

your confession in the priestis always the same one wholoves you and forgives you.”

“Thank yuh, Fathe’! Godbless yuh too, Fathe’”

“God bless you,” I re-peated as I traced anothersign of the cross on her fore-head. Then I added, “I willnever cease to keep you inmind till you go to confes-sion!”

“Thank yuh, Fathe’ andI will also pray for yuhalwayz.”

* * *These are the few mo-

ments of grace among somany, that made us experi-ence God’s proximity,through the Holy Fatherand the unity of so manypilgrims from all over theworld, during those briefbut intense days of theWorld Youth Day in Sydney.

Pictures, videos, theendless list of signatures, e-mail, YM, Facebook andMultiply addresses, etc. willnot be enough to containthe transforming momentsof that historic event.These will, perhaps, onlysuffice to bring back fleet-ing remembrances of thosespiritually charged days.But they will never replacethe spiritual novelty thatevery World Youth Day im-presses ever stronger in thehearts and minds of everyChristian.

Every World Youth Day

redefines and actualizeswhat a pilgrimage is in theChristian’s life. Its his-torical notion still holdstrue and is further rein-forced: a penitential jour-ney to some geographicalpoint of sacred nature (e.g.Jerusalem, Turin, Lour-des, Fatima, etc.) or a holyperson’s remains (e.g. St.Pio, Blessed MotherTeresa, St. MaximillanKolbe, St. JosemaríaEscrivá, etc.)

Only now, however, thedifference would be in open-ing the reality of a person’sdaily pilgrimage towardsGod. World Youth Days donot only spiritually trans-form the places (like Cologneor Sydney) — convertingthese into spiritual refuges— where they are held. Theyalso reveal the mission ofevery Christian to be a wit-ness through his pilgrimagewithin his family, work, restand social dealings.

The dichotomy or divi-sion between one’s faith andlife disappears and there isbut one life — a unity of life— that moves and carriesthe noble realities of theworld towards God. Thus,converting these ordinaryevents, places and engage-ments as divine havenswhere God — the Father,Son and Holy Spirit — be-come truly present in themidst of the world and inthe life of every man andwoman.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Forward to Basics

Treated unfairlyby newspapers thatrefuse to publishyour response?

Write us.Philippine Press CouncilPhilippine Press CouncilPhilippine Press CouncilPhilippine Press CouncilPhilippine Press Councilc/o PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTERm. 312 B.F. Condominium BuildingA. Soriano Ave., Intramuros, Manila

8 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 AGOSTO 8 – 14, 2008

Negosyante umalmasa dami ng NFA rice

NI DINO BALABO

BOCAUE, Bulacan — Bu-magsak ng halos 50 por-siyento ang benta ng mganegosyante ng bigas sa In-ter City Industrial Estatesa bayang ito, na kiniki-lalang isa sa mga rice trad-ing center ng bansa, dahilsa pagdagsa ng bigas ngNational Food Authority(NFA) sa mga pamilihan nahumila pababa sa presyo ngkomersyal na bigas.

Para kay Arturo Figue-roa, tagapamahala ng NFAsa Bulacan, walang ibangdapat sisihin sa pagbagsakng presyo ng bigas kungdiang mga negosyante dahilsa walang humpay na ispe-kulasyon ng mga ito noongPebrero at Marso.

Ayon kay Myra, isangnegosyante ng bigas sa In-ter City na tumangging ipa-banggit ang buong panga-lan, umaabot sa 50 hang-gang 100 kabang bigas angkanyang naibebenta sa loobng isang araw noong Marsohanggang Mayo, ngunitngayon halos 25 kabanlamang ang kanyang nai-bebenta.

“Matumal na matumalang benta namin ngayon,”ani Myra.

Katulad niya, ang sinisising iba pang negosyante ngbigas sa Inter City ay angpagdagsa ng murang bigasng NFA na inaangkat sa

ibayong dagat na may sub-sidiya ng gobyerno.

Itinuturing ang InterCity Industrial Estate naisa sa pangunhaing tradingcenter ng bigas sa bansadahil matatagpuan doonang mahigit 100 kiskisanng palay.

Inayunan ni MacariaLingad, isang retailer ngbigas sa palengke ng Sta.Rita sa Guiguinto, Bulacanang pananaw ng mga negos-yante ng bigas.

Sinabi ni Aling Macariasa Mabuhay na mas mara-ming tao ngayon ang bumi-bili ng bigas na galing saNFA dahil mas mababa angpresyo noon.

Iginiit pa niya na magingang benta niya ay apektadodahil halos bumaha ang bi-gas ng NFA sa mga pamili-han kaya’t iyon ang binibiling mga tao.

Ito ay sa kabila ng pag-baba ng presyo ng komer-syal na bigas na ngayon aynasa pagitan na lamang ngP28 at P40 ang bawat kilodepende sa klase.

Ayon kay Aling Macaria,“Dapat ay mahal ang bigasngayon dahil tag-ulan, perobaligtad ang sitwasyon.Mas mura ngayon.”

Walang ibang dapat si-sihin sa pagbagsak ng pres-yo ng bigas sa pamilihankungdi ang mga negosyante,ayon sa hepe ng NFA salalawigan.

“Nag-speculate kasi silang nag-speculate kaya tu-maas ang presyo ng bigas,”ani ni Figueroa. “Kaso hin-di nila na-anticipate angmove ng pamahalaan.

Sa pakikipanayam ngMabuhay kay Figueroanoong Agosto 7, sinabi niyana pinadagsa ng NFA angkanilang bigas sa pamilihanmula noong Marso kungkailan tumaas ang presyo ngbigas bunsod ng kakula-ngan ng supply at pagtaasng presyo ng petrolyo sapandaigdigang pamilihan.

Inamin ni Figueroa namababa ang presyo ng bigasngayon kahit tag-ulan kungkailan karaniwan nangtumataas ang halaga ngpangunahing butil.

Sa kasalukuyan, sinabini Figueroa na umaabot sa8,000 hangang 9,000 ka-bang bigas araw-araw angkanilang ibinebenta sa mgaNFA accredited store saBulacan, at ito ay mahigitsa kalahati ng kabuoang15,574 na kabang bigas nakinokonsumo ng maytatlong milyong Bulakenyobawat araw.

Sinabi rin niya na sa ka-salukuyan ay may 1.7 mil-yong kabang bigas sa Bu-lacan na tatagal ng 110araw at ang nasa pag-iingatng NFA ay 911,574 kaban,ang nasa mga magsasaka360,000 kaban, at mga

sundan sa pahina 6

BUTIL NG BUHAY — Mabilisan ang pag-kilos ng mga manggagawa ng NationalFood Authority (NFA) sa Malolos sa pag-sasalin ng kilo-kilong bigas sa mga plas-tic at sako na ihahatid sa mga pamilihan(itaas), ngunit dahil sa pagdagsa ng mu-rang bigas mula sa NFA halos hindi mabili

ang tindang bigas ni Macaria Lingad kahitbumaba na ang presyo (kaliwa). Ayon kayArturo Figueroa, tagapamahala ng NFA saBulacan, ang mga negosyante rin angdapat sisihin sa pagtaas at pagbagsak ngpresyo ng bigas dahil sa walang tigil nilangispekulasyon. — DINO BALABO

LUBOG SA BIGAS — Ha-los lumubog na sa bigas athindi makatayo ang mang-gagawang ito na nagtitim-bang ng kilo-kilong bigas sabodega ng National FoodAuthority (NFA) sa Malolos,samantalang, mistulang“ghost town” ang datingabalang Inter City IndustrialEstate sa Bocaue, Bulacanna itinuturing na sentro ngkalakalan ng bigas sa lala-wigan dahil walang mami-mili. Bakante at wala niisang trak sa harap ng mgarice mill sa loob ng Intercityna, ayon sa mga negos-yante, ay bunga ng pagbag-sak ng presyo ng bigas sapamilihan. — DINO BALABO