VOLUME 3NUMBER 118THU - FRIOCTOBER 8 - 9, 2009

P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.0000000000

BY DING CERVANTES

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Some P1.1billion worth of damages inagriculture and infrastructure were

wrought by storm Ondoy and typhoonPepeng in Pampanga, the ProvincialDisaster Coordinating Council (PDCC)reported yesterday.

Pampanga suffers P1.1-B damagein agri, infra due to Ondoy, Pepeng

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE -Some 1,500 bags of reliefgoods, 50 boxes of mineralwater, more than 100 blanketsand 50 volunteers were all ittook to alleviate the conditionsof more than 1,000 familiesand individuals who were vic- PAGE 7 PLEASE

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EdPam leads relief operationstims of the unprecedented de-struction wrought by typhoonOndoy in Cainta, Rizal province.

Sec. Edgardo D. Pamintu-an, chairman and CEO of theSubic-Clark Alliance for Develop-ment Council (SCADC), Ave-laine Nepomuceno, president of

the Angeles City Kuliat Jay-cees and Harry Castro, presi-dent of the Councilmen’sLeague of Angeles City(CLAC)led a contingent of volunteersfrom the Jaycees, CLAC andthe offices under Pamintuan,

Cainta flood victims receive relief goods from Sec. Pamintuan.MASANTOL, Pampanga- Some28,000 families in nine islandbarangays in this town werealso heavily flooded by the re-cent heavy rains and isolated fordays by strong currents at thePampanga River, but such situ-ation has been their lot everyrainy season for years now.

This time, however, they are

28,000 families isolatedby Pampanga River

Appeal for permanent bridge to allow themaccess to rescue efforts, relief goods

PAGE 7 PLEASE

appealing to Pres. Arroyo, be-fore her term ends next year, tofinally build the bridge towardsthis town’s poblacion, to linkthem to rescuers and reliefgoods at least during bad weath-er, and their sick to hospitals andclinics any time of the year.

In an interview with Punto,

BY ANSELMO ROQUE

NUEVA ECIJA – Now, the farm-ers who believed that the waterreleases from Pantabangan Damcaused damage to their crop, areasking for compensation. Or,whatever assistance to helpthem ease sufferings from theireconomic losses.

The affected farmers are from

PANTABANGAN WATER RELEASES BLAMED

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Farmers seek compensation for crop damageBongabon, Rizal and Pantaban-gan towns whose rice lands arenear the river whose water levelrose and inundated their stand-ing rice crop.

They believed their crop wasdamaged as a result of waterreleases from PantabanganDam. They are requesting au-thorities of the Upper Pampan-ga River Integrated Irrigation

Systems (UPRIIS) to look intotheir plight..

The farmers said the inunda-tion of their farms was aggravat-ed when Pantabangan Damstarted releasing water startingSeptember 29. The water re-lease, they said, increased involume last Sunday it was fearedthat it was just a matter of hours

BY JOEY PAVIA

MABALACAT, Pamp. – “Per-sonal greed and envy are push-ing the husband of MarjorieSambo to make her run againsther father.”

Thus said Mabalacat Wa-ter District Chairman Diosda-do “Deng” Pangilinan wholaughed off the announcement

Husband behind mayoraltybid of Boking’s daughter

of Marjorie that she will vie forthe mayoralty post in next year’selections.

Pangilinan said it was JohnSambo that was prodding hiswife Marjorie to fight Mayor Mari-no “Boking” Morales in the up-coming polls. Marjorie is theyoungest daughter of Moralesfrom his marriage with formerClark Development Corporation

Director Mina Paras.Pangilinan quoted Paras as

saying that “my son in lawJohn Sambo was the one urg-ing our daughter to fight herfather.” Morales had been sad-dened by the turn of events butsaid “anything can change.”

“Alam naman po nang na-kakarami kung bakit nagkaga-

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Bid document and additional information may be obtained form Ms. Ma. Victoria A. Badoy, SupervisingProbation and Parole Officer at 2nd Floor CLK Bldg., Dolores, San Fernando, Pampanga.

All bids to be submitted shall be addressed to the Chairman, Bids, and Awards Committee at the aboveaddress. All prospective bidders shall be charged a non-refundable bid fee in the amount of 1% of the approvedBudget for the Contract.

All prospective bidders must have an existing LandBank Account.The Parole and Probation Administration Region III reserves the right to reject any or all bids, when any

defects are found therein and accepts the offer most advantageous to the government and assumes noresponsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation ofthe bid.

October 01, 2009 (SGD) MARLENE RELADO – MOLO Assistant Regional DirectorChairman, Bids and Awards Committee

Punto! Central Luzon: October 9, 2009

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Justice

PAROLE AND PROBATION ADMINISTRATIONREGIONAL OFFICE NO. III

2nd Floor, CLK Building, Dolores, City of San Fernando, PampangaTel. No.: (045) 961-2292 and Tel. Fax NO.: (045) 961-2282

Email Add: region3@probation.gov.ph

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID

The Parole and Probation Administration (PPA Region III), through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC),invites interested bidders for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder project:

Name of Project: PROCUREMENT OF 14 DESKTOP BRANDED COMPUTER, 13 ALL-IN-ONE Laserprinter AND 2 LAPTOP, (Specifications listed below):

DESKTOP (13)Intel Pentium Quad Core 2.33 GHz320 GB 7.200 rpm SATAIIDVD +/-RW Double Layer3GB DDR2 MemoryIntegrated GMA X3100Integrated AudioIntegrated LAN 10/100/10006-in-1 Card Reader19” Widescreen LCD MonitorWindow Vista Home BasicUSB Keyboard & MouseTable, Chair & PrinterTo include installers of all hardware and software of each unit.

DESKTOP (1)Intel Pentium Quad Core 2.33 GHz320 GB 7.200 rpm STAIIDVD +/- RW Double Layer4GB DDR2 MemoryIntegrated GMA X3100Integrated AudioIntegrated LAN 10/100/10006-in-1 Card Reader19” Widescreen LCD MonitorWindow Vista Home BasicUSB Keyboard & MouseTable, Chair & Printer

LAPTOP (2)Processor:

Intel Core Duo T6500 (2.1 GHz; 2MB L2; 800 MHZMemory:

4GB DDR2 Graphic Card:Intel GMA 4500M up to 268MB Display:14.1” WXGA HD CSV Hard Drive350GB HDD Optical DriveDVD RW/RAM ConnectivityIntegrated 802.11 bg; 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56 kbpsModern Operating SystemCD InstallerCertification of Authenticity8500JP/8600JP Video Card 1GBWindows Vista Premium

To include installers of all hardware and software of each unit.

Location: Parole and Probation Administration, 2nd Flr. CLK Bldg., Dolores, CSFP

Approved Budget for the Contract: Php. 690,000.00

Prospective bidders should have experience in a similar project within the last two (2) years with anamount of at least 50% of the proposed project for the bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as thePreliminary Examination of the bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail;” criteria. Post-qualification of thelowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screaming bid security, performance security, pre-biddingconference, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contract shall be governed by the pertinentprovisions of RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

The complete list of activities listed, as follows:

PRE-PROCUREMENT CONFERENCE1. Issuance of Bid Documents2. Pre-Bid Conference3. Opening of Bids4. Bid Evaluation5. Post-Qualification6. Notice of Award

Sept. 22 – Oct. 2, 2009October 14, 2009October 29, 2009November 4, 209November 6, 2009November 9, 2009

CABANATUAN CITY —Saying voting electronical-ly is an easy but delicatejob, the Catholic-basedorganization Knights ofColumbus is waging an all-out educational drive forvoters.

Armando Galang,Grand Knight of the KofCPadre Crisostomo Council6000 in this city, saidThursday that all councilsof the Order are asked toconduct the campaign af-ter information technologyexperts from its Manila of-fice held a briefing amongmembers in the country-side recently.

Knights of Columbus launches info drive on poll automation“It is the patriotic duty

of every knight to help ourvoters know the voting pro-cess so that their rightswill not go to waste,” Ga-lang said.

Ronnie Infante, an ITexpert, said that while au-tomation will definitelymake the exercise of theright to suffrage of everyFilipino easier and fast,voters’ education is an ur-gent necessity owing tothe unfamiliarity of mostpeople on the system.

Among the possibleerrors voters can commitis over-voting, according toInfante. Over voting, he

said, happens when a vot-er shades circles oppositethe candidates’ namesmore than the number ofrequired position. Thus, avoter who shaded 13 ormore circles for senatorswill find all his or her votesfor the senators, includingthe 12 he actually meantto vote, invalid.

There could be noproblem, however, if thevoter will blacken circlesless than the twelve in thefield.

Gary San Sebastian,meanwhile, said that be-sides actual voting pro-cess and the automated

counting, elections almostlook the same as the pre-vious set. “There will stillbe lawyers, watchers andother parties concerned,”he said. Protests couldeven be possible, he said.

They laid down four spe-cific actions a voter shoulddo to vote. These, theysaid, include the earlycheck of their names in the

voters’ list, present to theboard of election inspec-tors valid identificationcard, shade the circlesopposite the candidates heor she elects on the ballotand put the ballot correctlyin the machine whichserves as ballot box.

Illiterate citizens canstill ask assistance fromtheir relatives, as allowed

in the previous elections.The KofC officers un-

derscored the need for ev-eryone to deliver informa-tion to others.

All of its councils na-tionwide are enjoined toconduct the voters’ forumeven to smallest units ofsociety such their ownfamilies, San Sebastianadded.

SUBIC, Zambales —May30 mga batang mag-aaralmula sa Manggahan llDay Care Center ang pi-nagkalooban ng pagkainsa paglulunsad ng supple-mental feeding project saManggahan ResettlementArea sa bayang ito.

Ang proyekto aymagkatuwang na inilunsadng Rotary Club of Subic,UMICOR, SpecialtyChemicals Subic, Inc.,Subic Municipal Hall atBrangay Manggahan.

Ayon kay Benjie Port-acio, pangulo ng RotaryClub of Subic, ito na angpangalawang beses ngay-ong 2009 na pagsasaga-wa ng feeding program ngRotary at marami pangnaka-schedule sa mga

Rotary feeds kidsdepressed areas.

“Isa itong major con-cern ng Rotary ang mabi-gyan ng lunas ang gutomat mabigyan ng malinis natubig na maiinom ang mgakabataan upang mapana-tili ang kanilang kalusug-an habang sila ay nag-aaral”, ani Portacio.

Idinugtong pa ni Porta-cio na ang pondong gina-gamit sa pagsasagawa ngmga programang tulad ngfeeding program ay nag-mumula sa pondong naka-laan sa proyekto ng Rota-ry Club of Subic.

Sa naging mensahe ni1st District ZambalesBoard Member, Jay Khon-ghun na isa rin sa mgamiyembro ng Rotary Clubof Subic, nanawagan ito

sa mga guro at magulangna dapat magtulunganpara maging malusog angmga kabataang mag-aaralsa pamamagitan ng pag-bibigay ng masustansiy-ang pagkain.

Idinagdag pa ni Khon-ghun na sa pamamagitanng masustansiyang pag-kain matutulungan natinna makaiwas sa malnutri-tion ang mga kabataan atmagiging masigla ang mgakabataan sa kanilang pag-aaral.

Nauna ng namahagiang Rotary Club of Subicng water pump para mag-amit na igiban ng mga res-idente ng Sitio Tamayoc,Barangay Baraca, Subic,Zambales.

–Johnny Reblando

Pinangunahan nina Rotarian Gerry Mago, Rotarian President BenjiePortacio, Rotarian Anh Mai, President ng UMICOR at Rotarian Zaldy Rocaforat iba pang miyembro ng Rotary Club of Subic ang pagbibigay ng pagkainsa may 30 batang mag-aaral sa Manggahan ll Day Care Center, ManggahanResettlement Area, Subic, Zambales. Kuha ni Johnny R. Reblando

BY JOEY PAVIA

CLARK FREEPORT –“We want to start businessin small areas with busi-ness growth possibilities.”

Thus said Metro ClarkInformation and Communi-cations Technology Coun-cil (MCICTC) ChairmanGeorge Sorio in hisspeech at the ceremoniallaunch of the 2nd NationalICT Confederation Summithere on Wednesday night.

“The NCIP, with abso-lute conviction, will gener-ate jobs in the rural areas,”added Sorio.

Sorio, a senior execu-tive of the Cyber CityTeleservices, said that thesummit would pave the

ICT summit seen to createmore jobs in rural areas

way to “a more promisingICT Philippines.”

“I call on all key play-ers of the NCIP alive at alltimes. Let’s stimulate op-timism. Let’s translate allwords into action. For us,there are no backwardmoves. Forward and up-ward are the only way togo,” said Sorio.

At least 4,000 attend-ees are expected to jointhe 2nd National ICT con-ference slated from Nov. 5-7 at the Clark Expo here.It is organized by theMCITCC, Clark Develop-ment Corp. (CDC), Com-clark Network TechnologyCorp. and Cyber City.

Mabalacat Mayor Mari-no “Boking” Morales, for

his part, said “Clark is astrategic and select loca-tion for the active upstartof the information andcommunication technolo-gy industry.” He addedthat “more investors arecoming to the freeport dueto its logistical supportsuch as the airport.”

MCICT officials saidthe event was slated inClark due to the hugegrowth and development inthe ICT in the country.

Others who graced theoccasion at the Stotsen-berg Hotel here were Au-rora Rep. Sonny Angara,CICT Commissioner Mon-chito Ibrahim and businessleaders in Clark and Pam-panga.

NICP SUMMIT. Mayor Morales receives plaque of recognition from Sorioduring the launch of the 2nd National ICT Summit held at the HotelStotsenberg. PHOTO COURTESY OF DENG PANGILINAN

BY JOEY PAVIA

ANGELES CITY – Sec. Edgardo “Ed”Pamintuan yesterday defended Presi-dent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from ver-bal assaults on the national governmentas “obviously not being ready for a di-saster.”

Pamintuan, chairman of the SubicClark Alliance for Development Council(SCADC), said Sen. Manny Villar shouldhave spoken with Mayor Francis “Blue-boy” Nepomuceno about the disaster

EDPAM TELLS VILLAR

‘Lecture Nepo on disaster-readiness’preparedness program of Angeles as thecity government was “less than ready fortyphoons and disasters.”

“Instead of criticizing the Presidenton disaster preparedness, Villar shouldhave lectured Mayor Blueboy becausehe was not ready for a disaster. Worse,the mayor went to Macau just beforeOndoy hit the country,” said Pamintuan.“He arrived when the typhoon was over.”

Nepomuceno hosted Villar at the cityhall on Wednesday as he virtually en-dorsed his candidacy, introducing him as

“the next president.”Villar assailed the Arroyo administra-

tion’s handling of the floods spawned bytyphoon Ondoy.

“They were not ready. The responseshould be automatic,” said Villar to re-porters in a press conference at Nepo-muceno’s office.

Pamintuan belied the statements ofVillar that the government was not pre-pared.

“They should remember that Ondoywas the worst typhoon since June 1967

and double the strength of typhoon Kat-rina in New Orleans, USA. The US gov-ernment failed to respond at once, ittook them three days to respond, andfive days after Katrina left, hundrendswere still on roofs,” said Pamintuan.

He added that Arroyo and DefenseSec. Gilbert Teodoro Jr. were alreadywading in floodwaters and directing offi-cials what to do on the same day On-doy hit Metro Manila.

Teodoro is the administration’s betfor president.

BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE

BALANGA CITY- Seniorcitizens aired on Wednes-day what they consideredas their major complaintduring a day of dancesand laughter marking thecelebration of Senior Citi-zens Week at the giantBataan People’s Center inthis city.

Godofredo Serrano, 79,president of the Federa-tion of Senior Citizens inBataan, asked govern-ment to compel all drug-stores and big businessestablishments to grantdiscounts to the elderly asmandated by the SeniorCitizens Law.

Serrano, a retired em-ployee of the NationalPower Corporation, saidthat only Mercury Drugsand a few drugstores in the

Dance, laughter, complaintsattend Senior Citizens Week

province grant the 20 per-cent discount. On the 5percent discount mandat-ed on big retail stores, hesaid that only a few follow.

“Kakaunti lamang angsumusunod sa batas nanag-uutos na bigyan ngdiscount ang mgamatatanda na may edadna 60 pataas,” he said.

He also appealed toCongress to pass the lawfiled by Congressman Ar-quiza that will grant pen-sions to senior citizens.Serrano said that P500 amonth as a starter will begood enough as monthlyassistance for old people.

Marilyn Tigas, provin-cial social welfare and de-velopment officer, saidthere are 13,000 seniorcitizens registered with thefederation in Bataan.“There are others but not

yet registered,” she said.Gov. Enrique Garcia

told the elderly that being69 years old, he has longbeen a senior citizen. “Ex-perience is the best teach-er,” the governor said.

The Senior CitizensWeek celebration has forthe theme “ Dangal ngBayan, Noon at Ngayon.”The elderly in beautifulcostumes performed folkdances and some joinedin the dance contest for“Tango” and “Cha-Cha”.

Some rendered songnumbers, poetry recitationand even a riotous dramapresentation. No oneseemed to have shownsigns of fatigue, rheuma-tism or high blood pres-sure, temporarily, duringthe program that lastedfrom 8:00 in the morningto 2:00 in the afternoon.

CITY OF SANFERNANDO – Officialsof the Department ofTrade and Industry (DTI)in Pampanga yesterdayissued a stern warningagainst traders who willviolate the price controlimposed by the govern-mnent due to the recenttyphoons.

At the Kapihang Ka-pampangan at the DTIoffice here, DTI Provin-

cial Director Leonila Bal-uyut said that violators ofRepulic Act No. 7581could be meted imprison-ment of not less than oneyear nor more than 10years.

In the same law, sheadded, the price controlwatch will last for 60 daysstarting when PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyodeclared the nation understate of calamity last

week. Nathaniel Samson,

senior trade and indus-try development special-ist of the DTI, disclosedthat they confiscated tendefective weighingscales in a recent oper-ation in Sta. Rita andLubao towns. He addedthat two supermarkets inLubao had been issuednotice of violation.

–Joey Pavia

DTI warns erring traders

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Zona LibreBong Z. Lacson

E d i t o r i a l O p i n i o nO p i n i o n

acaesar.blogspot.com

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•1416e-mail address: puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com

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Editorial ConsultantMarketing Manager

Administrative StaffLayout

Circulation

Atty. Gener C. EndonaJoey R. AguilarCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoMa. Teresa U. VillanuevaDondie B. VenturaGilbert Mendoza

LLL Trimedia CoordinatorsPublisher

EDGAR V. MOVIDOFounder

BAGAMAT SI Ondoy ay nagdulot nang malawak at malagim nakapinsalaan, ito naman ay muling nagpatotoo na ang lahing Pilipinoay may bukal na kabutihan at pagmamahal sa kapwa. Sa mganakaraang kalamidad dala ng matitinding bagyo, baha, lindol, atpagputok ng bulkan, paulit-ulit na ipinamalas ng Pilipino angkahandaan nito na tumulong at dumamay sa kapwa nanangangailangan, sukdulang isakripisyo ang sariling buhay gayang namasdan natin na kabayanihan ng ilan nating mga kababayan.

Gaya halimbawa ng isang 19-year-old man na nagligtas sabuhay ng mahigit na dalawampung tao hanggang siya ay inabotng panghihina at tinangay ng baha but not after he had put onemore person to safety before his last remaining strength gaveout. There were others like this young man who gave theirlives to save others in the hour of greatest need.

PlantingTREE-PLANTING as a requirement for graduation.

The Mt. Arayat landslide that killed 12 people hasresurrected at the Pampanga sangguniangpanlalawigan such proposal raised over two yearsago.

Says proponent 1st District BM Tars Halili: “Tomake the reforestation of Mt. Arayat more sustainableas planned by our SP colleagues, I will seek throughan ordinance making tree planting a requisite beforea student graduates from elementary, high school andcollege just like some years ago. This way, we canbe assured that trees planted there are maintainedand sustained.”

Halili said his proposal will not only be exclusiveto Mt. Arayat but will also cover all other potential riskareas in Pampanga, to serve as “an intervention toaddress” flooding, landslides and climate change.

While at it, perhaps Halili could expand his tree-planting requisite to the issuance of licenses formarriage, as well as for driving.

That way, more trees are bound to be planted. Andproportionately, more trees can be ordered cut bythe Department of Environment and NaturalResources.

PostingSPEAKING OF the DENR: Its Mines andGeosciences Bureau has declared the battered andburied community of Purok 7 in Barangay San JuanBano as a “permanent danger zone.”

The residents displaced by the landslide need toseek relocation elsewhere. A priority task beingaddressed now by both Arayat Mayor Chito Espinoand 3rd District Rep. Dong Gonzales.

The danger zone declaration came even as theMGB was adamant in its denial of illegal mining andtreasure hunting in Mt. Arayat as having caused thelandslide, as alleged by residents there claiming theyheard a loud explosion before the descent of tons ofearth materials.

The MGB held that the explosive sound could havebeen produced by descending rocks or the breakageof earth materials from a portion of Mt. Arayat.

Mining, the MGB said, was “improbable on Mt.Arayat” as it is a government protected area whereguards are posted.

Yeah, guards are posted there to prevent miningbut not illegal logging and the practice of slash-and-burn kaingin.

Mountains Going Bald, a new meaning for MGBthere.

Agyu Tamu!AtbpEdgardo “EDPAM”

Pamintuan

Pagtutulungan,pagdadamayan,

paghahanda

Ang ating mga kababayan sa Angeles at mgakaibigan natin sa Mabalacat, bagamat ang mgalugar na ito ay di napuksa ni Ondoy, aynagpamalas din ng kabayanihan, hindi sapagsasakripisyo ng sariling buhay pagkat hindinaman yan ang hamon na naharap sa kanila—nakung yan naman ang naging hamon sa kanila ngpagkakataon ay naniniwala akong walang pagsalanaman nilang tatanggapin—-kundi sapamamagitan ng buong pusong pagbibigay ngtulong sa mga kababayan nating nasalanta ngbagyong Ondoy.

Nuong Linggo ng gabi (September 27), sakasagsagan ng malakas na ulan at pagbaha, lingidsa kaalaman ng marami, ay dagling nagpunta angating mahal na Pangulo dito sa Clark Field,Angeles City, at kung saan ay inalam niya angkalagayan ng ating mga cabalen dito saPampanga. Kaagad ay tumugon sa panawaganng Pangulo ang mga punongbayan napinangungunahan ng ating mabunying kaibiganna si Boking Morales ng Mabalacat, ng mgaopisyales ng Clark Development Corporation(CDC) at Clark International Airport Corporation(CIAC), mga lider sibiko tulad ng Angeles CityJaycees, at ng mga negosyante sa siyudadAngeles at Mabalacat.

Bukod sa personal na donasyon na

Php50,000.00, Pareng Boking solicitedPhp250,000.00 from personal friends, and turnedall the donated moneys to Angeles City CuliatJaycees president Avelaine Nepomuceno forthe victims of typhoon Ondoy. Pareng Bokingdid not stop there. He continues to raise fundsand donations in cash or in kind for delivery to thefamilies and residents of San Juan Bano, of thetown of Arayat, who suffered from the landslide inMt. Arayat.

Our good friends Benny Ricafort, presidentand chief executive officer of CDC, and ChichosLuciano, president and chief executive officer ofCIAC, immediately organized Clark OutreachProgram for Ondoy Victims in response to thePresident’s call and were soon joined by the ClarkInvestors and Locators Association (CILA), the600th Air Base Wing of the Philippine AirForce, and the Angeles City Culiat Jaycees,

and they, with their officers and employees, alltogether conducted relief operations in Arayat,Candaba and Lubao.

CDC and CIAC each donated Php250,000.00,while the Clark Freeport Zone locators, namely,Cyber City Teleservices, Paradise Ranch,Aritake Estates, and Widus International haveeach donated Php100,000.

Peregrine Development Internationalpresident Dennis Wright has pledged a donationof Php500,000.00, apart from providing twenty (20)volunteers and heavy equipment (bulldozers anddump trucks) to clear damaged areas. AnotherClark Freeport Zone top locator, Smart Shirts,pledged Php100,000.00 of export-quality clothesfor the Ondoy victims.

Also, CILA, 600th Air Base Wing of thePhilippine Air Force and CIAC have togetherraised more than Php1,000,000.00.

The Clark Outreach Program for OndoyVictims, apart from the cash donations, distributed2,500 packs of various relief goods in Arayat,Candaba and Lubao, the Pampanga towns thatwere hardest hit by Ondoy.

Ang pagtulong at pagdamay sa mga kababayan

natin na nabiktima ni Ondoy ay nagpapatuloyhanggang ngayon. Pero di pa man natatapos angginagawang relief operations ay meron na namangbagyong dumating na pinangalanang Melor. Itoyung bagyo na tinukoy ko sa aking kolum nitongnakaraang Linggo na nag-aambang pumasok saPhilippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)—at ngayonay nakapasok na nga. Kasalukuyan itong nasaNorthern Luzon provinces of Cagayan, Benguet,Kalinga, at Ilocos Norte, even while Pepeng isstill stationery offshore north-northwest ofLaoag, Ilocos Norte.

Bagamat si Melor ay malayo pa sa AngelesCity o sa kabuuang Pampanga at tila maaaringkumilos patungo sa direksyon ng Japan, andalthough Pepeng is expected to weaken andto move toward Vietnam, kailangan pa rin angpaghahanda. Mas mabuti na mamalagingnakahanda kesa sa hindi.

Good day and Mabuhay to you all! See you

again next week.

Napag-uusapanlangNi Felix M. Garcia

Ano ba talaga,‘treasure hunting’or ‘illegal logging?’

KUNG TAGA Arayat ang nagsabi mismoNa may iligal na aktibidad ditoGaya ng anila nga po’y pagtutrosoAt “treasure hunting” ay di malayong ito

Ang naging sanhi ng “landslide” sa naturangBayan na kung saan ang kaawa-awangMagpapamilya ay nalibing ng buhayHabang kasagsagan ng hangin at ulan;

Dulot ng malakas na “tropical storm”O bagyung pinangalanan nilang Ondoy;Na nanalasa sa buong Sentral Luzon,NCR, at ilang bayan sa Region IV.

Nakapagtatakang nangyari at sukatSa naturang bayan ang grabeng “landslide;”Kung kaya malaki ang posibilidadNa totoo ang nasabing aktibidad;

Aywan lang kung bakit itong DENRAy tila ni walang masabi hinggil d’yanGayong sa balikat nila naka-atangAng mangalaga sa ating kalikasan.

Sila itong taga-isyu ng pahintulotSa pagmimina sa ating mga bundok;Pero ano itong sabi’y nakapasokNa “treasure hunter” d’yang naghukay sa loob?

At ayon sa ilang taga roon mismoAy dinig pati ang “blastings” mula ritoO pagpapasabog sa parteng mabatoNg bundok kung kaya pihong may milagro!.

Kung di pagmimina, at ang sabi nitongIsang nangangalang Ricardo Calderon,Na diumano ay Executive DirectorNg DENR dito sa 3rd Region,

Ay “treasure hunting” nga’t pinaalis na ‘yon,Pero alam n’yo bang di magtatapos d’unAng isyu hinggil sa ilang negatibongEpekto ng mga pinag-gagawa r’on?

Natural lamang na ang lupa’y lalambotAt magkakaroon ng bitak ang bundok,Na siyang naging sanhi nitong pagdausdosNg naglalakihang batong nangahulog;

Na kaalinsabay nalaglag sa bubongNg mabatong lupa, na siyang nagbaonNg buhay sa ilang residente roon;Bunsod ng ginawang paghuhukay doon!

Maari bang kahit sino’y makapasokKung di DENR din ang nagkaloobNg kung anu-anong mga rekisitos,Na kinakailangan upang makakilos?

Pero kung ganitong mistulang inutilAng namamahala n’yan dito sa ‘tin,Ano pa nga ba ang pinakamagalingLiban sa siya ay marapat kwestyunin?

Partikular hinggil sa patuloy pa rinUmano sa lugar ang “illegal logging,”At yan madali raw pong mapapansinSa nagsulputan d’yan na “furniture making?”

“HONOR THY father and thy mother, that thine days may be longin the land which the Lord thy God gives thee.”

The Fourth of the Ten Commandments but the first with a promise:a long life blessed by God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares: “ The fourthcommandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It showsus the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we shouldhonor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on tous the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect allthose whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.”

Sins against the fatherTIMELY is a reflection on the Fourth Commandment, October beingthe month of the elderly. And very relevant too, in the case of animpending Morales versus Morales battle for the mayorship ofMabalacat.

Thus it came to pass, just some days past, that MarjorieMorales-Sambo declared her bid to unseat her own father MayorMarino “Boking” Morales: “I’ve given serious thoughts to run formayor because I feel it’s time to stand up and govern. Dad hasbeen there for 15 years and I think it’s about time he gives theyouth a chance to govern, to serve, because that is what he hasbeen doing for the past 15 years. That is why it is time to make astand and give people what is rightfully theirs.”

I just wonder what Ms. Sambo meant to “givepeople what is rightfully theirs.” Did she refer toherself as rightfully the people’s? If so, do thepeople accept her as their own?

More of some pseudo-philosophicalnonsensicalities from the daughter: “Actually I amnot running against him. I just want to serve asmayor because I feel as mayor, I can do somethingmore, a lot more than as councilor or boardmember. It’s an executive position. So to be ableto make change, and if I win, I want to makepeople see change and make them feel there issomething new and that something has to bedone. And we’re going to do it.”

Yeah, as in do, doing, done, duh.Ms. Sambo still: “I love my father. And I respect

him as a father. It’s just that something has to bedone in Mabalacat and we could not simply watch.I have nothing against him. I told him myself.”

Creepy thoughts there of Brutus’ rationalizationof his murder of Julius Caesar: “Not that I lovedCaesar less but that I loved Rome more…”

Not that Marjorie loved her father Boking lessbut that she loved her husband John more. Soparaphrased Deng Pangilinan of the Bard. Much,much more that she willingly allowed herself tobe used by her husband to spite her father.

“Motivated by greed and envy, it is Sambo thatis pushing Marjorie to run.” So Deng claims, citingMarjorie’s mom herself as having allegedly said:“My son-in-law John Sambo is the one urging mydaughter to fight her father.”

Corroborated Marjorie’s elder brother Dwight:“Hindi naman talaga si Marjorie ang gustonghumabol ng mayor kundi ang asawa niya na siJohn Sambo…Huwag na niyang (Marjorie) gamitinang apelyidong Morales, tutal mas pinaniwalaanniya ang kanyang asawa kaysa sa kanyang ama,kaya Sambo na lang ang dapat na gamitin niya.(It is not really Marjorie who wants to run for mayorbut her husband John Sambo…She should stopusing the surname Morales since she believesher husband more than her father, so she shoulduse Sambo).”

Lamented him: “Naaawa nga ako sa bunsongkapatid ko dahil nakapag- asawa siya ng isangoportunista at walang galang sa pamilya. (I pitymy youngest sister. She married an opportunistand one who has no respect for the family).”

Opportunist. Disrespectful. Strong words

there. But still nowhere near the gravity of Deng’sdamnation of Sambo’s alleged motives: Greed andEnvy. Two of the Seven Deadly Sins. Those whichthe Book of Proverbs says:”six things the Lordhateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth.”

“Alam naman po nang nakakarami kung bakitnagkaganoon si Mr. John Sambo. Nawalan posiya ng kontrata diyan sa may Xevera Mabalacat.Hindi naman po ang local na pamahalaan ngMabalacat ang kausap niya kundi ang GlobeAsiatique (It is public knowledge why Sambo isspiteful. He lost his contracts with XeveraMabalacat. His deal though is not with the localgovernment but with Globe Asiatique),” Dengsays. “Dahil nawalan po siya ng kontrata sinisisiniya ang kanyang biyenan. Kung kaya po ngayongalit siya at ginagamit niya ang kanyang asawaupang labanan ang biyenan. (He blames hisfather-in-law for the loss so he’s now using hiswife to get back at the mayor.)”

Dishonoring one’s father-in-law is tantamountto dishonoring one’s own father. The Good Bookaffirms.

So as the Fourth Commandment holds apromise for those who obey, so does it carries aninjunction to those who don’t.

Deuteronomy 27:16: “Cursed is the man whodishonors his father or his mother.”

Exodus 21:17: “He who curses his father orhis mother shall surely be put to death.”

Leviticus 20:9: “If there is anyone who curseshis father or his mother, he shall surely be put todeath; he has cursed his father or his mother, hisbloodguiltiness is upon him.”

Proverbs 30:17: “The eye that mocks a father,that scorns obedience to a mother, will be peckedout by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten bythe vultures.”

Not from the Good Book but from Deng, thedouble visionary, now: “Mayroon tayongkasabihan kung ang anak mong babae aynakapag- asawa ng matinong lalaki nadagdaganang iyong mga anak at kung nakapag-asawa siyang hindi matino ikaw ay nawalan ng anak nababae. Nakakalungkot na nahaluhan ng isangbugok na kamatis ang isang mabuting pamilya.(We have a saying that when a daughter marriesa good man, you gain a son. But if she married abad man, you lose a daughter. It is sad that onerotten tomato got mixed up with a very good family.”

Be not so bigoted to any custom as to worship it at the expense of truth.–Johann Georg von Zimmermann

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TheGossip-millerby Cesar Pambid

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These and all are the reasons kung bakit hindi umusad-usad ang career ni Jamilla mula nang lumabas ito saPinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Season 1. Balitang may attitude problem ang teenage mom na ito.

Ngayon ay mina-manage na siya ng Viva Artist Agency (VAA) at willing na rin siyang magpa-sexy. Gagawinniya ang isang indie film titled Ex-Deal. Kailangan daw niyang magtrabaho para buhayin ang anak. Pinabayaanna raw sila ng ama ng baby niya.

Nagpapasalamat siya sa VAA dahil binigyan ulit ng buhay ang kanyang career.“Kailangan ko ng regular na trabaho para ma-maintain ko ang pangangailangan ng anak ko,” deklara niya.Nanghihinayang si Jamilla dahil kung hindi pasaway ang attitude niya baka ka-level niya ngayon si Cristine

Reyes na kapatid niya sa VAA.Abangan natin kung magmimilagro ang Viva para sa career ni Jamilla Obispo.

Mga konteserong bading ipinakilala sa mediaNAGKAROON NG press presentation ang production company which is taking charge of Mr. Gay-World naactually ay second year na ngayon. The winner of these gay pageant will compete with other countries sa Oslo,Norway. Our representative nitong nakaraang taon ay si Wilbert Tolentino, nanalo ng tatlong special award saCanada. Nasa presscon din si Wilbert to support this year’s pageant at dahil nga isa siya sa mga presentors thisyear. Along with three others whose names we can’t remember dahil hindi naman kami nabigyan ng press kit nafeeling naming ay sinadya talaga ng mga staff dahil hindi naman kami officially invited. Biglaan lang kamingisinama ng aming editor sa Remate nasi George Vail Kabristante dahil mayroon siyang problema sa geographyng persscon.

Anyway, sa amin bigyan man kami o hindi okey lang, ang importante, heto kami in our own way, we arewriting what we could tungkol sa event nila.

Sa October 25 po gagawin ang finals ng contest at sa MetroBar ito gagawin. Directed by Ronald Carballo, we presume nahigit na mas matino ang presentation nila kesa nagdaangtaon.

Bale nineteen lahat ang mga candidates nila na pinarampaat pinagsalitang isa-isa.

Iisa ang opinion ng karamihan sa mga press na duma-lo. Na maraming tsaka at sobrang bading sa mga labin-siyam na kandidato. Karamihan sa kanila ay halos ku-mendeng sa pagrampa. Hitsura ng mga berdaderong bad-ing na ahit pa’ng kilay ng karamihan.

But of course, may ilan din namang mabibilang mo sadaliri na alam mong puwedeng mapanalunan ang titulo.Sinoman kina number 15, number 7, at number 16 aypuwedeng manalo. ‘Di rin pahuhuli ‘yung number 5 kayalang minus point a kanya ‘yung sobrang halatang ka-badingan niya.

Marami naman kaming maipupuri sa mga kandi-dato ng Mr. Gay–World. Matatalino sila’t halos lahatay eloquent na kayang sagutin ang mga tanong ka-hit na mga balahura pa ‘yung gma binato sa kanila.

Game sila kumbaga, at alam mong kung pa-palarin, hindi naman nila tayo ipahihiya sa mgakalabang ibang bansa.

Pero teka, bakit nga ba may ganitong klaseng contet? Sa mga panahong ito na masyadonang kumplikado ang buhay, relevant pa ba namaggawa pa ng mga contest na hindi mo namantalaga malirip kung ano ba ang relevance? Sapanahong ganito na kahirap ang buhay, hindi badapat, back to basics na lang tayo?

Matronang aktres kumabitsa maraming aktor

NAPAKAGANDA ng kanyang imahe sa publiko. Ubod siyang linis na tila walang bakas ng mga kasalanan. Modelosiya ng mga may asawa ng artista pero ang hindi alamng marami, ubod po ng landi ang ngayon ay matronang aktres.

Noong araw, lath ng mga madikit na aktor sa kan-ya ay kinakabitan niya. Basta bata at guwapo, walanghindi si aktres.

Pero ang klasika ay ‘yung siya pa ang noon ay nag-pupunta sa bahay ng isang aktor na ngayon ay kasalisa isang numerro unong teleserye. Mismong lola ni ak-tor ang nagkukuwento sa mga reporter tungkol sa kanyaat sabi pa ni lola, ‘ako ‘yung lolang lagi niyang binabati satv show niya.’

Dagdag na tsismis pa ni lola, sa kanila nakikiligo siaktres.

Puwede mo nang isiping sa tuwing paparoon siya sabahay ng aktor na lover, umaatikabong kuyangyangan angnangyayari.

Binansagan din siyang halinghing queen. Paano raw kasi,sa tuwing nagtatalik sila ng isa pang aktor na naging ku-lakadidang niya, umaabot sa ikapitong condo ang mga hal-inghing niya. Ang maid daw ang nahihiya sa tuwing tinatanongsiya ng mga kapitbahay.

Kilala ba n’yo?

Hayden Koh ‘di pa pinatawad ng publikoMARAMI PA rin ang umuumis kapag may balitang nagkabalikan sina Vicki Belo at Hayden Koh. “Di matanggap ng marami na mataposang kontrobersya sa binansagang manyak na duktor, muli siyang tinangkilik ng dating lover na duktora. Anyway, si Vicki mismo angnagsasalitang magkaibigan lang sila ni Hayden kung kaya lagi silang nakikitang magkasama sa mga malls. “Nagsimula kami bilangmagkaibigan and until now, magkaibigan pa rin kami. Hindi pa puwedeng maging kami dahil kahit pinatawad ko na siya, ‘di ko pa rinmalimot ang ginawa niya. Noon, isang taon mahigit kaming magkaibigan, then naging bf ko siya, tapos naging magkaibigan na namankami. Hindi pa kami lumalampas diyan,” paniniyak pa ni Vicki Belo.

Samantala, sa isang relief operation, nagkasama sina Hayden at ilang kaanak ni duktora. Gusto raw nilang tumulong sa mganasalanta at si Hayden nga, mamimigay ng relief goods.

Isang grupo raw ng mga bata ang nambuska kay Hayden nang makita nila ito. Sukat daw na ginilingan at kinantahan ng CarelessWhisper si Hayden kaya halatang nairita ito. Pero idinaan na lang daw sa tawa ni Hayden ang pamumuska ng grupo.

Malinaw na kahit saan siguro magpunta si Hayden ngayon, bumabalik-balik ang bagabag niya dahil nga nakikita niyang hindi pasiya pinatatawad ng publiko.

Unwed mom ng PBB teen edition maghuhubad na‘DI LANG IISA, marami na ang nagsasabing may attitude problem nga si Jamilla Obispo. Mismong mga taong malapit sa kanya angnagsasabing sila mismo ay nahihirapan kay Jamilla. Tumatanggap daw ito ng booking pero last minute nagba-backout na nagbubunsodang madalas na pagkapahiya ng mga ahente niya. Ang ending, ‘di na lang siya kinukuha sa mga shows.

Isa pa raw dahilan kung bakit hirap nai-book si Jamilla ay dahil meron itong lover na sobrang naghihigpitsa kanya. Kumbaga, ‘dipuwede sa maraming bagay si Jamilla dahil nga sobrang higpit ng dyowa niya.

Notice of Extrajudicial Settlementwith Waiver of Rights

Notice is hereby given that the heirs of RHYAN M. ESTEBAN whodied intestate on September 12, 2007 in Angeles City executed anExtrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of his motor vehicle, moreparticularly described as Toyota Altis with Plate No. ZEF 320, Chassis No.ZZE121-8020062 and Engine No 3ZZ-4584069.

Punto! Central Luzon: October 9, 16 & 23, 2009

ERRATUMIn the Notice for the PETITION FOR THE CORRECTION OF ENTRY

IN THE CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH OF CESARIO SANTOS VALEROSOin our October 6, 2009 issue, the case for hearing should be October 26,2009 and not October, 2009 as earlier published.

Punto! Central Luzon: October 9, 2009

Jam

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Data released byPDCC following its post-disaster assessmentmeeting with various gov-ernment and private sec-tor groups indicated thatdamages caused in agri-culture were pegged atP900 million for Ondoyand an initial estimate ofP3 million for Pepeng.

PDCC officer EmmyVillavicencio told Puntothat in infrastructure, dam-ages were estimated atabout P123.2 million.

“The overall estimateddamage in agriculture inPampanga totaledP938,261,694, and thiscovers crops, livestock andfisheries,” she said.

Villavicencio also not-ed that at the height of thefloods, 92,171 familiesfrom 209 barangays of 15

FROM PAGE 1

Pampanga suffers P1.1-B...towns and one city wereaffected, although most ofthe floods in the areas havealready abated.

She said that as of yes-terday, only 307 familieseither displaced or stillendangered by landslidesfrom Mt. Arayat remainedin two evacuation centers.Fourteen of the familieswere still housed in thebarangay hall of SanJoaquin in neighboringMagalang town, while 293other families are in a gov-ernment building at theArayat National Park inArayat town.

Fatalities in the prov-ince during the two weath-er disturbances stood at12, all of them victims ofthe landslide at the heightof storm Ondoy last Sept.26. The Provincial SocialWelfare and Developmentassured the victims’ fami-

lies of P10,000 assistanceeach.

Meanwhile, the Officeof the Provincial Agricultur-ist said the Department ofAgriculture (DA) will give17,397 sacks of certifiedseeds and sacks of ureaas subsidy to the farmerswhose rice fields wherebattered by the recentheavy rains.

On the other hand,the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources(BFAR) will distribute tila-pia fingerlings to help af-fected fish growers recov-er their losses.

Despite local damages,Gov. Eddie Panlilio said thatthe provincial fire depart-ment was also to help in dev-astated areas in Metro Ma-nila by providing onefiretruck and 15 firefightersin rehabilitation efforts, par-ticularly in Marikina.

before the dam reached itsspilling level.

At least 300 hectaresof standing crops in thesethree towns suffered dam-ages, some of which hadno more chance of recov-ery.

Roy Santiago of Bong-abon town said he onlyharvested 50 cavans theother day from his two-hectare farm. He was ex-pecting at least 160 ca-vans harvest this croppingseason.

“Inani ko po kahit maytubig pa sa aking bukid (Iharvested my crop even ifthere’s still water in myfarm),” Santiago said.“Hindi ko na po maipag-bibile, maitim na po angmga butil (I will not be ableto sell them because thegrains are already black incolor),” he added.

Aida Laluan, report of-ficer of the municipal agri-cultural office in Bongabon,said about 200 hectareswere affected by the rise

Farmers seek compensation...FROM PAGE 1 in water in barangays

Vega, San Roque, andRizal, and Pook Uno of thePoblacion. About 25 hect-ares of the crop had nomore chance for recoverywhile the rest could sufferreduction in harvest to30% or more, she said.

In Pantabangan, a to-tal of 117 hectares of ricecrop was totally damagedwhile 28 hectares had20% chance of recovery.

The farmers said Pan-tabangan Dam couldhave started releasing wa-ter in small volume longbefore the onslaught ofTyphoons Ondoy and Pep-eng.

The dam started re-leasing water when its lev-el reached 219.5 meters or1.5 meters from its spill-ing level. During TyphoonPepeng, the level reached220.28 or just .72 metersfrom spilling level.

The water release wasincreased from 120 cubicmeters per second (CMPS)to more than 250 CMPS.

The dam’s current lev-

el is 219.65 meters andwater release is at 250CMPS. UPRIIS authoritiessaid the water release willcontinue until the 218-meter level is reached.

Carlito Gapasin, chiefof UPRIIS’ engineeringand operations division,said he will bring to theattention of his agency’smanagement team theappeal of the affected farm-ers for help.

Pres. Gloria Macapa-gal-Arroyo asked Gov. Au-relio Umali, when she vis-ited this province Sunday,to submit proposals onhow the national govern-ment can provide assis-tance to the affected farm-ers of Nueva Ecija.

Latest report from theprovincial agricultural officesaid the farmers sufferedproduction losses valuedat P145.956 million.

Only one casualty, afive-year old girl fromBarangay D. S. Garcia inCabanatuan City who diedfrom drowning, was report-ed.

noon si Mr. John Sambo.Nawalan po siya ng kon-trata diyan sa may XeveraMabalacat. Hindi namanpo ang local na pamaha-laan ng Mabalacat angkausap niya kundi angGlobe Asiatique,” Pangili-nan said.

“Dahil nawalan po siyang kontrata sinisisi niyaang kanyang biyenan.Kung kaya po ngayon galitsiya at ginagamit niya angkanyang asawa upang la-banan ang biyenan,” he

Husband behind mayoralty bid...FROM PAGE 1 added.

“Mayroon ngang kas-abihan kung ang anakmong babae ay nakapag-asawa ng matinong lalakinadagdagan ang iyongmga anak at kung na-kapag-asawa siyang hin-di matino ikaw ay nawalanng anak na babae” Pang-ilinan said. “Na-kakalungkot dahil nahalu-han ng isang bugok nakamatis ang pamilya.”

Dwight Morales, ason of the local executivehas echoed the views ofPangilinan saying that “it

was Sambo” who hadbeen urging his sister torun for the mayoral elec-tion.

Dwight has describedSambo as an “opportun-ist.” “Naawa ako sa kap-atid ko dahil nakapag-asa-wa siya ng isang oportun-ista at walang galang sapamilya.”

Earlier, Morales said“the election is still too far.My daughter’s plan is stillsubject to change be-cause in the end blood isthicker than water.” Healso said that he loves hisdaughter “so much, andnothing can ever changethat because she is a partof the family.”

“A good leader is agood follower, paano kamagiging lider kung hindika marunong sumunod samga nakakatanda at na-kakataas, naawa ako samag-asawa hindi nila alamang kanilang ginagawa,gusto lang nilang ipahiyaang pamilya, dahil sa galitat ganid and they will notsucceed,” Pangilinan con-cluded.

Vice Mayor Bajun Lacapissued anew the appeal toPres. Arroyo “as a fellowCapampangan”. Affectedbarangay leaders had ini-tially appealed for thebridge construction wayback when Mrs. Arroyowas still vice president, henoted.

As of yesterday, thenine barangays could notyet be accessed readily,as currents in the Pam-panga River remainedstrong.

Lacap reiterated hisplea after learning that Mrs.Arroyo was again in herhometown in Lubao lastWednesday afternoon todistribute relief goods, eventhough reports from theProvincial Disaster Coordi-nating Council (PDCC) in-dicated that floods in thetown had already subsid-ed last Monday when thePresident was also there forrelief goods distribution.Last Wednesday’s visitwas the President’s 29th tothe second district so farthis year.

Lacap recalled thatthrice during past visits ofMrs. Arroyo to Masantoland other parts of Pampan-ga’s fourth district, he tookto pasting on his breast amasking tape marked“tete king Alauli (bridge atAlauli)” to which he point-ed whenever he neared thePresident to remind her ofthe project. This, despiteobjections from the Presi-dential Security Group, henoted.

“One time she saw mepointing to the marked

tape, she only smiled,” hesaid. He said that the De-partment of Public Worksand Highways (DPWH)reportedly finished a de-sign for the bridge somethree years ago, but thatthere has been no devel-opment on the projectsince then.

“Now we’d be satisfiedeven if we are given ‘tetematsing’ or a bridge goodenough for monkeys,” hequipped.

He noted that when thePampanga River swells,folk in the nine isolatedbarangays have to take acircuitous route viaCalumpit in Bulacan andApalit and Macababe,Pampanga to reach theirpoblacion. “We don’t bringour sick to doctors at thepoblacion because of this,unless it’s really an urgentcase,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Philip-pine Information Agency(PIA) regional office saidthe President arrived atabout 5:30 p.m. lastWednesday in BarangayBaruya in Lubao to distrib-ute relief goods, althoughPDCC officer Emmy Vil-lavicencio said that flood-ed areas in the town hadalready dried up.

Last Sunday, the Pres-ident had distributed reliefgoods to flood victims inGuagua, also within herdistrict, before proceedingto Lubao the following dayto distribute relief goods inBarangay San Agustin,turn over bamboo desks toan elementary school inBaragay Sta. Catalina, in-augurate a water supplysystem in Barangay Con-

cepcion, and inspect aroad project in BarangaySan Miguel.

Bayan Muna Rep. Sa-tur Ocampo, who wasguest speaker of publicschool teachers in Mabal-acat in Pampanga’s firstdistrict while the Presidentwas in Lubao last Monday,said “we are wonderingwhy she is overconcentrat-ing in Pampanga, special-ly the second district”

“For a president with aconstituency in the entirecountry, it would be at theleast too much of a bias ifyou concentrate it in onedistrict unless she haspolitical plans. We arewatching whether shewould opt to run for con-gress as a minimum safe-ty net against the possi-bility of being out of powerentirely and being prose-cuted once there is achange of government un-der the opposition,” Ocam-po said.

There have been nag-ging reports that Mrs. Ar-royo will run for congressin her district in next year’selections, although Mala-canang has kept mum onthis, at times even sayingthat the President’s fre-quent sorties to her districtwas only to manifest heraffection to her “cabalens.”

Ocampo said that hisBayan Muna partylistwould support whoeverwould challenge the Pres-ident in such a congres-sional race in the seconddistrict. So far, Prof. Ran-dy David already an-nounced he would chal-lenge Mrs. Arroyo.

–Ding Cervantes

FROM PAGE 1

28,000 families isolated...

including SCADC, Northrailand the Office of the Exter-nal Affairs during the distri-bution of relief goods inBrgy. San Juan, Cainta,Rizal. More than 1500 res-idents lined up inside theYnares Multi-Purpose Cov-ered Court to receive theirrelief packages.

The relief operation,dubbed as “ Sagip MetroManila at Pampanga: Tu-long Angeleno”, was madepossible through a three-day telethon initiated byPamintuan, Clark Interna-tional Airport Corporation(CIAC) EVP Alex Caugui-ran and Comclark, whichvolunteered its TV and ca-ble facilities for the tele-thon. The organization,

coordination and adminis-tration were ably handledby the volunteers from theAngeles City Kuliat Jay-cees, while members ofthe CLAC conducted theirown fund raising campaignaround the city.

This is not the first timethat Pamintuan, who isdetermined to take backthe helm of running the city,and the Jaycees partneredfor this kind of endeavor.In 2006, Oplan Sagip Bi-col was initiated to raisefunds and donations tohelp the victims of typhoonReming which causedmajor destructions to livesand properties, mainly inthe Bicol region. Accord-ing to Pamintuan, this ishow the people of Angeleswould like to pay back the

FROM PAGE 1

EdPam leads relief operationspeople from all over thecountry, especially fromMetro Manila, who extend-ed their assistance duringthe dark hours of AngelesCity after the Mt. Pinatu-bo eruption and the ram-pages of lahar.

Earlier on, the groupmade a courtesy call onMayor Ramon Ilagan ofCainta, who expressed hisappreciation and gratitudefor the assistance beingextended to his constitu-ents. The municipality isone of the worst hit LocalGovernment Unit in theMetro Manila and nearbyareas. Thousand are stillin evacuation centerswhile the rest of the peo-ple are attempting to putback normalcy in theirlives. –PRCSCADC

VISIT. CIAC President Jose Victor Luciano (right) briefs Chairman MartinGerber of Guam International Airport Authority during his visit at theDMIA. Looking on is EVP Alex Cauguiran.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DENG PANGILINAN

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BY MALOU DUNGOG

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— A trucking system pop-ularly used in Argentina,Australia, Mexico, UnitedStates and Western Can-ada to efficiently transportbulky loads will soon beseen for the first timealong the Subic-Clark-Tar-lac Expressway (SCTEx).

Expected to hit theSCTEx in the fourth quar-ter this year, the so-calledroadtrain or “triples,” as itis known in the U.S. andCanada, will be intro-duced by the Internation-al Heavy Trucks Center(IHTC), a Subic-registeredenterprise.

The roadtrain consistsof a conventional tractorpulling not just one trail-er, but two or three usinga trailer truck dolly. A trail-er dolly is a single-axledarticulated fifth wheel thatconnects two or threetrailers pulled by a trac-tor head.

IHTC said the use ofthe roadtrain at the SC-TEx was arranged throughcontinuous coordinationwith Philippine NationalConstruction Corporation.

Subic Bay Metropoli-tan Authority (SBMA) ad-ministrator Armand Arre-

Subic to launch cost-efficienttrucking system via SCTEx

za said that the use oftrailer truck dollies via theSCTEx “will mean big sav-ings and provide more ef-ficient means of transport-ing goods between Clarkand Subic.”

“We’re sure that thetrailer dollies will attractnot only more investorsand port users in Subicand Clark Freeport zones,but also other importersand exporters from Cen-tral and Northern Luzon,”Arreza said.

He explained that the

introduction of the trailerdolly would also lowerfreight cost because twoor three more trailers cannow be connected behindthe main trailer.

Arthur delos Reyes,SBMA consultant for spe-cial projects and eco-nomic development, saidthe IHTC will initially beusing two trailer dolliesthat are about 90-feetlong each.

The trailer dollies are“very safe and road wor-thy,” he added.

“Being the first in thePhilippines, this cost-sav-ing mechanism is expect-ed to encourage heavyport users in Central Lu-zon to use Subic, thus in-creasing shipments in theFreeport,” Reyes said.

Reyes also said thatthe new transport conceptwill be used only in theSCTEx, which connectsthe free ports of Clark andSubic, because the roadsleading to the ports ofSubic and Clark are wid-er and hardly have anytraffic problem.

The truck dollies, how-ever, cannot be usedpresently in the North Lu-zon Expressway or SouthLuzon Expressway, headded.

HERE COMES THE ROADTRAIN

Arreza

THINK GREEN

BY ARMAND M. GALANG

CABANATUAN CITY —A 5-year-old girl from aresidential area along acreek here was record-ed as the lone victim ofTyphoon “Pepeng” inNueva Ecija.

Juliet Francisco, 31,said Wednesday shewas carrying the victim,Aleah May and another

Girl, 5, drowns in N.E.2-year-old kid toleave their inundatedhouse for highergrounds, at about 1:00p.m. on Sunday whenstrong currents fromthe overflowing SapangBuhay creek in Baran-gay D.S. Garcia thiscity made her slip.

“Lilikas na nga kamidahil papataas angtubig,” Francisco said

in between sobs.Her husband,

Marcial, has left aheadof them with their fiveother children.

Francisco managedto recover and had heryoungest saved butAleah May wasdragged to the deepportion of the creek.

Her body, Franciscosaid, was recoveredafter an hour of searchby a group of youthsfrom the village.

Francisco said theyexperience floodings intheir area every timethere is a typhoon butnever left their house.They did it this timefearing heavy floodswith the PantabanganDam releasing watereven at a managedlevel.

“Mas mababaw panga ang tubig ngayonkesa dati,” said thefather.

It was learned,however, that theincident had not beenrecorded at the Provin-cial Disaster Coordinat-ing Council, thus itreported zero casualtyas of Monday.

Interior and LocalGovernment provincialdirector, Dr. AbrahamPascua who co-chairsthe PDCC said therewas no report regardingthe death that reachedthe council.

Mayor Alvin Vergarapledged to shoulder thefuneral expenses.