Padilla: Team Philippines outshines Vietnamese aces in women’s boxing duel

TRUE to her prestigious billing, Pinay Josie Gabuco, gold medalist in the 2012 World Women’s Boxing Championship, bannered to victory Team Philippines in the First Philippines-Vietnam Dual Women’s Tournament staged at the University of Baguio Gym last Sunday.

Team PHL scored a convincing 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss card against Vietnam’s 1 win, 1 draw and 3 loss record in the exciting 24-round promotions sponsored by the University of Baguio in partnership with the Asosasyon ng Boksing ng Pilipinas (former known as the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines), the Vietnam boxing team who are presently training at the Philippine Sports Commission National Training Center at Teachers Camp and Cooyeesan.

Fianza: The serious business of touching lives

“I AM indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” - Alexander the Great

Cacdac: Saving our watersheds

JUST how important is it for us to protect our watersheds? It is most important.

And what role does the community play in saving our watersheds? A very crucial one.

Llanes: Empowered women

STARTING off with empowered women, let me congratulate the De La Salle Lady Spikers for making it a three-peat by winning this year’s volleyball championship against Ateneo De Manila Lady Eagles in the 75th season of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines.

My niece Kim, who graduated from Ateneo, might take back the varsity jacket she gave as my other niece Sandra, who graduated from De La Salle, and who also gave me a De La Salle jacket is now jubilant over their team’s win.

Sungduan: Run

MORE and more indigent communities will be given help with the annual medical-dental-optical mission and other community service projects of Brent International School Baguio which is successfully implemented with the good partnership among the students, school administration, and the Parents Teachers Association (PTA).

For this year Brent International School Baguio - PTA SY 2012-2013 under the leadership of its president Julie Flores Temple takes another stride in raising more funds purposely for the said endeavor by organizing the 3rd Brent Run, an activity which is also one way to maintain one’s good health.

Pasagoy: The sweeter escape

DO NOT cheat yourself into something smaller, aim high and land big. Just before the internship season landed for my course I was wondering if I would go for writing news for a newspaper or would I rather seek allied agency and just do office jobs. I think making the right decision is just another question I have to answer fast; believing in me is the greater query I have to deal with. Just as I end my internship in print media, it is now that I realize that what most of the present people from my educational degree thinks of a pain in the buttocks went the other way around for me.

Cajucom: The heart of summer

LAST week I could not help but laugh at the realization that there is actually a need for PAGASA’s “official declaration” that summer is here. To date, despite the sweltering heat in the afternoons, there still is no official word so we are seemingly still in weather purgatory, neither here nor there, neither hot nor cold – and for Baguio residents and Baguio visitors, both actually. We experience chilly cold in the mornings, humidity at high noon, and cool showers and dampness in the late afternoons. Bipolar weather, if there is such a thing.

Macasinag: The quest to be a better teacher

(My guest writer for my column today is a teacher who views learning as something wonderful. She wishes to inspire readers to realize that life-long learning is a necessity.)

Kinnud: Siatong

FOR those who entered elementary school before the late nineties, Siatong is probably familiar as one of their before-class, recess, lunch break and after-class diversion aside from patintero, holen, or some games involving tsinelas and lata. It is a game that can be played between individuals or teams. The rules are simple, do not need an elaborate training, and does not require sophisticated equipment. All that is needed are the stem of a runo grass or twigs from a tree, and a wide open space.

Bayan: Palarong Pambarangay

IN THE grand scheme of life, sports are entertainment. They have no real impact on stocks, politics, peace versus war, or the world at large. But, sports bring people together, camaraderie in its purest form.

Sports can simplify a person’s focus, as one gets completely absorbed in the game, and for a few minutes, cheering for a one’s own team is all that matter. In short, sports can give a person something to focus on to release all one’s cares of life momentarily.

Lleva: Divorce in the Philippines – A dilemma

THE readouts are thick with religious overtones. People agree to wed, a contract between two people which is a contract with no termination clause, which is a bad contract.

Laws on divorce and annulment are lunatic because they require one party to prove the other lunatic so the marriage can be declared never to have happened. This is just game playing and the court and the attorney fees hold it open only as a resource for the well to do.

Carino: Electric coops underrated

THE buzz in the power sector is that electric cooperatives (ECs) have become the weakest link in the industry and this, among others, has emboldened the government to make serious its bid for a private sector participation (PSP) for distribution utilities.

This has unsettled a lot of ECs. Already maligned for allegedly imposing high power rates, the ECs are also confronted with the task of proving their own worth and worthiness pursuant to key performance indicators and regulatory measures. And once Pres. Aquino signs the new bill on the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the ECs will expect more heat from the kitchen since a key provision therein is good governance. Even the hearings on the NEA bill before the Joint Congressional Power Commission did not spare disdain for ECs which have opted to remain as non-stock and non-profit. The noose is just getting tighter for ECs under the NEA.

Fernandez: March is (also) Women’s Month

WHEN I was in my elementary and high school years, March was only Fire Prevention Month. Not until I went to college that I have come to know March as Women’s Month.

Since then, I have been keen to know what theme the celebration would carry for each year. In fact over the years, I have been attending rallies and parades to support this celebration.

Domondon: Too Late the Hero

AS THE phrase above suggests, any belated action oftentimes spell disaster not because it was the wrong move made at its inception but rather, the lack of a proactive approach towards resolving a particular matter.

Guinaran: The parable of the Oscar awardee

HIS family was a hapless victim of the fierce Typhoon Feria when he was on his last year in elementary school in Antipolo. Their small house there was inundated and ruined. “Squatter pa kami di ba,” he adds. With nowhere to go, he, his mom and two siblings eventually settled in Baguio City where their dad was a waiter in a Filipino restaurant.

“Ay ang ganda o,” he would point to the imposing Cordillera mountains as he interjects our chat as we cruise the Halsema Highway on our way to Bontoc. I want my friends to see the picturesque interior of the Cordilleras.

Speak Out: Missing the bull’s-eye

WE’VE recently celebrated what many regard as the most colorful season in Baguio City -- the Panagbenga Festival. With at least 2.2 million tourists flooding all the roads en route to Athletic Bowl, it seemed so successful. With all hotels (and even hospitals) having been fully booked, one might come to really wonder -- what’s in Panagbenga? What makes these people so drawn, so captivated, so willing to take risks just to witness Baguio’s most treasured festival?

Tibaldo: Pepeng S. Romero – Tribute to a Baguio patriot

HE UNDERWENT a triple heart bypass operation sometime in 2003 and was then made aware that such procedure can guarantee him another ten years to enjoy life. At exactly 10 years after, Apache Brave Felipe Romero whom we refer to as “Pepeng” or “Uncle” bade farewell to dear life leaving a legacy worth remembering. I attended the necrological service at the Romero residence in Scout Barrio and my wife admired the uniqueness of how the Baguio Apaches pay tribute to a great man. Retired Judge Fernando Cabato, our Apache Elder read his revealing eulogy that seemed to have been corroborated with the late Peping. I couldn’t help but ask the judge’s printed memoriam entitled “Peping and his Jewels” and I got his nod to have it shared here.

Domoguen: Living in incredible times

THESE are incredible times. Today, there are over six billion people inhabiting the planet and our conduct as individuals, communities and governments are influenced more and more by powerful forces shaping the realities of our lives.

DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, in a speech during the Cordillera Organic Congress held at the Supreme Hotel last week, mentioned four powerful forces that are poised to influence the conduct of modern life in the next 50 years. These are: Advances in Science and Technology, Global Redistribution of Knowledge, Power, and Wealth; Competing Political, Cultural, and Religious Ideologies; and Sustainability of the Physical Environment. Secretary Alcala’s speech was read by Dr. Ben Ladilad, BSU President.

Luzano: Panagbenga 2013... Goodbye!

PORMAL a nangleppas ti Panagbenga 2013 idi kalman babaen kadagiti nagduduma a programa. Sapay koma ta nakaited manen daytoy nga eksena ti siyudad iti ray-aw, linglingay, ragragsak ken pagbiagan kadagiti negosyante. Sapay koma ta no adda man dagiti naibudi a lamatna kas koma aksidente idiay Tuba, uram dita Asin road, natakawan ken nasipdutan, nagkurangan no adda man kadagiti panganan ken pagturogan….ta dinton maulit pay kadagiti sumarsaruno a Panagbenga. Kudos kadatayo amin nangruna kadagiti nangpataray iti daytoy: BFFFI, City Govt., sponsors, agramanen dagiti partakers kadagiti amin a programa ken bisita. Kudos met iti inakem a rebbengen dagiti otoridad ken grupo-medikal ken aminen a nagbulontaryo a timmulong. Mabuhay Panagbenga 2013!

Capili: Reviewing Local Planning Practices (III)

THERE was a time when government effort was concentrated on the physical development of the country with the construction of roads, water supply, community centers, other utilities and many others. In more recent times, the government has gradually shifted its attention to the creation/transformation of new municipalities, cities and even provinces.

Cayading: Interesting facts about gambling

WRITING this trivia about Gambling does not mean this column is supporting the Gambling game. Neither endorsing it nor a player of this kind. There are so many people who are playing this activity whatever their objectives are but do not know some of its facts and history. As with any recreational gaming, there is always a good deal of trivia associated with such games. So it is with gambling. Gambling has a rich and intriguing history, so much so that trivia lovers will surely adore the wealth of trivia facts pertaining to gambling. Let's take a look as some gambling trivia data below.

Dacawi: Unsolicited advice to voters

(As the election fever continues to mount, here’s a recall of that piece in this corner before the May polls three years back. – RD)

DON’T be rude even if the hand shaking yours or the face smiling on the leaflet being handed you does not belong to your candidate. Don’t ball your fist on the “polyetos”, especially so on the final stretch of the poll campaign, when the funds and chips are down for some of the wannabes.

Carino: Romance in Baguio (2)

THIS past week, Baguio’s Apache nation paid their last respects to Felipe “Peping” S. Romero, a tribe stalwart. He passed away on February 21, after having left concise instructions about how he was to exit the world. Yes, one of those.

The instructions included that after a funeral parlor stay, his body was to be returned to the Romero residence in Scout Barrio to spend a last night there. And that on said night, there was to be a bonfire in his backyard, and that the Apaches were to serenade him with a list of songs included in said instructions (his serenaders threw in Christmas songs). Which also included what food was to be served that night, take note.

Del Rosario: Developing Hope – BTO!

THERE are two topics I have always wanted to write about! These are “faith” and “hope”. However, it is the fear of going into the sphere of something I am not competent and confident about that prevented me from writing about it.

This Year (from Oct. 2012 to Nov. 2013) had been declared by the Holy Father as a Year of Faith. And so, I felt that God must have a message for me. (along with everyone else!) I felt that I should read and learn more about “faith”. But I left it at that, just a plan, a desire without action! (just like many other things I have in mind, including “retirement” perhaps?)

Dumaguing: Xarelto helps prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation

IT IS very heart warming to receive a lot of feedback, mostly follow up questions regarding our article on atrial fibrillation last week. This issue ,hopefully will answer some of those queries . Indeed, older people are more likely to have AF than younger people. in fact, the risk of AF increases with age. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart arrhythmia in persons over the age of 60. Diabetes, excessive alcohol intake and abuse of stimulant drugs also increases the risk of AF.

Cayading: The wonders of onions!

THIS article is worth sharing for us to know more about the many uses of onions. A good friend of mine who tried and tested the benefits of this edible bulb of many layers with a pungent smell and taste forwarded me these good benefits we could derived from this onion. He further requested me to impart this piece to all my avid readers of this column.

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

Padilla: Philippines vs Vietnam women’s boxing tilt on Sunday

TOP women amateur boxers from the Philippines will showcase their boxing prowess against their counterparts from Vietnam billed at the University of Baguio gym tomorrow, Sunday, March 3. The curtains go up at 3pm according to JB Bautista, university president, who was vividly gladdened and honored for the distinguished opportunity for the institution to play host to the event for the first international women’s boxing duel meet to be held in the country.

Balweg: Credibility worked at Sinto

LAST February 13, 2013, BARP Foundation Inc. sent a three-member team from the Baguio Central Office to Sinto, Bauko, Mountain Province. The composition of the team was Trustee Menchita Damoslog, Internal Auditor Cristeta Antonio and myself. The mission? To explain and try settle whispered opposition to the increase of the monthly contribution to the second component of the Mutual Aid Program from P300 to P500.

Speak Out: Just a reminder

THE chance to changes is approaching. This time, it requires a better and wiser decision. Indeed, voting is a right and at the same time a responsibility for each and every Filipino citizens. Every votes count and we are obliged for whatever the outcome will be.

We don't need to ask if our vote is important. If we are responsible enough, we should know how significant it is.

Cacdac: Summer reads

THE grand street dancing and float parades over the last weekend surpassed last year’s, I must say.

I enjoyed the creativity behind the floats and the street dances. It helped that a press kit was given to us and it detailed the stories behind the performances. Thanks to the Baguio Cultural Society, headed by University of the Cordilleras VP Alec Mapalo, for helping me appreciate last Saturday’s superb showing. Congratulations to all parade participants, especially to our tireless and always smiling graders.