Balweg: The Abuloy System in BARP, a success

ONE of the most successful programs of the Blessed Association of Retired Persons, inc. (BARP is its Mutual Aid Program (MAP), abuloy in the vernacular. This program provided financial aid to named direct beneficiaries of deceased members of good standing.

Carino: New years

AS THE 2011 solar year begins, we also ring out the last year of the Chinese Year of the Metal Cat and begin preparations for the 2011 Year of the White Rabbit, set to begin on February 3.  So what’s in store?

Dumaguing: 2011's Resolutions for Senior Citizens

NO MATTER how many new years you have rung in, it's never too late to resolve to live healthier. The following are experts' suggestions from the American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging.

Del Rosario: Food advertising and local branding

I WAS invited to be a resource speaker at the Junior Phil. Marketing Association regional convention at the Baguio Convention Center last Nov. 28, 2010.

Evangelista: The convention center and the city

ONE vital issue waiting for resolution is the case of the Baguio Convention Center. During the past city administrations there has been a tug of war over the ownership of the center. Originally, the center was owned and administered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Bennett: Met – my word for the year

MET, is one of the first words one learns in the elementary grades. An irregular verb, it takes a different form in the past tense instead of the addition of ed to the original word. But this word has taken a new meaning for me, one that will make a difference this year.

Padilla: Alice Kate Aparri, Mark Eddiva win Athlete of the Year 2010 plum

LADY ABAP amateur boxer Alice Kate Aparri and wushu ace Mark Eddiva will a cast of 40 outstanding athletes, sportsmen, and sports organizations who will be honored in the 24th Annual Kafagway Sports Achievers Day program billed at historic Malcolm Square on January 15.

Cayading: Performance review terms

IT’S 2011! Let’s welcome the New Year with a smile. Here are several compilations of actions for entertainment purposes…

Estremera: The phasing out of boredom and awe

YOU know you are over-stimulated if you have to work at boredom as it used to be. As we all know, boredom is a state of being, a state when you don’t have anything to do and so you just hee and haw and twiddle and hum, and then go bumping off walls, for long periods of time.

Gueco: Women speak

INSPIRING our hearts, minds and spirits is our core freedom to think, feel and speak.

Garcia: Panaganu King Pamaniglo (Prelude To A Deep Longing)

MAKANANU apilasa ing amanu ning lasak a diwa Karing matang mengaring talubang a malyap, O mekad sarya lang e makabasa king danup at kawa Ning malililing labul ning amyam… Papatda karing baya a magpabukal king puyat a bakal. Wa, ala ping kalawang a kuminis king balat na Dapot gumulis anting taram ning salaming balbal Kaybat kinablas kaya ing aske ning makapanenayang alang-kapupusang dimla. Atin pa waring aping milablab kalagpas ning alang-angga?

Custodio: Thoughts as I sat in my clinic waiting for patients

HAPPY New Year! Year 2010 came and went by so fast I woke up a week ago and found 2011 settled and staring me straight in the eye.

Uh-oh.

Sunday Essays: Youths perform for a cause

THERE are many children in impoverished conditions and this is what drives the Strength in the Valley Foundation Inc. (SVF).

To give impoverished children a chance to be educated, to be healthy, and to be loved is their goal.

Sunday Essays: Bajada’s traffic problem

“THEY say they don’t need it now, but the truth is, they will do in the near future,” he added as he explained the reasons why each of the consecutive intersections in that area has stoplights. “In the next 5 years it is anticipated that the volume of cars that would occupy the streets will humongously increase.”

Thanks to Davao City’s current traffic signalization system that is said to be better than those found in the national capital, the traffic flow has become manageable. Moreso today with the additional traffic lights already installed.

Sunday Essays: A parish to adore

RESIDENTS of Toril, Davao City take pride in having helped build the Santo Rosario Parish after five years of construction. The new church now stands in the center of Toril District for everyone to pray in.

There are still parts that are still under construction but the major work is already done, and with it a showcase of how a community of believers can put their resources together and build their church.

Pacete: Riding through time

2011. New Year. New tourist buses for Silay. Mayor Jose Montelibano was excitingly telling us that to boost Silay Tourism Program, at least, we have brand new tourist buses for Silay for our on-going “Lagaw Silay”, a tour package featuring Silay tourist attractions.

De los Santos: Love of country

Last December 30, we commemorated yet another death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal. More than a decade and a century, the memory of his patriotism and heroism has never dimmed and he remains enshrined in the hearts of those who share his passion for his country, I write this with a qualification for not all Filipinos share that passion and if they do, it is only in words. Their deeds are eloquent proofs of their constant betrayal of the country they too, profess to love.

Biantan: The sand castle of the bad king finally crumbles

LONDON -- Once upon a time in the land of the Beautiful Game, there was a wicked man who was ambitious and very greedy.

He wanted to be King.

Editorial: Let vehicles move

NEVER mind the traffic. Just let the vehicles move. Of course, nobody wants to be delayed when moving in the street toward their places of work or businesses. Traffic congestion is normal.

Bagabuyo: My Advocacies

"TO KNOW oneself, one should assert oneself." Albert Camus, Newbooks

-o0o-

Baquirin: Happy New Everything

THERE are a lot of people out there who have heaved a huge sigh of relief that the holidays are finally over. It is true that the Christmas and New Year vacations are the time most people look forward to so they can spend time with family, it is also true that for some holidays are the time to make "raket" (meaning projects that make money); what with all the parties that are ongoing especially in offices and various groups. A pervading feeling of joy and good cheer is in the air, at least for most.

Liporada: Desperately hoping to 'kick the habit' in the year of the rabbit

A FEW days before 2011, I posted something on my FB wall: "Resolution No. 1: I'll stop promising I'm going to quit the habit... I'll just do it."

The next day, New Year's Eve, I posted: "I can do it!"

Olimpo: The sweet that protects our teeth

CANDIES and chocolates may be sweet each holiday season but not for your kids' teeth. Instead, give them sweet but sugar-free dental health gum that will keep them smiling. Read on and find out why sugar is not really that "sweet" for the teeth.

It causes tooth decay. Kids who like eating sweets are more prone to cavities because bacteria that cause tooth decay feed on sugars to create lactic acid that destroys their teeth.

Tomakin: Five basic things you need to know in naturalization

ONE of the desired goals of many permanent residents is obtaining US citizenship through naturalization. Unlike a US citizenship by birth whereby citizenship is automatically endowed, naturalization is a process. For some, it could be just easy as filling out and sending in the application form, while others see it as a long, perilous and tedious task.

Speak Out: Parents and Teachers - Partners in Children's Holistic Growth

IT IS a frequent awareness that parents are the first teachers of their offspring. It is the home that acts primarily as their first school where children are taught and educated by their first teachers. It is clearly viewed and manifested that they learn more from home than school for a day, for they spend more time at home compared to school.

Parents should not leave everything to teachers. It is a fact that even teachers have more convincing power than that of their parents, they should bear in their minds that education is an effort of working hands -- not just a single hand.

Editorial: Mentors for kindergarten

THERE was the report in yesterday’s papers that said the Department of Education (DepEd) is now poised to enroll an estimated 2.5 million pre-school Filipino children for the envisioned universal kindergarten program, which the government is set to start in school year 2011-2012. If it pushes through, the program will need 30,000 additional schoolteachers to handle the five-year-olds in their first school adventure, the first impression of which will either make them love or hate the learning process.

Roperos: The boy and the sea

WHEN I read yesterday’s front page story of Mark Sanico’s three-day sea saga, what immediately came to my mind was Ernest Hemingway’s unforgettable novel, The Old Man and the Sea, which has since become a classic tale of an old man pitted against natural elements. The difference between 15-year-old Mark Sanico and the old man is actually just a matter of age and setting and the circumstances of Sanico’s being at sea.

Nalzaro: ‘Violent reaction’

LOCAL meat importers are up in arms against Administrative Order (AO) 22 issued by Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala that imposes strict guidelines and monitors local and imported frozen meat products for the safety and protection of the consuming public. They claim that AO 22 has greatly affected their businesses and that they are losing millions of pesos.

Libre: A new year begins

A NEW year is about changes. Look at yourself in the mirror–and you will notice changes. I have. I once had long curly hair; but I have accepted the fact that most of those are gone; and I have joined the company of James Taylor, Billy Joel and Paul Simon who have extended foreheads.

People are bothered so much by aging that some of the biggest industries in the world today relate to anti-aging, and physical and mental wellness. Plastic surgery is no longer the strict territory of glamorous stars as demand for such has brought prices reasonable enough for the growing middle class.

Barrita: Water terrorism and 93-1

CEBU Gov. Gwen Garcia said she can solve the 93-1 issue with or without the participation of Cebu City officials.

She said Capitol is holding all the aces in the issue and Capitol should set all the conditions in any negotiations with the City on some 5,000 families living in Province-owned lots in the city.