Unveiling of Historical Marker at Former Sen. Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo's House in Bulakan, Bulacan

A call for urgency:

Bulakenyo college students ask gov’t to act fast on Angat Dam issue

ANGAT DAM. A landscape photo of the Angat Dam reservoir.

Immediate action – this is what 10 out of 10 Bulakenyo college students asks the government towards the Angat Dam.

Though differing in expression and suggestions on possible solutions, the answers of the survey respondents boils down to a call for the government to act upon the issue involving the dam located at Norzagaray, Bulacan.

“Gawan na agad ng paraan. Hindi ‘yung kung kailan malala na at wala ng magagawang paraan tsaka sila kikilos,” said Patricia Delos Reyes, a junior BS Pharmacy student at Centro Escolar University (CEU) - Malolos.

“Dapat paglaanan ng malaking budget... ‘di dapat kurakutin ang ibibigay na pondo,” stated Mare Nella Bautista, junior Psychology student at Bulacan State University (BulSU).

“Dapat ibaba sa barangay level ‘yung mga anunsyo, even sa TV pwede,” deemed Maria Marienela Cruz, senior Psychology major at BulSU.

Cedrick Ramos, a third year BS Mathematics major in Computer Science at BulSU, believes that the national, provincial and local government, and the Bulakenyos as well, must help one another.

“’Di ko man alam ang pinakamagandang paraan para hindi maging mapaminsala ang dam break... malaki ang tulong na magagawa nito,” Ramos stated.

However, being asked for their own preparations for a possible dam break, four among the 10 Bulakenyo college students have done no preparations yet.

Jayson Dela Cruz, a third Information Technology major at BulSU explained “Wala naman. Hindi naman daw apektado ang Bulakan, Bulacan,” as he resides in the said town.

Meanwhile, the four other rely on prayers to do the work for them while the other two Bulakenyo college studes just constantly keeps up with the news for updates.

“Panalangin. For us po kasi, ‘yun ang pinakamabisang paghahanda para sa mga ganitong sitwasyon,” said Neil Roque, sophomore Broadcasting major at BulSU.

“Ano’t ano man kasi ang mangyari, mahalaga pa rin na unahin si God,” reasoned junior BulSUan Hotel and Restaurant Management major Amiel Balite.

But then, probing deeper into the respondents’ knowledge on the issue regarding the Angat Dam resulted to notably different answers.

“Nabalitaan ko na meron daw crack ang dam. Sinabi ‘yun ng guro ng kapatid ko,” stated Pauline Alvarado, another third year Information Technology student at BulSU.

“Nabalitaan ko po na ‘pag lumindol ay maaari itong bumigay at masira,” explained Roque.

 “May ginawang drill... Paghahanda raw kung sakaling mabiyak ang Angat Dam,” said BS Mathematics major in Computer Science freshman Lester Dillena from BulSU.

Moreover, wanting to know more about the circumstance, Ramos stated “Marami sa nabalitaan ko ay haka-haka lang. May crack na daw. Pinapagawa daw. Nawalan daw ng pondo. Ang gusto ko malaman ngayon kung ano ang ginagawa talaga ng gobyerno.”

Albert Ariola, a junior BulSUan Computer Engineering major expressed, “Gusto ko malaman kung paano maaagapan ng gobyerno natin ang malaking problema na ito.”

Through the former statements, it is clear that not all Bulakenyos have fully understood the condition of the Angat Dam, though nine out of 10 Bulakenyo college studes believe in the possibility of a dam break.

“’Di naman gagawa ng ganoong usapan ‘yung mga may katungkulan para lang takutin ‘yung mga tao,” deemed Delos Reyes.

Though a bit unsure, Balite said “Mas mabuti na maging handa... totoo man o hindi, kailangan talaga maghanda.”

The spread of news regarding the possible dam break reached its peak when the Bulacan provincial government conducted the “Angat Dam Break Drill” on December 13, 2013.

The drill participants walked along the McArthur Highway from their respective schools (BulSU, CEU, La Consolacion College of the Philippines and Bulacan Polytechnic College) and government offices to the Bulacan Sports Complex which served as the augmented evacuation center.

A dam break is believed to happen which will flood the province of Bulacan and neighboring places when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Marikina West Valley Faultline (MWVF) which runs from Norzagaray, Bulacan, where the Angat Dam is located, up to Rizal.

This was assessed in 2009 by Dr. Renato Solidum of the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology who warned the province to prepare for the worst case scenario as a branch of the MWVF lies 200 meters from the one of the dam’s dikes.

It was then confirmed by a study conducted by the Tonkin & Taylor International and Engineering Development Corporation of the Philippines that there is actually a branch of the MWVF underneath one of the dikes of the Angat Dam.

No preparations yet:

Barangay Bambang residents have no plans yet for worst case scenario

ANGAT DAM. A landscape photo taken from the Angat Dam view deck.

Five out of 10 residents of Barangay Bambang, Bulakan have no preparations yet towards a possible dam break.

“Napag-uusapan pa lang, wala pang kongkretong gagawin,” said Feliciano Carreon, acting parish secretary of San Isidro Labrador Parish in the said barangay.

However, two among 10 respondents chose prayers as the best way to prepare while the three others answered seeking for higher places to evacuate and storing food in advance.

“We pray so that it won’t affect us and bring us to catastrophe,” stated Ricci Martinez, a teacher at Doña Candelaria Meneses Duque High School, also in Barangay Bambang.

“Alamin ang pinakamalapit na evacuation center, preferably building with second floor or third floor. Prepare first aid kit and early preparation of foods,” stated businessman Rowel Alcaraz.

These preparations can be rooted from their knowledge towards the problem.

“Hindi ko po alam,” answered Mylin Veron, a plain resident.

“Malapit na daw masira,” said Emily Lacsamana, another resident.

Teresa Rodriguez, a resident and teacher at Gen. Gregorio del Pilar Elementary School, said “Nabalitaan ko na may mga bitak na ito.”

“Kapag nagkaroon ng 7.2 na lindol mabe-break po ang dike ng dam,” stated Jorell Meneses, a tricycle driver.

Four out of 10 residents learned the condition of the Angat Dam through the news from TV, radio and newspaper.

“Oo, dahil malaki ang nagiging impluwensya ng television,” answered Gerlie Rivera, a teacher at St. Stephen School of Bulakan if she believes about what she heard about the dam.

However, “Kadalasan kasi totoo ang mga balitang napapanood [sa TV],” Rivera added, expressing a tinge of doubt towards the mass media.

“Partly, dahil may mga nagbabalita na masyadong sensationalized ang balita,” stated Alcaraz.

“Bagamat sometimes, they exaggerate, it but still it is true,” deemed Martinez who shared the same thinking.

However, while the other nine respondents believe the possibility of a dam break, Reggie Lazaro who found out about the issue through social media said “Hindi, parang imposible.”

Moreover, wanting the government to act upon the situation of the 47 year-old dam, “Sa lalong madaling panahon ay isaayos na nila ito, bago magkaroon ng malubhang pangyayari na sisira sa buhay at kabuhayan ng maraming mamamayan,” said Carreon.

“Hangga’t maaga, i-repair na [nila] ‘yung dam,” stated Neil Roque, a second year Broadcasting major at Bulacan State University.

According to Rodriguez, the national, provincial and local government should help one another in solving the circumstance.

“Iwasan ang graft and corruption at isaayos ang dapat isaayos,” added Martinez.

Roque expressed his desire to know more about the issue, “Gusto ko po malaman kung ano-anong mga lugar ang maaaring masyadong maapektuhan nito at… saan maaaring ligtas para sa lahat.”

Also, Carreon stated “Ano ba talaga ang kalalagayan nito sa kasalukuyan?”

The Angat Dam which is located at Norzagaray, Bulacan is believed to break down if a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Marikina West Valley Faultline (MWVF) as a branch of the MWVF lies underneath one of the dam’s dikes.

This was confirmed by studies conducted by Tonkin & Taylor International and Engineering Development Corporation of the Philippines (Edcop).

Back in 2009, Philippine Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum revealed that a branch of that the Bulacan province must prepare for the worst case scenario being the dam break for a branch of the MWVF lies 200 meters from one of the dikes of the dam.

Last December 13, 2013, the provincial government of Bulacan conducted a dam break drill along the McArthur Highway to the Bulacan Sports Complex, which was then participated by Bulacan State University (BulSU), Centro Escolar University (CEU), Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC), La Consolacion University of the Philippines (LCUP) and various offices and response teams from the government.

A Day of Prayer:

Bulakenyos ask for protection against Angat Dam break

PRAYER. Bulakenyos prayed to God to protect them from any calamity, especially from a dam break.

Through the Day of Prayer conducted by the Provincial Government of Bulacan, Bulakenyos of different religions and sects united to pray for their province, January 20, 2014.

“This is just a start-up para mapagbuklod-buklod… ang mga parties, mga taong bayan, mga segment ng society,” said Atty. Pastor Elmo Duque, the guest speaker of the program.

Bulakenyos implored God’s protection from any calamity, most especially from an earthquake that may cause the destruction of the province’s 47-year old Angat Dam.

“’Yun ang konting lambing natin sa Panginoon,” stated Duque who have emphasized that Bulakenyos must open their small hearts to let the giant God who in.

“That giant God will protect you… from any destruction, from any calamity,” added the pastor.

Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado also believes that if God is with the Bulakenyos, nothing will be against them in achieving the progress of their province and of the nation as well.

“This is just a prelude to a bigger rally,” stated the governor, viewing this as a way to call the attention of the people concerned in the retrofitting of the Angat Dam.

If a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Marikina West Valley Faultline (MWVF) which passes under one of the Angat Dam’s dikes, a dam break is believed to occur that will submerge the whole province of Bulacan and affect 70% of Manila.

With regards to urging the national government for immediate action towards the Angat Dam repair, the province conducted an Angat Dam Break Drill last month involving around 12,000 students, provincial government officials and response teams from the different municipalities of Bulacan.

A monster in disguise: She who has been underrated

MONSTER. Jasmin Lorraine Tan answers questions about her success in the recent RHEPC in a mini press conference.

She is a ‘monster’.

For someone who is not involved in sports and yet won a gold medal in Sports Writing, she is a monster.

For someone who had been rejected to be part of a school paper three times in high school and yet recognized as the Individual Highest Pointer in a regional press conference after dominating in three categories, she is a monster.

For someone who edits articles until she loses her time to rest and sleep and yet manages to study until the sun sets making her a candidate for a Cum Laude award, she is a monster.

For someone who has been underrated, she continues to prove that she could be a monster achiever.

She was called a ‘monster’ by one of the judges in the 13^th Regional Higher Education Press Conference (RHEPC) organized by the Association of Tertiary School Paper Advisers in Region III (Atspar-III) after topping in DevComm Writing (English), Opinion Writing (English) and Sports Writing (English).

In fact, she was just a late replacement in two of the categories, DevComm Writing and Opinion Writing, because of a conflict in schedule and yet she still managed to make her way to victory.

She loves Sports Writing the most. For her, it is the action in sports that makes it her favourite because she can easily find good angles for her story.

Though she is not an athlete, reading is her way to gain understanding of sports. For her, knowledge comes before skill as an excellent writer cannot write anything when he knows nothing.

Also, she believes that what makes a story stand out over others is a unique angle. She shared that during the Sports Writing contest in the RHEPC, she sought for details which could form a different angle from the other competitors and that is the losses of some teams of BulSU despite being held as overall champion for the 17^th consecutive year in the recent State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA).

However, it was not all victory for her, she also experienced rejections. Back in high school, she tried to be part of their school paper three times and she was turned down thrice. She almost gave up her drive for writing until one of her teachers encouraged her to join a Speech Writing contest which fuelled up her desire again.

Also, during her first year in college and in the university publication, she said her articles for SCUAA which was then held in Bulacan State University (BulSU) were almost unrecognizable because of too much edits but she made this a motivation to double her efforts so that such experience will not happen again.

Nevertheless, the challenges did not stop there. She took charge of the highest post in the Pacesetter, the first editor-in-chief from her major, albeit she and her colleagues were collectively called “the weakest batch”.

For her, a person can cry any time he feels like giving up because of stress to relieve it. Also, she deems that one should always trust in God in times of trials because God will not give a person an obstacle he will not be able to surpass.

The university publication had been ranking second in the RHEPC for the last three years. They need the championship back; she had it in her mind since the start and they did it. She then believes that they have already redeemed themselves.

Being in her last year in college and yet, her success as a campus journalist and an editor-in-chief are not the only things to be admired because she is also running for the Cum Laude honor.

Though seemingly impossible for many students, she prioritizes her studies through working on it until the sun sets because that is when she does her editor-in-chief duties.

She also believes that being a journalism major gave her an advantage because she is always out to cover events and there she learned to be independent, to do things on her own way. Though things were rough and difficult at times, she said she was able to endure it because she likes what she does.

With that, she advises that a student should not stick with a course that he does not like, instead go for what he loves doing so he will not regret no matter how difficult it is.

As she is set to graduate this year, she plans to rest first before working for what she hopes a broadsheet or a sports magazine.

This monster is Jasmin Lorraine Tan, a 20-year old senior Journalism student in BulSU, editor-in-chief of the Pacesetter, despite the trials has kept viewing life optimistically as she never thought that God’s delays are God’s denials.

Visual Art Museum of Bulacan prepares for public viewing

Everybody said it was fantastic.

The Visual Art Museum of Bulacan in Ciudad Clemente, in San Isidro I, Paombong, Bulacan is set to showcase more than a thousand of Bulakenyo artworks in two years.

According to Joe Clemente, owner of the museum, he is hoping to open his collection to the public as soon as he finishes documenting all the artworks and after putting up all the necessary security facilities in the museum.

Though many students have expressed their desire to visit his place, Clemente does not want to offer his collected works yet.

“Talagang ang fino-foresee ko d’yan, I want to document all these I have into a book…” explained Clemente because he believes this how people will remember him in the future.

“Because I want it to be a repository of art and culture,” said Clemente, pertaining to his collection of creations of “Bulakan artists – the seniors, the award-winners and the so-so.”

“It is something na you as a Bulakenyo would be very proud of,” added Clemente.

Part of his precious collection is the work of Teodoro Buenaventura, teacher of Fernando Amorsolo, who hailed from Paombong, Bulacan.

With regards to buying artworks, Clemente said “You’ve got to have a taste, you have to be prolific in the art of architecture.”

Clemente emphasized that buying antiques must fit in the era or year of the house’s concept.

Some materials used in the architecture of Ciudad Clemente are knickknacks from other ancestral houses like mahogany, narra, molave and other types of wood.

For Clemente, there were restorations and enhancements done which just depends on “…choosing the right wood, the right décor,”

'Maligayang Paslit': Children's wishes granted

MALIGAYANG PASLIT. Now in its 14th year, the Bambang Youth Organization continues to grant more children's wishes.

A gift-giving program of Bambang Youth Organization (BYO) benefited around 1,000 children who were gathered at the patio of San Isidro Labrador Parish in Barangay Bambang, Bulakan a day before Christmas.

‘Maligayang Paslit’ granted the wishes of some children who sent letters to the organization through the help of their sponsors.

Kathleen Ichalico, six years old, received her requested doll and Noche Buena package from her sponsor family.

Being in their third year as a recipient, “’Di po talaga namin inaasahan,” said Teresalyn Ichalico, Kathleen’s mother.

“’Yung huli naming natanggap, tatlong cup noodles ‘tsaka dalawang sardinas,” reasoned the older Ichalico to explain her surprise from being given three packages of food for their family.

On the other hand, the Ichalicos’ sponsor, Fe Cruz said that instead of buying her children new and expensive clothes for Christmas, the family will just spend them for a kid in need.

 “Every year kasi, we make it sure na isa lang ang bibigyan namin, kasi gusto namin ma-feel talaga ng bata ‘yung happiness. ‘Yung concentration nu’ng pagbibigay nandun…” said Cruz, however, in their third year as a sponsor family, they supported two kids since they can provide for them equally.

Jonathan Alvarado, son of Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, attended the event and gave 200 packs of groceries for the community people.

The ‘Maligayang Paslit’ program is now on its 14^th year.

Benjo Cruz, chairman of BYO, said “Nasu-sustain namin kasi ‘di namin nabi-break ‘yung trust ng mga sponsors kasi ‘yun ‘yung pinaka-backbone e.”

“’Pag nawala ‘yung tiwala nila sa amin, wala ng mga batang magkakaroon ng regalo,” the latter Cruz added.

“Every year pa-successful ng pa-successful talaga ‘yung event e. Next year, 15 years na ‘yung ‘Maligayang Paslit’ and we are really trying to make something na bongga talaga,” the BYO chairman stated.

Serving as a Christmas Party for kids, the program included several parlor games, singing contest, distribution of food and ice cream and giving of gifts such as toys and groceries.

KIDDIE MEAL. A child sits with his meal and a chick he bought from a street vendor.

CHRISTMAS IS FOR KIDS. Children waiting for their wishes to be granted.

BAGS AND PACKS. Groceries gathered by BYO to be distributed to their chosen recipients.

JONATHAN ALVARADO. The governor's son, one of the sponsors, poses with his kid and BYO staff members.

JOLLIBEE. A mascot entertains the kids attending the event through parlor games and dance.

DOLL FOR CHRISTMAS. A little girl has her wish come true, a doll for Christmas and a noche buena package for her family.