'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.

Bulacan conducts drill for possible dam break

INCIDENT COMMANDER. Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado delivers a speech in front of the 12,000 participants and eventually declares the drill terminated.

Around 12,000 students and provincial government officials of Bulacan participated in the Angat Dam Break Drill conducted in the said province, December 13, at the Bulacan Sports Complex in Sta. Isabel, Malolos City.

The worst case scenario which is the possible Angat Dam break which is believed to happen when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Marikina West Valley Fault Line which runs from Norzagaray, Bulacan where the dam is located, up to Rizal was assessed earlier by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato U. Solidum.

Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, who acted as the incident commander, said that in this event, the 815 million metric tons of water which the Angat Dam holds will carry a 30-meter deep flood in Bulacan, Pampanga and Metro Manila.

The drill was done in participation of students from Bulacan State University (BulSU), La Consolacion University of the Philippines (LCUP), Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC) and Centro Escolar University (CEU), officials of the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) and response teams from different municipalities in the province.

Possibly the safest place

“Dapat alam mo kung saan ka tatakbo,” said Bro. Martin Francisco of Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society Inc., (SSMESI).

The Bulacan Sports Complex served as the augmented evacuation center because it was said that it will not be flooded by water once the dam breaks.

Governor Alvarado stated, “Dito sa lugar na ito, sinasabing baka hindi abutin ng tubig.”

“Inaasahan natin na ang mga taga-Hagonoy, ang mga taga-Calumpit, ang mga nabanggit na bayan-bayan, maging ang San Miguel… dito didiretso sa lugar na ito,” Alvarado added, “Dito tayo mag-oopisina. Dito tayo matutulog hanggang matapos ang sakuna.”

Useful or not?

“’Pag ba nasira talaga ‘yan, nagkaroon ng rumaragasang tubig mag-dri-drill pa ba kayo?,” said Rob Ricardo, third year Communication Arts student in LCUP, “Tatakbo na kayo, hahatakin n’yo na ang pamilya n’yo, pupunta na kayo sa pinakamalapit na evacuation center.”

“Survival skills na lang yan,” deemed Ricardo.

Sharing the same thinking, Alvarado said in his speech, “’Pag [lumindol] at rumaragasa na ang tubig, hindi pupwede ‘yung pa-ganda-ganda tayong naglalakad sa kalsada.”

Yet this drill is for the sake of information dissemination, Francisco said “ Nakakatulong. Nakakatulong. Awareness, kasi hanggang ngayon, ‘di pa alam ng mga tao.”

However, the Sierra Madre advocate suggested another effective way of disseminating information to all the municipalities.

“Pinakamaganda. Pinakamabilis. Gumawa ng mga cd [na] kumpleto sa lahat ng impormasyon at kung anong preparasyon, kung anong gagawin ng mga bayan-bayan. Mas maliit ang gastos,” explained Francisco.

The verdict

Office of Civil Defense 3 Regional Director Josefina Timoteo who observed the conducted dam break drill assessed the activity as almost perfect and gave it a rating of 9.9 over 10.

“Sana ganito rin ang gawing pagtugon kung meron mang mga actual na disaster,” she said.

Timoteo also expressed, “Napapalakas po nito ang aking kalooban na sa parte ng region, sa Bulacan, ay kampante ako dahil may mga competent at good leaders na maaasahan na tutugon kung may mga kalamidad.

“Dapat, kung hindi man maipatupad agad ‘yung retrofitting nito, kailangan ang patuloy-tuloy  na pagsasagawa ng drill para ma-ensure ‘yung kaligtasan ng ating pamayanan,” Timoteo added.

 Also, the regional director had a recommendation, “Aside from retrofitting ng Angat Dam, kailangan din nating inspeksyunin ‘yung mga critical infrastructure especially old churches, buildings and hospitals.”

Call for action

“Hindi pupwede na ang isang ama’y ‘di magsasalita at mag-iintay na lamang…”

The Bulacan Governor led the Bulakenyos in calling the attention of the people responsible for the retrofitting of the Angat Dam to act immediately.

According to Alvarado, President Benigno Aquino III already set aside a 5.7 billion fund for the retrofitting of the dam more than a year ago.

“Bakit hanggang ngayon ‘di pa rin ginagastos kahit isang sentimo para patibayin ang istruktura ng Angat Dam?” the governor lamented.

“Habang nagdedebate sila gastusin na ang 5.7 billion na kaloob ng ating Pangulo, sapagkat habang nagdedebate sila, ang tabak ni Damocles ay bibitin-bitin sa bawat ulo ng milyun-milyong mamamayan ng ating Dakilang lalawigan, ng Pampanga at ng Metro Manila,” stressed Alvarado.

“Prevention is better than cure… May pera naman, gastusin na, nang makatulog ang mga Bulakenyo,” Alvarado added.

The answer to the million dollar question, “ Sino ba ang magpapagawa nito? Ang national government ba o ang KWater na Koreano?” remains unknown.

“Hindi tayo pagmamalasakitan ng mga Koreano. Sila’y nagtungo rito upang magnegosyo,” stated Alvarado.

The governor also emphasized, “Walang magmamahal sa mga Pilipino kung hindi tayo ring mga Pilipino at walang magmamahal sa mga Bulakenyo kung hindi tayo ring mga Bulakenyo.”

Francisco said in an interview that KWater cannot also lead the retrofitting of the dam because it is a state-owned company and doing so is a ground for corruption.

Angat Hydro Electric Power Plant (HEPP) which is powered by the water from Angat Dam is now under the control of the Korea Water Resources Development Corp. (K-Water), a Korean state-owned company.

The said foreign company forged with San Miguel Corp. who was said to lead the local management of the power plant.

The next move

This drill, as said by Alvarado is the third and the biggest Angat Dam Break Drill held in the province. The first two drills were held in two barangays in the municipality of Calumpit.

“Bawat bayan-bayan, we will replicate this dam break drill,” stated Alvarado, “Para makarating sa kinauukulan at sa ating Panginoon na tayo, sa paghingi ng awa, ay gumagawa.”

Bulakenyo journalists: Justice by 2016

Bulakenyo journalists: Justice by 2016 

Fourth Maguindanao Massacre anniversary, commemorated

Journalism students of Bulacan State University lead the march around the Bulacan Capitol Grounds before conducting a mini-program for the fourth commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacre.

 Justice by 2016.

Bound together by shared intentions and sentiments, Bulakenyo journalists assembled in front of Gat Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s statue at the Bulacan Provincial Capitol Grounds in commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacre two days before its fourth anniversary.

Members of various media organizations around the province, as well as journalism students challenged President Benigno Aquino III and his administration to ensure that justice for the victims of the said massacre shall be served already by 2016.

“Dahil pagdating ng 2016, magpapalit ng pangulo. Iba na naman ‘yung prayoridad. Iba na naman ‘yung agenda,” reasoned Shane Velasco of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

 On the other hand, Rommel Ramos, station manager of Radyo Bulacan, intended his message to the aspiring journalists. “Dahil by 2016, naka-graduate na kayo, baka isa na sa inyo ang mapapatay,” he stated.

          

Though Bulacan is miles away from Ampatuan town in Maguindanao where the killing took place, Velasco believed that they, as journalists, gather for this event because it is their profession that is at stake.

Velasco then expressed that Bulakenyos must also lead in preserving the freedom of expression because the threat in restraining this still continues.

However, though journalists in the province are still safe from extrajudicial killings, they were not able to escape the fear of the threatening peril of violence because of impunity, said Carmela Reyes-Estrope, president of the newly established Camp Alejo Santos PNP Press Corps Inc.

According to the joint statement of the NUJP-Bulacan, represented by Dino Balabo, chairman of the organization, journalists are symbols of a democratic community and serve as the fourth estate which guards and observes the three branches of the government.

With this, Bryan Serrano, editor-in-chief of Communique, the official college publication of the College of Arts and Letters of the Bulacan State University, asked the government to ensure the safety, to guard, and to protect the press.

The attendees also commemorated the four mediamen who died in Samar during the onslaught of Supertyphoon Yolanda.

NUJP-Bulacan then challenged the government to guarantee a safe working environment for the media in the country so that there will be no more similar cases in the future.

To end the program, they did the annual candle-lighting ceremony and offered donations for the families of the four broadcasters.

Hopeful towards their aim, in an interview, Velasco expressed “Sana dumating na ‘yung panahon na ‘di na tayo nagsisisigaw ng ganito sapgkat na-a-achieve na natin.” “Pero hanggang ‘di na-a-achieve, patuloy tayong magkikita,” he assured.

The Maguindanao Massacre happened on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town where 58 were killed, 32 of which are members of the media.