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Life sometimes brings us to a situation that really tests our ability to prove our self-worth and knowledge on some issues.  And failure to do so means unfair judgment and scrutiny from those who hold themselves in high regard.  We should keep in mind the fact that no two people have the same capacity to do certain things, especially if they require a certain level of excellence.

Learn to value an individual’s self worth and strength by giving your utmost respect to them. We may never know it, but their uniqueness may develop in them strength of character while becoming a weakness to others, and vice versa.

I, myself, am a nobody. I only exist in this world not to compete  with anybody but to work on my purpose in life. And that is to serve without asking for any favors and recognitions in return. I’m just doing my job. I always remind myself not to deal to anyone’s business unless the situation demands for my support. I still believe in Lao-Tzu’s principle “When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”

All Saints Day and All Souls Day

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Days now passed by too fast! Without you knowing it, important holidays on the -Ber months are coming. One of the events that really get into me is the celebration of all Souls’ Day in the month of November. The common activity being held for this event alone in our city is the Trick- or-Treat, where a parade of costumes highlighted the event for the kids, and  horror booth exhibits and Halloween concert for the teens.  Filipinos now adopt the western culture of other countries in celebrating this event. 

While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of souls destined for Heaven. However, most of the time, the real essence of this occasion is often ignored. People merely focus on the commercial side, like the beautification of their loved one’s tombs or mausoleums or buying expensive flowers, lighting of scented candles, bringing lots of food and drinks and other commercially-adopted practices which I think defeat the real purpose of this occasion.

I am not against those practices because I myself want to give my departed loved one a decent place where they will be remembered. What I’m trying to point out here is that the true value of the occasion should be given more importance. Upon death, it is believed that souls have not yet been cleansed of sin.

Praying for souls of loved ones helps to remove the stain of sin, and allow the souls to enter the pearly gates of heaven. That is the most precious gift that we can give to them on their journey to heaven. Need a handful of it when the time comes. Happy Halloween!

Barangay Election 2010

Tweet When people from our community ask who I'm going to vote for this coming barangay election, I respond with a cold shrug of my shoulder. Why? In today’s present political system, voters are now wise as they say. It is not important what those aspiring candidates can offer to them. Voters are merely looking for potential benefits that they can get to them in exchange for political favors. Barangay is, like it or not, the smallest political unit in the country.

If we really want to change our poor governance system into a dynamic one, it should start from the grassroots. The rebuilding must start at the foundation, the barangay. Society, indeed, has to be reformed one individual at a time. We need to be flexible and sensitive to the real needs of our people especially those citizens who have no voice to speak for themselves. People need to work together to achieve progress for the community. Leaders cannot do nothing if we (people) will not give our part for the common good of our community. Lets all get involved in the governance of our local community. Aspiring leaders, do your unselfish part for the welfare of your community. Your leadership must be governed by the virtue of your conscience. We should be influence by our clean motives to serve and not to take this as opportunity to fight back against our opponents.

My Journey to Financial Freedom

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My recent book purchase on financial knowledge titled "Think Rich Pinoy" by: Larry Gamboa

In the reality of life, being raised and living in a middle class society whose boundaries were limited in some aspect, opportunities usually pave the way for the elite of society to enjoy the best things in life.  It is unless people like me who live in a rat race make an audacious step to go beyond and think of more ways on how to better improve my financial portfolio.

However, seeing things in a different perspective allows and gives us chances to change our life’s standing in society based on our goal and purpose in life. Looking back at my childhood, I and my siblings were so lucky to have parents who made us what we are and gave us what we have today. Despite their meager income, they were able to send us to college and to even pursue a post-graduate program. They keep on telling us that education is the best key for us to succeed in life and to get the best position when we are in our respective fields.

As I contemplate life, the more we try to get to higher ground, the more society becomes demanding of our needs and wants in life. Maybe because i want to achieve my financial freedom as early as now as I am already late for this and for the reason that I want to share more of what I have to those who really need it but can’t have it for some underlying reason. I believe, I have the capacity to shine in this field, but I have no mentor who can teach me how to free myself from the rat race.  Allow me to share some quotes from the ebook “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosake. "The main reason people struggle financially is because they spent years in school but learned nothing about money. The result is, people learn to work for money... but never learn to have money work for them".  So what I did is read…read...and read! Feeding the mind again is what is more important. Reading on the net about the basic things I should know on how to establish my financial portfolio gives boosts my motivation to strive more to reach my goal.

This ebook of Robert Kiyosake gives me the idea that knowledge cannot only be found  and experienced in the four corners of a room, but also in people who have insights on how to increase financial intelligence and solve life’s common problems. Education and wisdom about money are important. Start early. Buy a book. Go to a seminar. Practise. Start small. I will share with you some of my journey relevant to this in my future blog. I already have put into action what I have learned from this ebook.

Stand Up..Take Action..End Poverty Now!

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City Department Heads in action to alleviate poverty

Ako si Juan Masipag

The Academe voice-out to end poverty.

I recently watched a short documentary film on malnutrition in the Philippines and learned how it aggravates poverty, especially of people coming from the poorest of the poor. Hunger and poverty are a global problem. In my own point of view, we cannot end poverty unless people become aware of their responsibility over the issue. However, we can make plans and programs to alleviate poverty. How can we help the government on its advocacy program? I have my own formula; this is through right education, frugality and tithes. I was raised by my parents deprived of any form of luxuries in life. Having three meals a day is considered a great blessing and having snacks in-between meals is considered overwhelming. Feeding the mind is more important as what my father usually stressed in our young minds. We're very thankfiul my mother was around and knew how to balance everything and make both ends meet. Poverty is just a state of mind. Allow me to use the proverb of Lao Tzu, "Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him For a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, Feed Him For a Lifetime". We should learn how to become self-sufficient. Take action now!

A Home for Dolphins.

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It's been a month that I haven't posted any updates on my blog. Simply because i have tons of paper work and reports to submit, lots of meetings to attend to,  lots of things to coordinate and business matters to deal with. I can't believe my life is now more hectic than ever before. However, this dolphin wall-painting activity gives my nerves a break and gives me time to contemplate on the dolphins’ habitat and protection.

A 34-year-old artist and conservationist, A.G. Saño is one of the advocates who call for an end to the killing of this mammal, respect its right to live and give it protection.

He believes his advocacy to paint murals of dolphins across the country will make an impact in raising awareness about the “murder” of these intelligent marine mammals. 

Some 23,000 dolphins are killed for their meat by Taiji fishermen at one of the coves in Taiji’s National Park. Fishermen often regard dolphins and porpoises as “pests who overeat fishes” thus limiting the fish that fishermen catch.

Just remember that every living thing that exists in this world has its own place to live in and its own rights to be respected by everyone.

HOW BITTERNESS AND ENVY AFFECTS A PERSON’S WORK ATTITUDE?

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Working with a group of people whether in the corporate world or government service entails a lot of sacrifice and challenges especially on my part as I am a neophyte. Dealing with people who have negative attitudes toward the people they work with always serves as the source of trouble in any organization.

Sometimes proving we are right about certain issues makes us feel powerful and believed that we are always right. We don’t care about the hurtful words we throw to those we think as our enemy.  The question is, are they really your enemy? Or is it yourself who reflect as your number one enemy? Or worst, you think you are being mistreated because your heart is full of bitterness and envy?



 

I just want to get a short quote from Joel Osteen’s article on the topic, “Don’t Let Bitterness Take Root “ from the author of the book, Your Best Life Now, 7 Steps to Living At Your Full Potential. “People who harbor anger often don’t realize they are poisoning their own lives. When we don’t forgive, we’re not hurting the other person. We’re not hurting the company that did us wrong. We’re not hurting God. We’re only hurting ourselves.

 Don’t let bitterness and envy take root in your life. I almost came to this point in my life that I don’t even want to see or hear the names of persons who have hurt me emotionally. However, as years passed by, I learned to forgive them by whispering a short wish every time their names were mentioned---- wished that we both may see from different perspectives the essence of life’s trials; why we cross paths then eventually separate ways.  It’s my own way to forgive them and myself as well.


Let the will of God takes its course. Now that I am in government service, I do try my best to be strong amidst all the challenges that come my way. To my detractors, I challenge them to keep throwing stones my way as I will use them as steps in the ladder of organizational success.

Philippine Business Investors and Entrepreneurship

Tweet I was instructed by the Local Chief Executive to attend a certain “investors’ meeting”. We arrived at 3:20 pm on August 3, 2010 at Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Paseo de Roxas, Makati to attend a business meeting with Dr. Federico M. Macaranas- AIM Professor (W.SYCIP Graduate School of Business) with his banker guests/investors, an affiliate of Silicon Valley, M. Christina R. Laskowski, and DOST Balik-Scientist Program Awardee Mr. Denny S. Roja, Esq. 



The purpose of the meeting with them is to demonstrate the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) potential of the City of Balanga by presenting its current ICT status. However, the investors are merely looking for young entrepreneurs in the Philippines who have potentials to be leaders of the nation by committing and sharing their own ideas on bio-technology and the likes. This is in line with the Balik Scientist Program of DOST which aims to strengthen scientific and technological human resources of academic, public and private institutions to accelerate the flow of technologies and stimulate the development of new or strategically important technologies vital to national development. 


However, Dr. Shirley K. Chavez, an expert on Information Communication Technology Management of UPLB Information Technology Center extends support to the City by giving ITC Trainings relevant to bio-technology. With me were Engr. George Sorio- Chairman/President of Cybercity and Metro-Clark-Subic ICT Council, Mr. Danny Fong, an investor and alumnus of Dela Salle University and Mr. Geoffrey Loyola- IT Consultant on FAB. The meeting ended at around 5:30 pm on the same day.

Reveal your secrets as you count your Life's Blessings

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I started to reflect and count all my blessings. As I appreciate my life’s blessings I randomly break them down, like:


1.    I was born without any physical abnormalities, imperfections maybe. However, I count those as blessings indeed. 

2.    I had a normal childhood and played as if there was no tomorrow.

3.    I may not be physically fit and need to have regular visits to my doctors for a long year. This was just a normal phase of my childhood, but it's ok; Anyway, I was able to pass through it.

4.    During elementary days I belonged to the cream of the crop and was always chosen to be leader.

5.    Despite financial hurdles I was able to finished my high-school in a private school. I owe this to my parents.

6.    I dreamed to become an architect. However, our financial capability led me to a teaching degree.

7.    In college, I was just an average student. But I was able to get an academic award in the last year of my study, making my parents proud.

8.    I was able to pass the board exam or the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) w/ the intervention of the Holy Rosary.

9.    I strove to work hard and save every single penny for the education of my youngest sister who is now a full-fledged dentist. Proud to say that she placed 10th in the Dental Board Exam. This is a huge blessing, isn't it? 


10.    At this stage of my life, I have experienced being in love, my first wacky heart break.

11.    I didn’t practise my profession, yet I was able to finish my Masters Degree in Education. A big chunk of my savings went here but i believe education is priceless.

12.    I was given the chance to work in the field of teaching and related blessings continue.

13.    Another phase in my life began when I entered the world of Local Government service.

14.    I got the chance to meet a lot of people from all walks of life and my set of BFF’s.

15.    I learned how to value what I have and share it. Most of all I learned the virtue of patience.

16.    In 1998 from clerical position (coming from a Teacher 1 position), I got promoted to Information Officer II in 2002.

17.    2002 also was my first international trip to Germany with my beloved mother.Thanks to my family abroad.

18.    Ruined relationship, but I learned to stand and rebuild myself. Life must go on. Lucky enough that I have my family and supportive friends with me that time.

19.    2003 my second international trip. Lucky to visit Vatican  City in Italy --- the place where i found the answer to my question.

20.    I got the courage to rebuild a new house for my family despite my meager income. This I consider a great blessing and personal achievement.

21.    Despite the sudden change of leadership and administration in 2004, I was able to keep my work position.

22.    Love & relationships, however, I still haven’t succeeded.  Pain makes me stronger.

23.    I’ve found a new circle of friends and made a lasting friendship. 

24.    Without any career advancement & expectations, I was designated as OIC of my department year 2007.

25.    Challenges on leadership come my way, but having a very supportive team made everything easy.

26.    I was able to bring out the best of my department and help support our Local Government’s programs and projects as one of the lead implementers.

27.    In 2008 I had my personal trip to Hongkong and Macau.

28.    In 2009, business trip with my co-managers to Hongkong, Macau and China. These aside from my local trips.

29.    I have a very wonderful family, and despite some issues still we we’re able to achieve a harmonious one.
30.   Cute and loving nephews and nieces who remove my daily stresses.

31.   A very supportive LCE and co-worker despite being snobbish to some of them.

32.   I learned to master little by little the art of contentment in life and appreciate more things in general.

33.   I have a healthy body and a sound  mind.

34.  Most of all I have loving parents who are always beside me no matter what.


35.  God brought me to where I am now with lots of blessings in life!

It is important to feel thankful for all these wonderful blessings that come our way, whether they seemed good or bad. It helps us see the great things we have, and puts our frustrations and worries in proper perspective. It keeps us focused on the great and wonderful things in our lives. To those people who touch and continue to do wonders in my life, I am very thankful to all of you. We may all continue to receive God’s blessings and mercy. Live life to the fullest. Let's start to count!

My very own Blackberry Bold 9700 series

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My very own Blackberry Unit and the inclusive gadgets.

                                      

 As we aim to be aligned to our vision of becoming a World-Class City, our present Chief-Executive subscribed us to Globe Exclusive Corporate Handset Plan of Blackberry 9700 Bold series with a monthly bill of P1,500. This unit has cash-out of P5,000 and paid for also by the local government. Blackberry Devices can only be subscribed to Business Executive BIS and BES Combo Plans. I got this gadget without releasing  a single centavo. 


The blackberry is designed with the corporate people in mind. Its use would mainly revolve around its powerful push email technology. As of my work lifestyle now it is relatively applicable and useful. It’s also cheaper than sms for globe, its P0.15 per kb (roughly about 1,000 characters). Globe charges about Php0.075 (that's 7.5 centavos) per kb of data (in or out) used via gprs/edge.  If you have relatives or friends abroad who have the same unit, instead of sending sms, use the pin message or BB messenger. Another option is to install yahoo messenger. Same rates apply.

We currently use the Blackberry Internet Server (BIS) to give us certain limits since the City Government will be the one to pay our monthly bill of P1,500. Our BB model has wifi and will readily connect us via wifi if signal is present. By the way, at work we have free wifi access.

So I am very thankful for this wonderful material blessing brought about by my work. Now I’m in love with my blackberry! It keeps me connected. I can work from home, all emails sent to me were responded to accordingly with speed and precision, no hassle since I am online 24/7, so useful! Thank you so much, Santa Claus!

Typhoon Basyang hit Central Luzon

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And this is my documentation of our crops after they were hit by typhoon Basyang

                           (Me and my beloved mother worked hard for this plant)

 It is disappointing that our government is always caught unprepared disasters come. More so, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officials responsible for this are quite slow in giving up-to-date forecasts as well as disseminating information. But we should not point all our fingers at them as their services are also affected by insufficiency of modern equipment and instrument.  I don’t even want to recall the horrible aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy were a vast loss of lives and causalities were recorded.


Just like today,  the typhoon increased in strength and changed direction. That’s why people in Central Luzon were not aware or did not expect that tropical storm “Basyang” with (international codename: Conson) would bring heavy rains and strong winds, lifting the storm signal from number 1 to 3. In areas most affected like ours, I experienced a sleepless night during its occurrence. Also, take into account the power interruption. May this incident be an eye-opener to the national government to do what should be done.

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Sometimes life is so unfair. Why? This is because people who have lived with integrity and principle are those who fall victim most of the time to life’s turmoil.  Our society has a poor judicial system. Justice can be ruled by anybody’s weak mind and implemented by anybody’s grimy hand.  This is the end-product of our society’s unresponsive treatment of people and situations. More so, by those people who have no heart but who can end someone’s life in a split second.

The underlying reasons are greed and survival. If we really want to live a life full of hope and humaneness, we need to adopt ourselves to the demands of society’s need in order to meet life’s every expectation. We need leaders who have heart to guide  people on how to see God our Father as the center of everything. No one can have a life full of glory and mercy if not for Him. I myself have no right to question anybody’s sin as I am a born sinner, too. We live in an unconditional society, full of so many unexpected things happening. Our weapon is to keep a strong faith in God that nothing in life exists and happens without a reason. We are all survivors from the cruel world of this so-called life.

Online Contest Giveaways

Tweet I just came across this blog and found this online giveaway contest. I love all give away products here. How about you girls? Wanna give it a try? Just click the link below for contest details.

Maybelline Watershine Collagen Shimmer C33

3 Workshop Frosted Nail Polishes

2 Workshop Lipsticks

Workshop Lipliner

Workshop Palette (With E/S & L/S)

Mascara Guard

6 Clinique Samples

Olay Total Effects

2 Coconaturelle VCO Oatmeal Soaps

1 VCO "O Marks" Brand (Not in Picture)

and

2 secret ITEMS. *surprise* depends where the winner is from.

Here's the link. http://syry-online.blogspot.com/2010/06/syry-onlines-first-giveaway.html

National Literacy Award

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We are lucky indeed that our City Government was one of five finalists for the search on National Literacy Award (NLA) conferred by the Literacy Coordinating Council. This program is in coordination with the Department of Education through its Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC). The NLA, held every two years, is a major activity of LCC to recognize individuals, institutions, and local government units with outstanding literacy programs in their communities.

It is also in line with the United Nations’ Literacy Decade’s goal of reducing adult illiteracy rate by 50 percent by 2015. The NLA aims to make literacy universal in the country by creating public awareness and encouraging the development and replication of innovative, creative, and indigenous literacy programs in the community.

As of this writing, we still have no idea on our ranking as we just recently presented to the validating team our current programs and projects about Literacy-related endeavors.The following documentation is related to our ICT programs and projects led by my department, the MISO (Management Information Services Office).

This is another great things that happened to my career three days ago. A nerve breaking task that adds up a bit of adrenaline to present in front of my fellow managers and Chief-Executive. A fruitful sign of professional fulfillment with a sense of accomplishment.

NEW LEADERS.. NEW HOPES..NEW CHALLENGES

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It's now over for a year of long preparations and nuisance on election matters. People cast their votes. New leaders in every part of the country are now taking their oath of office. The power is now vested in them as they were given the right to exercise their elected positions. The responsibilities is now on their hands which is to protect the nation and help support the government to uplift our present standard of living as they promised during election campaign. We all have high hopes to the present leaders, so we expect that you will help us attain what we dream for our beloved country. And rest assured that as citizens of this country, I will oblige and obey with your rules and policy, and hope it is for the common good of every Filipino citizen.

As President Noynoy said in his oath, “I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God.”

May our present leaders be led by God’s wisdom. May they continue what they promise and become a Law maker of good faith and principles. We’re here to watch and see what the future awaits for our country.

Colonoscopy Experience

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Allow me to share with you my journey regarding my recent Colonoscopy experience on June 25, 2010 at UP-PGH. Why did I have to undergo this kind of medical procedure? In the latter part of  March, I often experienced prolonged constipation and a sudden change in my bowel movement. In mid-May, during the busiest time of my schedule, I saw blood in my stool. When I pressed the lower part of my anus I saw fresh blood on my hand. This was when I tried to check if there’s an open wound in it.



What are the symptoms of  a bowel problem? Symptoms of bowel problems are often very non-specific and the same symptoms can be caused by a number of different conditions, some relatively minor and some potentially life-threatening. And praise God that mine is not the latter. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, constipation and diarrhea, a change in bowel habits, bleeding and unexplained weight loss.

I’m a person who would always try to self-medicate first. Like I posted in one of my blog articles here, I prefer vegetarian diet which helps lessen the frequency of my constipation. But as the saying goes, "If problems persist, consult your doctors",  it is still best to consult a specialist if things didn’t work out according to your expectation. I still suffer from bowel problems most of the time. So I had myself checked by a Gastroenterologist at the Philippine General Hospital as this was home to a specialist on gastrointestinal problems. When the doctor heard all my complaints, he advised me to undergo colonoscopy procedure since colon cancer cell is active in our genes. My grandfather died of this disease.



The preparation is the most crucial part in doing this kind of test, not the pain that you will experience during the actual procedure. If you’re working, I suggest you should take a day’s leave prior to the medical test in order to prepare yourself. Make sure that you have family or friends to accompany you in the hospital. This is not a problem for me since my older sister will undergo the same test, too. Lucky enough for me because she’s a nurse and she’s the one asking for all the medical details and I just follow the instructions she has given me. The hardest part of this preparation is the intake of 2 bottles of castor oil and going to the bathroom every hour of the day. On the last day of preparation is the water therapy, no food intake at all, or else all your sacrifices will be wasted.


During procedure, the first dose of anesthesia wasn’t enough as my sister-in law told me that I was shouting in pain and she gave instruction to stop the procedure. So my doctor decided to add another dose of anesthesia. By the way, I have low tolerance for pain. You will probably feel some unpleasantness and your stomach area may be slightly painful so make yourself comfortable. The procedure usually takes 30 minutes. It depends on what they find in your colon that will require further time to study its appearance. But I fell asleep then. It’s true that you can’t remember anything about the procedure and when I woke up I felt like groggy. Remember that your body has had a bit of a shock so you must begin to eat and drink gradually after medical procedure.

The colonoscopy procedure will cost you P8,000-9,000 for Pay Ward at UP-PGH and will only cost you 500-1,000  when you are on Charity ward (exclusive of medicine fee of less than P1,000 on both wards). So you have a choice. Anyway, you will be lying on the same bed and will be assisted by the same group of medical personnel whether you're on Private ward or Charity ward. Everything went well for me as my diagnosis did not result in anything negative. I had redundant colon and anal fissures caused by forced release of stool and a few polyps, but the specialist said there was nothing to worry about it. Need lots of water intake and high-fiber diet, meaning more veggies! God is so good.

FATHER’S DAY SPECIAL

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I’ve been staring at these blank documents for an hour already and I still can’t think of what to write about this particular article. Honestly, I am not a daddy’s girl. Ever since I and my siblings were kids, we can’t remember any instance that would show how loving and caring our father has been. But the hardship he has gone through in order to get us to where we are best describes the things he has done for us. This is simply because he is not that demonstrative in expressing his feelings and affection toward us.


I remember one time, I was so sick and he cooked porridge and brought water to room. Even now at this stage, when I have severe cough he keeps reminding me not to stay late in the evening as I often experience stress cough. He is a great disciplinarian. In my entire life, there is only one situation that reminds me on how strict he is. One time he lost his temper with our childish behavior to the point that we needed to hide for a few hours. Still, he hit our butt in the end. This was his fathering technique to us. We grew up fearful of committing mistakes as it will lead to further punishment. He is a man of few words. We lived by his disciplinary rules as we fondly call him “Judge” because of his rules. He is not only a good disciplinarian, but a good rabbi, too. When i was young, he would always tell us major stories in the bible. That was the time he wanted us to attend  regular Sunday Mass. This is my father, and I really love him so much for that. May God give him more strength and good health for us to repay all his fathering sacrifices for us.We may not have said it often, but how could we let this day go by without saying how much he means to us? We love you,Tatay!

Dr. Jose P. Rizal Jr., on the Repositioning Controversy

Tweet Independence Day Celebration. Let me share with you the nuisance we encountered when we decided to reposition the statue of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. The present administration is currently undertaking Urban Redevelopment on its City Plaza as one of its major landmarks to be called Plaza Mayor de Balanga. The construction, however, will affect the monument of our great national hero, Dr Jose P. Rizal.  As we continue to renovate and do some major infrastructure project in the vicinity of our plaza, the committee-in-charge wrote a letter to the National Historical Institute for permission to reposition the statue. As our request was approved, we assured them due diligence to properly observe the preservation of its historical significance and importance. On our way to it, we found out that the current location of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s statue wasn’t according to the specifications set by the National Historical Institute. See pictures inside:

 See pictures inside:

2010 Automated Election is a thing of the past...

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WHILE the public’s attention was drawn to the activities that culminated in the May 10 elections, everything around the corner went on as usual. Back to work, another term with new hopes, vast ideas for the country for the next three years. While our city's programs are still anchored to its World-Class University Town vision for the year 2020.

Our incumbent City Mayor laid down his plans for the City in the next three years. One of these plans is the setting-up of Book Corners in each of the business establishments in the City that will serve as a mini-library for students.

At present, there are some big business establishments that have already signified their commitment to support this worthwhile project. The City Mayor also presented the idea of establishing partnership with a private company to conduct a case study relative to the implementation of the University Town Project of the City Government and the creation of a new City Department that will handle University Town-related concerns. He also presented to the same meeting the plan of the current administration to reorganize the City Government’s manpower structure so as to realign and fit it to the needed workforce for the City’s University Town project requirement.

Further, the City Mayor underscored the importance of expanding the City’s social services. On the infrastructure side, he announced that, the City Government plans to build a student Residence or Dormitory, a City Library and a Convention Center in a 3-hectare lot at the Bataan Transport Mall (BTM). He went on to emphasize that the proposed location is considered strategic, especially for the students, since it is nearly located at the heart of the City.


At the Barangay level, aside from the much anticipated resumption of the Barangy Week Program, Mayor Joet also wants to establish a Barangay-based Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for proper waste segregation. Tourism-related activities will also be highlighted and given more priority as they it greatly impact on the economy of the City. 


In his closing statement, the City Mayor stressed that in order to deliver the best public service, service-oriented seminars and refresher courses should be continued in order to raise the standard of delivery of public service to the constituents.

Fight Dengue..Eradicate Deadly Mosquito Disease

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Our City Health authorities are closely conducting their month long Dengue Control Program dubbed as "Puksain ang Kiti-kiti..sugpuin ang Dengue". This program was pushed through to eradicate the possible resurgence of the deadly dengue disease in the City of Balanga.


They conduct orientations to local communities and initiate the clean-up of possible sources of the mosquito-borne disease. It is done through their on-going preventive measures-- the larval sampling/indices-- by inspecting a target number of houses (100) per barangay and search and destroy activities of water-holding containers. Larviciding was done by dropping small amount of larvicides to areas assuming to be positive for mosquito larva. In this case, the group can easily determine which areas are most affected by and positive for Dengue for its early detection and application of appropriate control measures. 


The other measure is the residual spraying. 

Though according to some cases spraying with insecticides to kill adult mosquitoes has not been effective and, in fact, has been detrimental to prevention and control efforts by giving citizens of the community a “false sense of security”.

In my opinion the most prudent strategy is to eliminate all possible breeding places which carry the virus and maintain a clean surrounding. These mosquitoes love stagnant water and dark places. In order to eliminate cases of dengue, health officials should intensify their education and information campaign regarding dengue control and prevention measures which focus on proper sanitation and cleanliness.

Campaign should focus on the importance of removing all possible breeding places of mosquitoes.  I still believe that prevention is the best, as far as illnesses are concerned. Do not hesitate to ask for immediate treatment at various rural health stations or hospitals in case you notice the possible symptoms of dengue.

 Dengue, according to medical references, is an acute infectious viral disease which usually affects infants and young children. It is characterized by fever during the initial phase and other symptoms like headache, pain in the eye, joint and muscle pains, followed by signs of bleeding particularly nose and gum-bleeding and appearance of red tiny spots on the skin.


Fellow bloggers, help me disseminate this information. Let’s protect our love ones and act now.

TeAchnology: LAPTOP LOAN SUBSIDY for Elementary and High School Teachers

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Balanga City,Bataan-The City Government of Balanga thru its Local Chief-Executive Jose Enrique S. Garcia III is offering a laptop grant of up to P22, 300.00 for DepEd teachers at the elementary and secondary levels in the City of Balanga.

The grant is aimed at encouraging teachers to purchase and use portable lap top computers as instructional materials. 

With internet connection, it will give opportunity for learners to acquire easy access to  permanent learning at a touch of a finger. 

To expand the awareness of the teachers about the ICT equipment, training is conducted by the Management Information Services Office (MISO) to enhance their knowledge about computers and their components. Comprehensive lessons are prepared to tackle the proper usage of the computer, MS Windows Operation, Web-based application, internet literacy and other current IT information. The training is productive and raises level of enthusiasm for technology. 



However, the dedication and hard work of a teacher can never be replaced by the latest computer innovations. Nevertheless, hard work and dedication coupled with hands-on in modern technology will surely lead learners to great heights of achievement. 

As a result, TEaCHNOLOGY is born. It’s in line with the vision of the City Mayor Jose Enrique S. Garcia to integrate the use of modern technology in education. 



With this initiative, the City Government of Balanga and the DepED Balanga City Division are working hand and hand in view of making each learner in the school computer literate and thus making information dissemination and communication fast and efficient.


All in all, there were 50 recipients of the loan, 50 teachers that will contribute to forming more competitive students. Another more step for the preparation of the City Mission: to be a World- Class University Town.

Who do you think you are?

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In life, we always come to a situation when we need to make a firm decision. A decision where we need to weigh everything in order not to hurt people who might get affected by it. Handling twenty (20) techie office personnel, 85% percent of them are male, a huge responsibility on my part as a leader. A crucial task that transforms a shy and weak woman to become a dominant personality.



There are instances that put me in a situation wherein i need to be tough in my command and approach. No one should be given special favors as doing so will lead to a much deeper office problem. I adopt the "male dominant" style when it comes to dealing with them in order to assert my authority in the situation. But it’s just to assert. 

To complicate things more, i am now in the midst of  making a crucial decision to fire two of my office staff. It’s not an easy decision for me but as i weigh things, it’s the best way to help them develop correct attitude  towards work. Sometimes they need to savor the bittersweet taste of their own work performance. I have no choice but to be tough as i get my strength of character from that kind of self-portrayal.


I think i am starting to develop an unhealthy self-image. But when no one is around and i am all by myself, I'm just a simple woman who has a passion for baking and cooking. Sounds ironic for those who don't know me personally, but this is just the real me.

Journey to a Vegetarian Life

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I am now starting to get conscious of my health as I often experience prolonged constipation. Probably due to imbalance in food nutrition, lack of water intake and exercise. I started to track down my daily food intake and learn that I have become excessively used to eating processed food with poor fiber content. So I decided to balance my daily food intake by calculating the dietary food allowance of every single meal I prepare. 


My problem lies in where to buy fresh vegetable that is not usually found in the local market and not commonly prepared at home during meal time. The typical Pinoy vegetable viands our parents usually prepare in our kitchens are pinakbet and chopsuey. Our vegetable supplies here come all the way from Baguio and Pangasinan. Despite Bataan being rich in agricultural products, still we have a limited variety of vegetables to choose from. Add to this the fact that the cost of preparing this type of meal is much higher compared to the usual food that we always prepare at table. But as the golden rules says, “Health is wealth.”

BATAAN World War II Survivor

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BATAAN SURRENDER SITE

Balanga City– It gave me immense pleasure working with a Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer on a project which was in collaboration between the City Government of Balanga and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). We convoyed to Bataan Heroes’ Memorial College to conduct documentation about the experience of WWII in Bataan and how it is commemorated by Bataenos. This documentary will be used to promote better relationship between the people of Hiroshima, Japan and the City of Balanga through the Japanese Exchange Program on Peace Education.

Every year, on April 9, the Fall of Bataan is commemorated. Top government officials, Filipinos, American WWII veterans as well as their Japanese counterparts, and other visitors flock to Mt. Samat to participate in the annual rites held to honor the bravery of the soldiers who fought for the defense of Bataan. At the local government level, it takes a series of meetings and the formulation of a strategic plan to ensure the safety of those who will attend the activity especially, the personages which compose the delegation from overseas as well as the cream of Philippine society. Ironically, the activity loses its splendor after honoring the veterans.


Unearthing this gem is a challenging task. Madame Laureana S. Rosales, the gem I refer to and founder of the Bataan Heroes’ Memorial College, is a survivor of WWII. She narrated her terrible experiences of WWII here in Bataan. One has only to listen to determine how lurid her experiences had been.
 
“A wound that has been healed and that I would never want to re-open since we already have good relations with the Japanese today,” is how she describes her experiences of the war.

It was December 8, 1941, the Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion, when news of the Japanese declaration of war against the U.S reached our ears. On the afternoon of April 8, 1942 I saw a pair of brown hands in the sky. Somehow I felt it was a message to me coming from God. On the evening of that same day, there was an influx of people to our place in Cabcaben, Mariveles- the point where the infamous Death March would begin. We gathered news from Filipino soldiers about the burning of ammunition, war paraphernalia and soldiers’ barracks. American bases had already surrendered. We were holed up in one big place. At about 9:00 pm in the evening, we were forewarned by the local priest to make ourselves ugly and undesirable because there were stories circulating of Japanese soldiers abducting young Filipino women. To avoid such incidents, we were instructed to wear a long saya – a custom wear of older Filipinas at that time- so we would look older than we really were.



“For me it was the most terrible and abhorrent experience I have ever had. At that time, I and my family were all civilians. Some of the women committed suicide on the way to Capas, Tarlac. Our group was fortunate in that none of us was touched by the Japanese. In the course of our long walk, we would hear the sound of flowing water in a nearby river and some of us would go down for a drink to quench our thirst – only to be shot by Japanese soldiers. We walked in two lines – one line for civilians, the other line for captured Filipino and allied soldiers and guerrillas. We found ourselves in Limay on first afternoon after the fall of Bataan. We slept on open fields. 

But the prisoners were made to walk on and not given time to rest. That night, Japanese soldiers came and lighted the faces of the women. The beautiful ones they raped. Some of them were even my friends. The following morning we walked again. We walked again with soldiers, some of them very young and most of them eating leaves and grass and gulping river water from their canteens--- water that was dark and murky. Still they carried theirs canteens along the march. At times, when prisoners could no longer walk and were carried by their comrades, they were simply stabbed or bayoneted by Japanese soldiers. They were seen as burdens that had to be discarded on the way to Capas, Tarlac.
 
“The first time I saw a young soldier, about 19-20 years old, bayoneted by Japanese soldiers my heart bled. But I fought back the tears. We could not do anything for those prisoners without risking the ire of those savage Japanese soldiers. At another time, it was a morning, a young boy knelt in front of a Japanese soldier and begged for alms. Without a word, the Japanese soldiers stabbed him right in front of me! As blood gushed forth from the young boy’s body and seeped through the earth that surrounded him, all I could do was utter a prayer. I said,’Lord please give me a chance to honor all these prisoners, all these men, when I grow up.’ It was a pledge I made to honor the sacrifices made by our Filipino heroes during the WWII. Words cannot describe the horrible events that took place in our province at that time.


“After the war, I attended college. And God gave me the chance I prayed for. I erected two schools in Mindanao. It was on one April 9 when I was invited to Bataan to attend the celebration in honor of our WWII heroes. It was on that occasion that I met Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos. He struck me as someone who loved Bataan very much. For me, Pres. Marcos was the greatest President our country has ever had although most people would think of him as a dictator. He loved to honor the soldiers of Bataan. His love for them reminded me of the pledge I made years ago. It was them that I set my sights on in founding a school in honor of the heroes of Bataan as well as for its future heroes. Thus, the Bataan Heroes’ Memorial College was born!”

BHMC was envisioned by its founders to serve as a monument to the legacy left by the heroes of Bataan more than five decades ago. This legacy- of courage, human endurance, burning patriotism and the indomitability of the Filipino spirit - is worth emulating and inculcating in the minds of our youth. The ultimate and extreme sacrifices made by our Filipino soldiers and civilians then remained etched in the mind of its foundress, Dr. Laureana S. Rosales, because she was a witness to all those events. In the early part of 1978, she opened a school in Balanga, Bataan – the Bataan Heroes’ Memorial College.


In reality, her fame is difficult to fathom. She became tough because of her pain. She is very feminine, religious and courageous. A woman in her late 80’s, she is an internationally – acclaimed survivor, a recipient of so many prestigious recognitions both from America and Japan. Yet, despite the fame she remains a humble person. She saw the importance of education for the Filipino youth of today and has fought for it. She is, truly, one woman who has inspired and taught the real meaning of life to every BHMC student. My profound gratitude to you, Madame!

Life's Detour

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When you travel in life and are about to reach the end of the road, just shift gear and you’ll find another path to begin with. Life is a never-ending journey. Life gives us adventures, obstacles and distractions. The real lesson is that we must learn how to manage the energy of life. In every phase, there are always ups and downs. Despite some misdirection and a few dead ends, we’re lucky to gather experience and develop more opportunities to enjoy life while on earth.


Lucky enough to meet people who will care to share a part of their life with you as they go on with their own journey. Someone who can make sacrifices for nothing at all. What matters most is how you value the learning and experience they have shared with you. Keep the values learned from each phase and take hold of what you think is significant in your journey. I’ll try to do my best to assist others to overcome their own personal road blocks and to be with them as they find them during their journey. I have found a few and still carry through it as I go along the way. The road to life is about making a choice to live life in a purposeful and meaningful way.

Valentine's Day

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February 14. The Heart month celebration. I enjoy this special day with my immediate family as we go swimming. Nothing can beat the joy of being with your family during this time even with or without a special someone. Bonding with my nephews at the pool side makes me feel young and lose tons of muscle nodules caused by stress. Actually the celebration coincided with my father's birthday celebration last Feb. 13.


If we are to contemplate, there are too many things that usually happen in our daily lives that we need to be thankful for and call for some celebration even the simplest accomplishment in life. Normally single people, especially women of my age, tend to be stressed when this special day arrives and no one is beside them to send special notes, flowers or even chocolates.

Sometimes it promotes loneliness and depression for those who think it's important to have someone special on Valentine’s Day. It is the changing trend nowadays that makes the occasion turn out to be like a masquerade as it has become too commercialized. Though it is most women’s hopes and dream to have someone dear to hold, still there are too many fascinating details to celebrate this occasion without being pathetic and spending that much. Remember, even though it is not Valentines Day, everyone is encouraged to show and express love every single day of your lives to the people most important to you. To all my dearest, Happy Valentine's day!

Skin Care Tips

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Being in the mid-30’s has prepared me to start thinking of many ways on how I can prevent my skin from ageing. Lucky enough that I am just a powder-lipstick type of girl and not into wearing heavy make-ups. Allow me to share with you my golden rules.



Young Millionaires Mind

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Teaching a kid to save money for his future is a big challenge on my part because of  the fact that I have no kids yet, but i have four loving nephews and one more to come. In their young minds together with their parents, we infuse in them the value of saving at an early age.



When I was a kid, I really enjoyed saving and the act of doing it. The sound brought about by a penny dropping into an empty canister of milk makes me feel anxious. Can't avoid the feeling that someday I'm gonna be a millionaire with those coins, hahaha! And to exaggerate the story about it, I always carry with me my coin canister even at school, until it was stolen by a girl classmate and later found broken at the girls’ comfort room. I knew who the culprit was, but i kept silent for fear that my mother will get mad at me. 

She keeps reminding me not to bring it to school because of the possibility that it might get lost. What a stubborn and poor girl i was that time. 

After so many years, that girl, now a mother of three kids became my "-----------". She doesn't even know until now  that i knew she was the culprit. That incident will be left unearthed until my last breath.

Nevertheless, those are pieces of my childhood experiences. I hope she might be able to teach her kids the value of saving money on their own and not to steal somebody's hard-earned money.


That's why I am proud of my sisters that they were able to teach their sons the value of saving and now through electronic means. My nephews knew they have savings in their respective ATM's. Hope they will be able to save until they know the real value of their savings when time comes they have to spend it according to it's purpose. I'll cross my fingers till then.

Acrophobic Post Christmas Experience

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It took a month before i got the chance to visit and update my blog content and write down an article regarding the past holiday season. After an enormous task done by my team during the month-long celebration of Paskong Balangueno '09, we had a two-day (2) relaxation at Subic, Zambales to coincide with our Team Building activity. My team deserves a break and so do I. We stayed at Subic Homes for a one night, enjoyed the sumptuous meal offered by Meat plus Cafe for our dinner and enjoyed the party until the late hours with sizzling parlor games and raffles.



On the second day of our trip, we went to Subic TREE TOP Adventure! We had our team- building activity there as it is popularly known as “Team Building Park”. I have a fear of heights or acrophobia, but in that situation I needed to overcome my fear so as not to spoil my team's aim of building the spirit of teamwork. I am their leader so it is expected of  me to lead the group and be the first one to try the feeling of being dragged along the heavily-forested jungle area of Subic, soaring at the height of 100 feet above the jungle floor on a cable suspension system, but of course with the safety harness wrapped around my waist. 

So hold me God!

The first step in overcoming fear of heights is learning to control the physical symptoms. When faced with a threatening situation, taking slow, deep breaths can help slow the heart rate and increase oxygen flow to muscles to keep from tensing up. If possible, a few minutes of meditation may be effective in relieving the tension. Relaxing music, aromatherapy, or even some stretching or light massage can help relieve the physical symptoms of acrophobia.

We prepared a long table at Cocolime Restaurant for a heavy lunch. However, because of too much excitement about and anticipation of our tree top experience, I almost ended up with an empty plate of adobong manok w/ egg. MIS pleasurable trip ended at ROYAL Subic Duty Free buying for some pasalubong for our loved ones. What a great post-Christmas celebration indeed. I'm so happy and hoping to have the same bonding experience with my team this 2010. To our generous Santa Claus, your elves would like to give you a yell! Hooo..Hooo..Hooo-ray!