Today is National Day of Families.
My heart goes to this Filipino family who on their first day immigrating to another land landed on the news.
Bloggers all over the world also mark today Unite for Human Rights.
Here’s what we can do as individuals to advance the rights of the child, like the lost boy in Canada or child laborers at an Ericsson supplier in Bangladesh.
Expect some fireworks today at the City Council.
Local pro-life advocates will troop today at the session hall to lobby for the rejection of the proposed Development Plan for Children.
The measure contains reproductive health issues which those from the Catholic Church oppose.
The first Filipina, born and raised in the Philippines , to enter the US Military Academy at West Point , Christy Isis A. Achanzar, will graduate on May 31, 2008.
She constantly lands in the dean’s list and was given the Superintendent’ s Award for Achievement for excelling in academic, military and physical programs last September.
She finished her secondary school at Davao City High School in 1998.
Her family is now raising funds to apply for visa, buy tickets, etc. to attend her graduation.
Please help.
The Davaoeno community in New York , particulalry those from City High, might want to host the family or extend whatever assistance.
Family address - # 0306 Platinum St. , San Rafael Village, Davao City 8000, Tel # (082) - 300-2838, Mobile # 0919-267-7236; Allied Bank S/A # 1150-03159-1 Ermine and/or Asuncion Achanzar
(Apart from the Lent break, I had no net in the house. Thus, I failed to blog for the past several days.)
8:43 a.m.
Congratulations to the new officers of the Samahan ng mga Musikero sa Davao, Inc., the musicians’ association in Davao. I administered their oath of office last night at Kanto Bar at MTS. They are:
Chair - Popong Landero; Vice Chair - Titong Dalumpines; Board Secretary - Lynda Alba
President - Ben Madarang; VP - Percival Tan; Secretary - Sandra Carpio; Treasurer - Manny Pacaldo; Auditor - Marlyn Catindig
Board Members - Noli Bencio; Erning Alba; Randy Avila; Gingging Alonday; Francis Pitao and Jovy d’ Cowboy
There are over 100 active bands in Davao categorized into student bands, amateurs and professionals.
(6:32 a.m.)
Cheers to three schools in Davao for producing more topnotchers in the recent nursing board exams, namely:
No. 3 - Joanna Kaye Binoya Remolar - San Pedro College;
No. 4 - Neil Nino Sugitarios Navarra - San Pedro College;
No. 6 - Richard Baguio Saavedra - Ateneo de Davao University;
No. 7 - Cristine Valen Mendez - Davao Doctor’s College;
No. 9 - Ayn Portia De Luna Galamgam - San Pedro College; and
No. 9 - Mary Lenin Pepito Talisic - San Pedro College
(7:40 a.m.)
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Happy New Year. It’s the Year of the Earth Rat.
Davao’s Chinatown will mark today’s start of the Lunar New Year with a street parade of dragon and lion dances and other activities highlighting the Earth Rat.
I will represent Mayor Rody Duterte in a brief ceremony at the Davao Filipino Chinese Fire Volunteers’ Brigade along Sta. Ana Ave..
(5:58 a.m.)
Kudos to two of my friends, truly outstanding Pinoys:
Walden Bello who is this year’s Outstanding Public Scholar named by the International Studies Association for his achievements in combining his academic work and activism.
Walden teaches at UP and writes on his many advocacies as a global activist for social justice, peace, human rights and the environment. Described by a Belgian newspaper as the “most respected anti-globalization thinker in Asia,” he was earlier a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, known as the alternative Nobel Prize.
Walden and I sit at the National Council of the Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party.
And May-an Villalba who is a finalist in the Ernst & Young search for the Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines.
A dedicated worker for the cause of the OFWs, May-an is the executive director of the Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation where I sit as a board member.
She pioneered in promoting savings mobilization for investments among our overseas workers and an outstanding social entrepreneur.
(5:50 a.m.)
That is the title of the column of Babe Romualdez in Philippine Star today.
He wrote “This may sound corny, but we should have a similar Davos forum in Davao. Mindanao is one of the country’s wealthiest but most undeveloped areas. I am one of those who truly believe that the Philippines is a rich country pretending to be poor. We just can’t seem to get our act together in harnessing our resources and making them grow.
The Davos Forum has opened the eyes of many on what wealth means and what it can do to benefit everyone. Perhaps we can have a smaller forum starting with Forbes Magazine’s “40 Wealthiest Filipinos.” These are just a few individuals, but gifted with enormous wealth and resources. They can utilize their collective talents and resources to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos; ultimately it will redound to their own good when the country becomes wealthier, stronger and more stable. At the end of the day, one always looks for good karma — because all that wealth is useless when one dies — you can never take it with you.”
I emailed Babe in Switzerland to inform him that I share his views and that I attempted to organize one in Davao. Back in 1999 when I chaired the city’s Millennium Celebration committee, we held an eminent persons forum. I was hoping to make it a regular forum ala Davos.
Unfortunately I got little support.
Yup, Davao can host a smaller version of the WEF or for that matter its poor man’s counterpart, the World Social Forum of civil society groups, and contribute to solving the country’s and the world’s woes.
Here are the richest Pinoys listed by Forbes Magazine and reported by Philstar.
I am surprised that Senator Manny Villar is listed as richer than Metrobank’s George Ty, Jollibee’s Tony Tan Caktiong, SanMig Boss Danding Cojuangco, and JG Summit’s John Gokongwei, among many other taipans and tycoons.
He is more than ten times richer than the Alcantara’s of Davao.
1. Jaime Zobel de Ayala and family ($2 billion)
2. Henry Sy and family ($1.7 billion)
3. Lucio Tan and family ($1.6 billion)
4. Andrew Tan ($1.1 billion)
5. Manuel Villar ($940 million)
6. George Ty ($870 million)
7. Andrew Gotianun ($860 million)
8. Enrique Razon Jr. ($820 million)
9. Tony Tan Caktiong and family ($790 million)
10. Oscar Lopez and family ($775 million)
11. Vivian Que Azcona and family ($670 million)
12. Inigo and Mercedes Zobel ($660 million)
13. Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. ($540 million)
14. Emilio Yap and family ($445 million)
15. John Gokongwei Jr. and family ($430 million)
16. Enrique Aboitiz and family ($375 million)
17. Alfonso Yuchengco and family ($365 million)
18. Beatrice Campos ($220 million)
19. David Consunji and family ($210 million)
20. Luis Virata ($200 million)
21. Gilberto Duavit Jr. and family ($191 million)
22. Menardo Jimenez and family ($190 million)
23. Felipe Gozon and family ($165 million)
24. Mariano Tan and family ($140 million)
25. Ramon del Rosario Jr. ($137 million)
26. Ronaldo and Rosalinda Hortaleza ($110 million)
27. Manuel Zamora ($105 million)
28. Betty Ang ($100 million)
29. Tomas Alcantara and family ($90 million)
30. Frederick Dy ($70 million)
31. Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Sr. ($60 million)
32. Salvador Zamora ($55 million)
33. Oscar Hilado and family ($51 million)
34. Philip T. Ang ($50 million)
35. Magdaleno Albarracin Jr. ($49 million)
36. Jesus Tambunting ($47 million)
37. Antonio Roxas ($36 million)
38. Manuel Pangilinan ($35 million)
39. Marixi Rufino-Prieto and family ($33 million)
40. Lourdes Montinola ($30 million)
(6:55 a.m.)
Remember our search for Davao’s Millennium Baby at the start of year 2000?
Well, the baby is now an 8-year old healthy and bright boy. He was born closest after the strike of midnight on January 1 and vested five others born minutes into the new millennium.
As chair of the city’s Millennium celebration in 1999-2000, I kept track of the young boy.
When he turned 5, I asked NCCC Mall for a special gift. And so on New Year’s Day, his birthday three years ago, the mall treated him and his family to free movies, snacks and rides and games at Timezone.
When he started school, I asked the Holy Child School of Davao, one of the best in the city, for a scholarship. He’s doing good at school I am told.
Belated happy birthday to Patrick Mille Ortiz!
Always check your passport’s expiry date if you plan to travel.
It could cause you to miss your wedding.
(6:39 a.m.)
Josie San Pedro will be laid to rest this morning.
She finally succumbed to the Big C which she courageously fought for several years now.
A contemporary of my father (who died also of cancer 20 years earlier), Tita Josie was a real inspiration to many Davaoeños.
English teacher, journalist, civic leader, government servant, and publisher. For her outstanding service, she was given the Datu Bago Awards many years ago. It is the highest honor for citizens of Davao City.
Goodbye Tita Josie!
(8:09 a.m.)
Canada is one of the favorite destinations for departing Pinoys. It’s one of the most peaceful in the world unlike its southern neighbor which has a gun culture.
But if I were to go there, I would not ride or live in a boat.
(6:15 a.m.)
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