Inquirer Headlines / Nation
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080905-158764
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARDS
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARDS : P4-B microfinance started with P20, typewriter By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 05, 2008
MANILA, Philippines—A venture that was started with P20 and an old Remington typewriter is now a one-stop shop offering loans, banking services and life insurance. And, because of it, hundreds of thousands of poor clients have become richer.
For the past 20 years, the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) has been extending all forms of credit to landless peasants to help them rise out of poverty.
From its base in San Pablo City, Laguna, it has quietly reached out to the women of landless families, even in conflict areas in Mindanao, to help them set up small livelihood projects, save extra income, and get insured in case of death.
Small wonder then that CARD MRI—an organization comprising an NGO, a rural bank, a micro-insurance company and a training institute—has been named one of two Ramon Magsaysay awardees for public service this year.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation cited CARD MRI for its “successful adaptation of microfinance in the Philippines, providing self-sustaining and comprehensive services for half a million poor women and their families.”
Named after President Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957, the awards are given out every year to individuals and organizations in Asia that have shown the late leader’s sense of selfless service.
The foundation conferred the award on the new laureates in a ceremony at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Aug. 31. The winners each received a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of Magsaysay and a $50,000 cash prize.
Came as a shock
“It came as a shock that we’re being awarded the Ramon Magsaysay. We thought this was reserved only for high-profile companies,” said Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, founding chair and managing director of CARD MRI.
Alip and 14 rural developers established CARD Inc. as an NGO for the landless rural folk in Laguna in 1986 in the aftermath of Edsa I people power revolution that toppled Ferdinand Marcos.
The following year, they quit the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) to focus on CARD and ended up revolutionizing the microfinance industry.
“PBSP had a project here concentrating on rice farmers, but I felt these landless rural workers needed more help,” Alip, 51, said in an interview at the CARD MRI’s main office in San Pablo.
These are the seasonal farmers who don’t own land, get hired by tenant farmers to plant and harvest crops, and work odd jobs in between, he said.
Starting from scratch
CARD started out literally from scratch, with a measly capital of P20—according to Alip—or just enough to buy bond paper on which to write applications for foreign grants.
It initially occupied a classroom in the Alip family-owned vocational school that had spartan provisions—an old Remington typewriter, a desk and three chairs.
Thanks to a $20,000 grant from two Japanese micro-funding agencies, including the Asian Community Trust (ACT), it launched its economic assistance program for landless peasants in San Pablo and Bay, Laguna, in 1988.
“I think my friend (from ACT) pitied me, that’s why he gave us the grant,” said Alip, who flew to Japan to meet the funders carrying one suit, spent his nights at the airport and typed his proposals on the Remington.
Shift to women
With the grant, CARD trained some 200 “landless rural workers” on project management and organizational development, organized them into groups, and provided them with loans ranging from P500 to P5,000.
The initial batch was a mix of men and women but the NGO eventually shifted to women—the mothers—because they were better at managing finances.
“They would meet each week. There was a collection of savings, payments of loans. After that, there was an exchange of experiences, and then training on education,” Alip said.
A graduate of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna (UPLB), Alip holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Marketing and a doctorate in Organizational Development.
Poor beginnings
The loans, payable in one year, were used to set up a variety store, handicraft store, poultry and piggery, among other “backyard projects.”
After a poor start that was marked by poor repayment, CARD picked up steam and expanded its membership from its base in Laguna to the provinces of Quezon, Marinduque, Mindoro and Masbate, and elsewhere.
In 1996, CARD applied for a license to operate a microfinance-oriented rural bank, the main goal of Alip and his colleagues for conceiving the NGO. And in September 1997, it opened the CARD Rural Bank in San Pablo.
Many of the CARD members eventually became part owners of the bank.
Secret of success
“That’s my thesis: Give them the ownership. Because for me the issue in microfinance is no longer access to credit. The issue is control of resource, and the best control of resources is by owning the equity of the bank,” Alip said.
He added: “The moment they have ownership, they’re able to get control and access in the capital. Then they can convert this into income. With income they can buy education, house for their family, food and the land that they need.”
With the bank, the members got bigger loans and, more important, opened savings and checking accounts, among others.
Alip said: “Now there are countless mothers who have their own land, own their own house, have their own business, and to me that is really bringing them out of poverty.”
In 1999, CARD formed another institution, the Mutual Benefit Association (MBA), to serve as a micro-insurance facility that would help members cope with deaths in the family and other unexpected events.
A mother’s idea
It was borne out of a mother’s proposal that CARD collect P1 each as a standby fund in case a mother or her next of kin dies. The pot reached a whopping P4.2 million, necessitating the establishment of a mutual insurance facility.
Again, the mothers were enrolled as part owners. As of June this year, MBA has insured some 2.9 million individuals around the country, more than those of many commercial insurance players.
MBA now operates in at least 47 provinces in the country, as well as in Cambodia and Vietnam.
The facility offered mortuary benefits, and loan redemption in case of the death of a mother, or any of her family members, under a “1-3-5” scheme.
This means that if a member dies, a life insurance ranging from P50,000 to P100,000 would be released to a beneficiary in one, three or five days at the most if there are any hitches, such as a delay in the release of the death certificate.
“At first, they played a prank on us. One claimed death in the family, but after three days the dead rose again. We found out about the false claim and made them repay,” Alip said, chuckling.
P4-B assets
Through this facility, CARD also offered pension to members, hospitalization and accident loans, as well as emergency loans during inclement weather.
CARD also relaunched its training center in 2004 and named it CARD MRI Development Institute, offering degree and non-degree courses for its staff. A year later, it established the Business Development Service (BDS) to help the mothers expand their micro-enterprises.
So, from the original NGO, four other institutions have been born—the bank, the micro-insurance company, the learning institute and the BDS, hence the name Mutually Reinforcing Institutions.
In 47 provinces
From a fledgling NGO 20 years ago, CARD MRI is now serving over 700,000 poor women clients in 47 provinces, including Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, with P2.3 billion outstanding loans. It boasts of P4 billion in assets.
“Microfinance is not a panacea or the answer to all poverty,” Alip admitted. “But certainly it’s a powerful tool in helping the poor rise out of poverty.”
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Honest tricycle driver lands job in City Hall
Inquirer Headlines / Metro
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080920-161789
Honest tricycle driver lands job in City Hall
By Allison Lopez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 20, 2008
MANILA, Philippines – Despite the hard times, a tricycle driver in Quiapo resisted the temptation to keep for himself more than P50,000 in cash left behind by a passenger.
For not keeping the money, Abraham Cariño, 44, was cited for honesty Friday by the Manila city government.
Cariño received P5,500 plus a job at City Hall from Mayor Alfredo Lim as reward for turning over an envelope containing documents and P55,350 in cash.
Rep. Naida Angpin also gave P5,000 to Cariño for his commendable act.
The mayor, who presided at the People’s Day forum Friday, hired Cariño on the spot, saying his act of honesty proved “he was worth keeping at City Hall and will not steal money from it.”
“With your example, more and more people will realize that it pays to be honest,” said Lim.
Cariño said the envelope was left behind by a male passenger and a child who boarded his tricycle around 7 p.m. Thursday on Globo de Oro Street. However, he was unable to trace his passengers when he returned to where he dropped them off after he found the money.
Barangay chair Danny Aquino presented Cariño, a father of four, to Lim after the driver handed over the envelope to him.
The cash and documents are at the mayor’s office for safekeeping until these are claimed.
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080920-161789
Honest tricycle driver lands job in City Hall
By Allison Lopez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 20, 2008
MANILA, Philippines – Despite the hard times, a tricycle driver in Quiapo resisted the temptation to keep for himself more than P50,000 in cash left behind by a passenger.
For not keeping the money, Abraham Cariño, 44, was cited for honesty Friday by the Manila city government.
Cariño received P5,500 plus a job at City Hall from Mayor Alfredo Lim as reward for turning over an envelope containing documents and P55,350 in cash.
Rep. Naida Angpin also gave P5,000 to Cariño for his commendable act.
The mayor, who presided at the People’s Day forum Friday, hired Cariño on the spot, saying his act of honesty proved “he was worth keeping at City Hall and will not steal money from it.”
“With your example, more and more people will realize that it pays to be honest,” said Lim.
Cariño said the envelope was left behind by a male passenger and a child who boarded his tricycle around 7 p.m. Thursday on Globo de Oro Street. However, he was unable to trace his passengers when he returned to where he dropped them off after he found the money.
Barangay chair Danny Aquino presented Cariño, a father of four, to Lim after the driver handed over the envelope to him.
The cash and documents are at the mayor’s office for safekeeping until these are claimed.
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Village school goes high tech
Inquirer Headlines / Regions
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080927-163231
INQUIRER VISAYAS
Inquirer Visayas : Village school goes high tech
By Vicente Labro
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 27, 2008
CALBAYOG CITY – Every Monday morning, 10-year-old Feviane G. Ale is eager to attend her computer class at the Gadgaran Elementary School in Calbayog City to get a chance to play “Xbox” and other educational PC games.
Ale’s school in Barangay Gadgaran has its own computer laboratory – with 13 computers having Internet access. Its 250 pupils and all the teachers are taught basic computer literacy. Its “modern” facility is now the envy of other city schools in Calbayog and the source of pride of its teachers, pupils and community.
“I like computers because it helps me in my study,” Ale, a Grade V pupil, says.
Gadgaran is a depressed village about five kilometers from the city proper, which is 180 km north of Tacloban City, the regional center of Eastern Visayas.
The computer laboratory is unique in its design. The ground layout resembles an Xbox video console of Microsoft, with an “x” raised walkway. Another “x” suspended from the ceiling illuminates the whole room with bright-green light.
The four triangular ground areas are divided into the Mathematics, Science, Arts, and Entertainment and Communications sections, which were all painted in orange, green, blue and yellow – the four colors of the Microsoft logo.
The computers are equipped with the latest educational software donated by Microsoft Corp.
American donor
David Dunleavy, an American who works with the US computer giant, designed and supervised the construction of the computer laboratory in August 2007. He also donated educational software materials, two TV sets, an LCD projector and an electric guitar and drum set, as well as the latest computer program.
The laboratory is using Microsoft Vista, but Dunleavy promised the school that when he visits the village again next year, he would bring along a Microsoft Version 7, which has not even come out of the global market yet, Teresa Villa, the school principal, said in an interview.
What was then a small school in a depressed village began to change in 2005 when it shared a vision of a “Modern and High Performing School” with the city school division. The community and the school worked together to achieve the goal.
In one of the meetings of the teachers and parents, Villa was told by a parent that an alumnus, Arvin Ofamen, was a friend of Microsoft’s Dunleavy, according to the campus publication “Kawit.”
Villa immediately contacted Ofamen and requested him to ask his friend to possibly donate a computer set. She also wrote a letter to Dunleavy.
Scholarship grants
In September 2005, Dunleavy and Ofamen visited the village, bringing along the donation. During his 10-day stay, the American discussed with Villa the situation not only of the school but also of the entire community.
“We asked him to provide the school with a scholarship program. He gave us fund for school supplies, school uniforms and for the contributions so that the parents won’t be spending anymore,” Villa said in a recent interview.
At first, Dunleavy provided 160 scholarship grants, but this has now increased to 200. He extended the program to high school students who are alumni, Villa said.
He also provided financial support to address the malnutrition problem in Gadgaran.
Since Dunleavy started helping, the school’s dropout rate went down to zero, the academic performance of the pupils greatly improved, and there were no cutting of classes and unnecessary absences among the pupils, Villa said.
“He is a philanthropist. His heart is really with the poor,” she said. Thankful for his generosity, the school and community declared Dunleavy an “adopted son of Gadgaran.”
Thanks to Gates, too
The school is also grateful to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. In fact, it has been “doubly lucky” because for every amount that Dunleavy donates, Microsoft, as a policy to its donor employees, matches this.
Arthur Basbas, an Information and Communication Technology teacher, says pupils and teachers from Grade 1 to Grade 6 were being taught basic computer literacy.
The teachers attend computer class from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily during school days. The pupils have their own classes twice a week and a film showing every Friday afternoon. They also do computer-aided research work during their vacant period, lunch time or after classes.
The ABS-CBN Foundation also donated educational video shows on Science, Math and English, Basbas says.
Incentive
He, however, clarifies that the basic computer literacy course is not included in the school curriculum, and that the students do not earn grades from the computer lessons. They earn points in quizzes, assignments and exams, and when they accumulate a total of 50 points, they are allowed a one-hour free use of the computer lab as incentive, including playing Xboxes and PC games.
Gadgaran is just an obscure, poor village, but its children now have access to a bright future with the help of new technologies.
^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080927-163231
INQUIRER VISAYAS
Inquirer Visayas : Village school goes high tech
By Vicente Labro
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 27, 2008
CALBAYOG CITY – Every Monday morning, 10-year-old Feviane G. Ale is eager to attend her computer class at the Gadgaran Elementary School in Calbayog City to get a chance to play “Xbox” and other educational PC games.
Ale’s school in Barangay Gadgaran has its own computer laboratory – with 13 computers having Internet access. Its 250 pupils and all the teachers are taught basic computer literacy. Its “modern” facility is now the envy of other city schools in Calbayog and the source of pride of its teachers, pupils and community.
“I like computers because it helps me in my study,” Ale, a Grade V pupil, says.
Gadgaran is a depressed village about five kilometers from the city proper, which is 180 km north of Tacloban City, the regional center of Eastern Visayas.
The computer laboratory is unique in its design. The ground layout resembles an Xbox video console of Microsoft, with an “x” raised walkway. Another “x” suspended from the ceiling illuminates the whole room with bright-green light.
The four triangular ground areas are divided into the Mathematics, Science, Arts, and Entertainment and Communications sections, which were all painted in orange, green, blue and yellow – the four colors of the Microsoft logo.
The computers are equipped with the latest educational software donated by Microsoft Corp.
American donor
David Dunleavy, an American who works with the US computer giant, designed and supervised the construction of the computer laboratory in August 2007. He also donated educational software materials, two TV sets, an LCD projector and an electric guitar and drum set, as well as the latest computer program.
The laboratory is using Microsoft Vista, but Dunleavy promised the school that when he visits the village again next year, he would bring along a Microsoft Version 7, which has not even come out of the global market yet, Teresa Villa, the school principal, said in an interview.
What was then a small school in a depressed village began to change in 2005 when it shared a vision of a “Modern and High Performing School” with the city school division. The community and the school worked together to achieve the goal.
In one of the meetings of the teachers and parents, Villa was told by a parent that an alumnus, Arvin Ofamen, was a friend of Microsoft’s Dunleavy, according to the campus publication “Kawit.”
Villa immediately contacted Ofamen and requested him to ask his friend to possibly donate a computer set. She also wrote a letter to Dunleavy.
Scholarship grants
In September 2005, Dunleavy and Ofamen visited the village, bringing along the donation. During his 10-day stay, the American discussed with Villa the situation not only of the school but also of the entire community.
“We asked him to provide the school with a scholarship program. He gave us fund for school supplies, school uniforms and for the contributions so that the parents won’t be spending anymore,” Villa said in a recent interview.
At first, Dunleavy provided 160 scholarship grants, but this has now increased to 200. He extended the program to high school students who are alumni, Villa said.
He also provided financial support to address the malnutrition problem in Gadgaran.
Since Dunleavy started helping, the school’s dropout rate went down to zero, the academic performance of the pupils greatly improved, and there were no cutting of classes and unnecessary absences among the pupils, Villa said.
“He is a philanthropist. His heart is really with the poor,” she said. Thankful for his generosity, the school and community declared Dunleavy an “adopted son of Gadgaran.”
Thanks to Gates, too
The school is also grateful to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. In fact, it has been “doubly lucky” because for every amount that Dunleavy donates, Microsoft, as a policy to its donor employees, matches this.
Arthur Basbas, an Information and Communication Technology teacher, says pupils and teachers from Grade 1 to Grade 6 were being taught basic computer literacy.
The teachers attend computer class from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily during school days. The pupils have their own classes twice a week and a film showing every Friday afternoon. They also do computer-aided research work during their vacant period, lunch time or after classes.
The ABS-CBN Foundation also donated educational video shows on Science, Math and English, Basbas says.
Incentive
He, however, clarifies that the basic computer literacy course is not included in the school curriculum, and that the students do not earn grades from the computer lessons. They earn points in quizzes, assignments and exams, and when they accumulate a total of 50 points, they are allowed a one-hour free use of the computer lab as incentive, including playing Xboxes and PC games.
Gadgaran is just an obscure, poor village, but its children now have access to a bright future with the help of new technologies.
^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Greatness of spirit runs in this family from India
Inquirer Headlines / Nation
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080902-158145
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD : Greatness of spirit runs in this family from India
By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Columnist / Writer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 02, 2008
MANILA, Philippines—Greatness of spirit could run in the family. And whoever said that seedlings cannot thrive in the shadow of the huge parent tree could be proven wrong.
Husband and wife Prakash and Mandakini Amte of India, both doctors, are proof that the greatness of one’s parents could live on, not necessarily by some wonder of genetics, but because noble examples set by one generation can flourish and bear fruit in the next.
The couple earned this year’s Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership, the latest of many honors received in their home country and abroad. Their portraits, for example, have appeared on a Red Cross postage stamp issued by Monaco.
Prakash’s late father, Murlidhar Amte, was also an “RM” awardee (Public Service, 1985). A humanitarian and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, “Baba” (father), died early this year at the age of 96. Books have been written and a film has been made on Murlidhar’s work caring for lepers.
Along with brother Vikas, Prakash grew up in Anandwan in the Indian state of Maharashtra, in an ashram (a spiritual commune) and a rehabilitation center for leprosy patients founded by his father. “We went to school and played with the children of the (leper) community,” Prakash recalls.
After becoming a doctor, Prakash could have chosen a life of ease and plenty. But with his young bride Mandakini by his side, he followed a demanding path similar to what his old man had chosen.
Sense of mission
His sense of mission led him to the remote jungles of Hemalsaka in eastern Maharashtra, home to a gentle tribe known as the Madia Gonds.
When the couple arrived there 34 years ago, literacy among the Madia Gonds was zero and their contact with the outside world was limited. There were no modern services and little government presence in the 150 square meter of dense forest that sheltered the tribe.
The tribesmen coexisted with wild animals and survived by hunting, gathering and shifting cultivation, but they were considered a people forgotten by civilization. They had no written language, their dialect related neither to Hindi, India’s national language, nor to Marathi, which is spoken in Maharashtra.
But what exactly drew Prakash to the place? He was doing postgraduate studies in surgery in Nagpur when he volunteered to run his father’s new project among the Madia Gonds. This was a turning point for him, and Prakash knew it was also a homecoming of sorts.
Prakash told his then girlfriend Mandakini about his plans. Would she come with him to work in the jungle? Mandakini remembers how Prakash popped the question. “If not, he said, it would be okay,” recalls the former beauty queen-turned-doctor. She said yes, she will go with him.
Leap of faith
In 1974, Prakash and Mandakini made a leap in the dark, a leap of faith, and left their medical practice in the city to settle in Hemalsaka.
And once there, they had to start from scratch. There were no creature comforts to speak of. They lived in a doorless hut that offered no privacy. During the cold season they warmed themselves by the fireside. “We minimized our needs,” Prakash says.
Shy and suspicious of outsiders, the Madia Gonds did not warm up to the Amtes instantly. “When we arrived we right away felt the cultural barrier,” Mandakini says.
There were problems of malnutrition, blind faith in false healers and even in the practice of making a human sacrifice. Food production was through “zoom agriculture,” or slash-and-burn.
Prakash and Mandakini began their mission by setting up shop by the roadside. They learned the local dialect. Prakash shed the doctor’s standard white outfit and wore only short pants and an undershirt.
Little by little the couple earned the people’s trust. They nursed to health a badly burned epileptic boy and a man dying of cerebral malaria. The “miracle cures” resulted in more patients coming.
Against abuse
In 1975, the development agency SwissAid gave funds for the construction of a small hospital in Hemalkasa, on a land donated by government. “We did everything (since),” Prakash recalls with laughter. “Cataract operations, fractures, gynecological problems, bear bites. For 30 years we didn’t have a break.”
But health and nutrition were not the only problems. The Amtes discovered how the Madia Gonds could also be vulnerable to exploitation by corrupt forest officers and other outsiders. Hence, the couple had to intervene and mediate in the tribe’s disputes with abusive government officials.
In 1976, a school was built on the same land donated for the hospital. At first the people were reluctant to send their children to school, but it did not take long for them to get convinced.
The couple eventually raised their two sons in Hemalsaka and sent them to the same school with Madia Gond youths, just like how it was when Prakash was growing up with the children of his father’s leprosy patients.
The school did not just offer the basics but also provided training in organic farming. The people were taught how to conserve forest resources, including endangered fauna lest they be hunted to extinction. An animal orphanage was set up to stress the importance of wildlife in the balance of nature.
Electricity finally came to the Madia Gonds in 1995.
Alumni back to serve
Today, the hospital has a 50-bed capacity and treats more than 40,000 patients a year, free of charge. It also serves as a regional center for mother-child welfare and health education. Its “barefoot” volunteer doctors spread out to outlying villages.
The school, meanwhile, currently enrolls around 600 students, and some of its earliest students have become doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers and craftsmen.
Prakash reports that the school now counts “five doctors” among its alumni and that all five, along with 90 percent of the graduates, “have come back to serve in the community.”
Two of these young doctors are his own sons Digant and Aniket.
Digant and his wife Anagha, another doctor, have an adopted daughter named Arati, a Madia Gond whose mother died in childbirth. Arati is now a nurse.
Legacy
Now in their 60s, Prakash and Mandakini also have a grandson, whose pictures they proudly carry around in an album. Some of the photos show a wide-eyed boy frolicking among leopards, bears and snakes in the animal orphanage.
“Maybe it’s just the way we have led our lives,” Prakash says, summing up their works of compassion and the legacy they are leaving behind.
Their 34-year-old endeavor for the uplift of the Madia Gonds has since been known as Lok Biradari Prakalp (People’s Brotherhood Project) or LBP, a name given by Baba Amte.
With help from SwissAid, Oxfam and a Canadian development agency, LBP has forged on, although money and trained medical help are always in short supply. The couple’s cash award that goes with the “RM” will surely go a long way.
(The Amte couple are not the only second-generation RM awardees. Jon Ungphakorn of Thailand, the 2005 RM awardee for Government Service, is the son of 1965 awardee for Public Service Puey Ungphakorn.)
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20080902-158145
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD : Greatness of spirit runs in this family from India
By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Columnist / Writer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 02, 2008
MANILA, Philippines—Greatness of spirit could run in the family. And whoever said that seedlings cannot thrive in the shadow of the huge parent tree could be proven wrong.
Husband and wife Prakash and Mandakini Amte of India, both doctors, are proof that the greatness of one’s parents could live on, not necessarily by some wonder of genetics, but because noble examples set by one generation can flourish and bear fruit in the next.
The couple earned this year’s Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership, the latest of many honors received in their home country and abroad. Their portraits, for example, have appeared on a Red Cross postage stamp issued by Monaco.
Prakash’s late father, Murlidhar Amte, was also an “RM” awardee (Public Service, 1985). A humanitarian and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, “Baba” (father), died early this year at the age of 96. Books have been written and a film has been made on Murlidhar’s work caring for lepers.
Along with brother Vikas, Prakash grew up in Anandwan in the Indian state of Maharashtra, in an ashram (a spiritual commune) and a rehabilitation center for leprosy patients founded by his father. “We went to school and played with the children of the (leper) community,” Prakash recalls.
After becoming a doctor, Prakash could have chosen a life of ease and plenty. But with his young bride Mandakini by his side, he followed a demanding path similar to what his old man had chosen.
Sense of mission
His sense of mission led him to the remote jungles of Hemalsaka in eastern Maharashtra, home to a gentle tribe known as the Madia Gonds.
When the couple arrived there 34 years ago, literacy among the Madia Gonds was zero and their contact with the outside world was limited. There were no modern services and little government presence in the 150 square meter of dense forest that sheltered the tribe.
The tribesmen coexisted with wild animals and survived by hunting, gathering and shifting cultivation, but they were considered a people forgotten by civilization. They had no written language, their dialect related neither to Hindi, India’s national language, nor to Marathi, which is spoken in Maharashtra.
But what exactly drew Prakash to the place? He was doing postgraduate studies in surgery in Nagpur when he volunteered to run his father’s new project among the Madia Gonds. This was a turning point for him, and Prakash knew it was also a homecoming of sorts.
Prakash told his then girlfriend Mandakini about his plans. Would she come with him to work in the jungle? Mandakini remembers how Prakash popped the question. “If not, he said, it would be okay,” recalls the former beauty queen-turned-doctor. She said yes, she will go with him.
Leap of faith
In 1974, Prakash and Mandakini made a leap in the dark, a leap of faith, and left their medical practice in the city to settle in Hemalsaka.
And once there, they had to start from scratch. There were no creature comforts to speak of. They lived in a doorless hut that offered no privacy. During the cold season they warmed themselves by the fireside. “We minimized our needs,” Prakash says.
Shy and suspicious of outsiders, the Madia Gonds did not warm up to the Amtes instantly. “When we arrived we right away felt the cultural barrier,” Mandakini says.
There were problems of malnutrition, blind faith in false healers and even in the practice of making a human sacrifice. Food production was through “zoom agriculture,” or slash-and-burn.
Prakash and Mandakini began their mission by setting up shop by the roadside. They learned the local dialect. Prakash shed the doctor’s standard white outfit and wore only short pants and an undershirt.
Little by little the couple earned the people’s trust. They nursed to health a badly burned epileptic boy and a man dying of cerebral malaria. The “miracle cures” resulted in more patients coming.
Against abuse
In 1975, the development agency SwissAid gave funds for the construction of a small hospital in Hemalkasa, on a land donated by government. “We did everything (since),” Prakash recalls with laughter. “Cataract operations, fractures, gynecological problems, bear bites. For 30 years we didn’t have a break.”
But health and nutrition were not the only problems. The Amtes discovered how the Madia Gonds could also be vulnerable to exploitation by corrupt forest officers and other outsiders. Hence, the couple had to intervene and mediate in the tribe’s disputes with abusive government officials.
In 1976, a school was built on the same land donated for the hospital. At first the people were reluctant to send their children to school, but it did not take long for them to get convinced.
The couple eventually raised their two sons in Hemalsaka and sent them to the same school with Madia Gond youths, just like how it was when Prakash was growing up with the children of his father’s leprosy patients.
The school did not just offer the basics but also provided training in organic farming. The people were taught how to conserve forest resources, including endangered fauna lest they be hunted to extinction. An animal orphanage was set up to stress the importance of wildlife in the balance of nature.
Electricity finally came to the Madia Gonds in 1995.
Alumni back to serve
Today, the hospital has a 50-bed capacity and treats more than 40,000 patients a year, free of charge. It also serves as a regional center for mother-child welfare and health education. Its “barefoot” volunteer doctors spread out to outlying villages.
The school, meanwhile, currently enrolls around 600 students, and some of its earliest students have become doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers and craftsmen.
Prakash reports that the school now counts “five doctors” among its alumni and that all five, along with 90 percent of the graduates, “have come back to serve in the community.”
Two of these young doctors are his own sons Digant and Aniket.
Digant and his wife Anagha, another doctor, have an adopted daughter named Arati, a Madia Gond whose mother died in childbirth. Arati is now a nurse.
Legacy
Now in their 60s, Prakash and Mandakini also have a grandson, whose pictures they proudly carry around in an album. Some of the photos show a wide-eyed boy frolicking among leopards, bears and snakes in the animal orphanage.
“Maybe it’s just the way we have led our lives,” Prakash says, summing up their works of compassion and the legacy they are leaving behind.
Their 34-year-old endeavor for the uplift of the Madia Gonds has since been known as Lok Biradari Prakalp (People’s Brotherhood Project) or LBP, a name given by Baba Amte.
With help from SwissAid, Oxfam and a Canadian development agency, LBP has forged on, although money and trained medical help are always in short supply. The couple’s cash award that goes with the “RM” will surely go a long way.
(The Amte couple are not the only second-generation RM awardees. Jon Ungphakorn of Thailand, the 2005 RM awardee for Government Service, is the son of 1965 awardee for Public Service Puey Ungphakorn.)
^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Ifugao wooden Scooter
Published on Sun.Star Network Online (http://www.sunstar.com.ph)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ifugao wooden scooter: Pinoy ingenuity at centerstage
A TRIBUTE to Filipino ingenuity is the theme of the first wooden scooter race staged apart from other festivities in Banaue, Ifugao.
In the past it was an integral activity of the annual Banaue Imbayah, something that wowed and fascinated the crowd.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers [1]
In April of 2008 however, these group of men fabricating the wooden scooters and joining races decided to form a group and called it Banaue Rice Terraces Wooden Scooters Organization, headed by president Vicente Dinundon Jr., a 2006 graduate of BS Agriculture of the Benguet State University.
Now 25 years old, he is back home in Banaue to live and continue the tradition of home-based business and "scootering."
The story of the wooden scooter is a tale on its own, too.
These mobile contraptions were once created to serve a need. The men-folk were having a difficult time going to and from their homes to their muyongs up the mountains, often bringing home firewood and crops tended up there. It would often take them hours to walk the distance and carry the load.
This then gave birth to the first scooter. They would push it up the hills and work for the day. Firewood would be strapped along both sides of the scooter and other goods tied at the back.
The ride back home would then be a breeze.
These scooters are fashioned out of wood, minimizing the use of nails. Through time the simple device to ferry firewood and tubers soon became art, their designs and styles becoming more intricate and complicated.
Like the swirling horses on a carnival carousel, today's scooters come in a wonderful array of designs -- horses, tigers, Indian heads, eagles, bululs, anything which catches the fancy of its creator, and most often the birthing of one creation comes with a story.
That makes it the more interesting and valuable.
The forming of the Banaue Rice Terraces Wooden Scooters Organization (BRTWSO) was armed with a concept of showcasing their art. They made a proposition to have their club be registered with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which they may also use for livelihood.
With the help of Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), the first staging of the independent scooter race happened in a two-day activity, to boost the practice. The activity went well after two postponements and they hope it will survive the times.
For now what they need is a "viewdeck," to serve as a showroom of scooters where they can manufacture, assemble and show off their pieces. They are on the process of wooing good-hearted sponsors to help them on this cause, one of which is Gov. Mark Lapid, the incumbent governor of Pampanga.
Vincent Dinundon fashioned and extraordinary scooter out of hardwood, with a Mohawk head in front just above the handlebars. The scooter body is a horse, the mane flying in the wind, all this coated in handsome black and valued at more than P25,000. This was finished in two and a half months, based on a story and Ifugao culture. He named it "Bangkiki."
The story, Dinundon said, is a secret for now. This made it more valuable and harder to part with. But he must. This he humbly sold to Lapid for P8,000 with the hope of being granted the favor of having the viewdeck dream for the club.
The P8,000 he used to pay PTA for the registration fee of P300 for each of the 17 racers because with hard life, even this amount is hard to come by. With this they raced with will and hopes.
The just-concluded race showed the world the ingenuity of these simple people, an art borne out of tradition and necessity to continue and blossom as a valuable art and livelihood. Ifugao is living to its name as a land of wood carvers and sculptors, making masterpieces of imaginative and soulful arts.
For more Philippine news [2], visit Sun.Star Iloilo [2].
(October 2, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. [3]
Baguio Feature
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source URL: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/ifugao-wooden-scooter-pinoy-ingenuity-centerstage
Links:
[1] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/specials/mincries/index.php
[2] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/iloilo
[3] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/feedback/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ifugao wooden scooter: Pinoy ingenuity at centerstage
A TRIBUTE to Filipino ingenuity is the theme of the first wooden scooter race staged apart from other festivities in Banaue, Ifugao.
In the past it was an integral activity of the annual Banaue Imbayah, something that wowed and fascinated the crowd.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers [1]
In April of 2008 however, these group of men fabricating the wooden scooters and joining races decided to form a group and called it Banaue Rice Terraces Wooden Scooters Organization, headed by president Vicente Dinundon Jr., a 2006 graduate of BS Agriculture of the Benguet State University.
Now 25 years old, he is back home in Banaue to live and continue the tradition of home-based business and "scootering."
The story of the wooden scooter is a tale on its own, too.
These mobile contraptions were once created to serve a need. The men-folk were having a difficult time going to and from their homes to their muyongs up the mountains, often bringing home firewood and crops tended up there. It would often take them hours to walk the distance and carry the load.
This then gave birth to the first scooter. They would push it up the hills and work for the day. Firewood would be strapped along both sides of the scooter and other goods tied at the back.
The ride back home would then be a breeze.
These scooters are fashioned out of wood, minimizing the use of nails. Through time the simple device to ferry firewood and tubers soon became art, their designs and styles becoming more intricate and complicated.
Like the swirling horses on a carnival carousel, today's scooters come in a wonderful array of designs -- horses, tigers, Indian heads, eagles, bululs, anything which catches the fancy of its creator, and most often the birthing of one creation comes with a story.
That makes it the more interesting and valuable.
The forming of the Banaue Rice Terraces Wooden Scooters Organization (BRTWSO) was armed with a concept of showcasing their art. They made a proposition to have their club be registered with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which they may also use for livelihood.
With the help of Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), the first staging of the independent scooter race happened in a two-day activity, to boost the practice. The activity went well after two postponements and they hope it will survive the times.
For now what they need is a "viewdeck," to serve as a showroom of scooters where they can manufacture, assemble and show off their pieces. They are on the process of wooing good-hearted sponsors to help them on this cause, one of which is Gov. Mark Lapid, the incumbent governor of Pampanga.
Vincent Dinundon fashioned and extraordinary scooter out of hardwood, with a Mohawk head in front just above the handlebars. The scooter body is a horse, the mane flying in the wind, all this coated in handsome black and valued at more than P25,000. This was finished in two and a half months, based on a story and Ifugao culture. He named it "Bangkiki."
The story, Dinundon said, is a secret for now. This made it more valuable and harder to part with. But he must. This he humbly sold to Lapid for P8,000 with the hope of being granted the favor of having the viewdeck dream for the club.
The P8,000 he used to pay PTA for the registration fee of P300 for each of the 17 racers because with hard life, even this amount is hard to come by. With this they raced with will and hopes.
The just-concluded race showed the world the ingenuity of these simple people, an art borne out of tradition and necessity to continue and blossom as a valuable art and livelihood. Ifugao is living to its name as a land of wood carvers and sculptors, making masterpieces of imaginative and soulful arts.
For more Philippine news [2], visit Sun.Star Iloilo [2].
(October 2, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. [3]
Baguio Feature
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source URL: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/ifugao-wooden-scooter-pinoy-ingenuity-centerstage
Links:
[1] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/specials/mincries/index.php
[2] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/iloilo
[3] http://www.sunstar.com.ph/feedback/
Sunday, November 2, 2008
rogel marzan2
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Farmers gear up for organic agri congress
"BE HEALTHY, Go Organic" goes the theme of the second Cordillera Organic Agriculture Congress slated this 15th and 16th of February at the Benguet State University (BSU).
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Farmers and entrepreneurs who will be participating in the congress will hear expert advises, researches, success stories as well as keynote speeches form invited guest speakers and lecturers.
Freda Gawisan, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Baguio-Benguet caretaker, expressed optimism that the second congress will entice more
farmers to go organic as more and more consumers are becoming health conscious.
As an added activity, congress participants will have a chance to observe and interact with farmers engaged in organic farming. The organic farms to be visited are the Cosmic Farm, Garden of Life and the BSU organic farm all located in nearby La Trinidad. The fourth organic farm to be visited is the Enca Farm in Tublay, Benguet.
BSU President Rogelio Colting will be giving a situationer on organic agriculture in the Cordillera on the first day of the congress and Rogel
Marzan of Cosmic Farm will give a talk on starting and managing an organic farm.
A topic on the harmful effects of pesticide will be given by Dr. Charles Cheng of the Filipino-Chinese Hospital and Professor Evangeline Cungihan and Dr. Ma. Klondy Dagupen of BSU will present a paper on the economics of organic farming cases.
The two-day congress, Gawisan said, will also present the programs of various government offices and a plenary session on waste management and
organic agriculture.
After the guided tour to the various organic farms on the second day, parallel sessions on organic vegetable production and marketing, a demonstration on rapid composting and preparation of organic fertilizers and pesticides will be discussed by various experts.
Herbal medicine specialist Precy Acoba will also show how to prepare herbs that are nutritious and medicinal to participants.
To cap the two-day congress, Gawisan added that a Cordillera agriculture road map will be presented to the participants to encourage and challenge them to venture into organic farming. Gawisan also noted that the congress is being supported by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, the Benguet Chamber of Commerce, the Province of Benguet, municipality of La Trinidad, Organic Farmers Associations, Cooperative Bank of Benguet and the only organic university in the country, the BSU. (Art Tibaldo)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos.
Farmers gear up for organic agri congress
"BE HEALTHY, Go Organic" goes the theme of the second Cordillera Organic Agriculture Congress slated this 15th and 16th of February at the Benguet State University (BSU).
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Farmers and entrepreneurs who will be participating in the congress will hear expert advises, researches, success stories as well as keynote speeches form invited guest speakers and lecturers.
Freda Gawisan, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Baguio-Benguet caretaker, expressed optimism that the second congress will entice more
farmers to go organic as more and more consumers are becoming health conscious.
As an added activity, congress participants will have a chance to observe and interact with farmers engaged in organic farming. The organic farms to be visited are the Cosmic Farm, Garden of Life and the BSU organic farm all located in nearby La Trinidad. The fourth organic farm to be visited is the Enca Farm in Tublay, Benguet.
BSU President Rogelio Colting will be giving a situationer on organic agriculture in the Cordillera on the first day of the congress and Rogel
Marzan of Cosmic Farm will give a talk on starting and managing an organic farm.
A topic on the harmful effects of pesticide will be given by Dr. Charles Cheng of the Filipino-Chinese Hospital and Professor Evangeline Cungihan and Dr. Ma. Klondy Dagupen of BSU will present a paper on the economics of organic farming cases.
The two-day congress, Gawisan said, will also present the programs of various government offices and a plenary session on waste management and
organic agriculture.
After the guided tour to the various organic farms on the second day, parallel sessions on organic vegetable production and marketing, a demonstration on rapid composting and preparation of organic fertilizers and pesticides will be discussed by various experts.
Herbal medicine specialist Precy Acoba will also show how to prepare herbs that are nutritious and medicinal to participants.
To cap the two-day congress, Gawisan added that a Cordillera agriculture road map will be presented to the participants to encourage and challenge them to venture into organic farming. Gawisan also noted that the congress is being supported by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, the Benguet Chamber of Commerce, the Province of Benguet, municipality of La Trinidad, Organic Farmers Associations, Cooperative Bank of Benguet and the only organic university in the country, the BSU. (Art Tibaldo)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos.
rogel marzan1
Practitioners of organic
farming set monitoring
By Noel Victa
Correspondent
dec. 25, 2006
PRACTITIONERS of organic farming are policing their own ranks from possible dishonest practices that might destroy the future of this booming industry.
Farmers engaged in organic agriculture have set internal quality-control mechanisms to ensure that products delivered to the markets are really grown free from artificial or chemical fertilizers and pesticides, a group based in Northern Luzon said.
According to Felix Tan, a member of the La Trinidad Organic Practitioners (LaTOP), the group has established a monitoring initiative to guarantee that its members are producing organic crops.
“We conduct monthly inspection to check if our members are the ones who produced the vegetables that are delivered to organic stalls at the public market,” said Tan, adding that the mechanism would guard the group from unscrupulous farmers who claim to produce organic crops even though they use chemicals.
Among the internal control measures done is the registration of crops that each member would plant, the quantity of expected yield and the probable date that these would be harvested.
Rogel Marzan, also a member of the LaTOP, said each member is expected to comply with the Philippine National Standards on organic agriculture.
Members should meet at least the minimum required standard for organic farming, including the proper mixture of organic fertilizers, Marzan said.
The group also encourages its members to go beyond the basic requirement of organic agriculture.
Tan said the organization has set its own standards to encourage members to further improve their farming practices.
“Members who engage in enhanced organic farming are given recognition. The group ranks his farm as either two-star or five-star farm, depending on his farming practices, Tan said, adding there are already two farms that were ranked five-stars—the Cosmic Farm, owned by Marzan and the Master’s Garden.
Meanwhile, advocates of organic agriculture have scheduled their second regional organic congress at the Benguet State University next year to further promote organic farming.
farming set monitoring
By Noel Victa
Correspondent
dec. 25, 2006
PRACTITIONERS of organic farming are policing their own ranks from possible dishonest practices that might destroy the future of this booming industry.
Farmers engaged in organic agriculture have set internal quality-control mechanisms to ensure that products delivered to the markets are really grown free from artificial or chemical fertilizers and pesticides, a group based in Northern Luzon said.
According to Felix Tan, a member of the La Trinidad Organic Practitioners (LaTOP), the group has established a monitoring initiative to guarantee that its members are producing organic crops.
“We conduct monthly inspection to check if our members are the ones who produced the vegetables that are delivered to organic stalls at the public market,” said Tan, adding that the mechanism would guard the group from unscrupulous farmers who claim to produce organic crops even though they use chemicals.
Among the internal control measures done is the registration of crops that each member would plant, the quantity of expected yield and the probable date that these would be harvested.
Rogel Marzan, also a member of the LaTOP, said each member is expected to comply with the Philippine National Standards on organic agriculture.
Members should meet at least the minimum required standard for organic farming, including the proper mixture of organic fertilizers, Marzan said.
The group also encourages its members to go beyond the basic requirement of organic agriculture.
Tan said the organization has set its own standards to encourage members to further improve their farming practices.
“Members who engage in enhanced organic farming are given recognition. The group ranks his farm as either two-star or five-star farm, depending on his farming practices, Tan said, adding there are already two farms that were ranked five-stars—the Cosmic Farm, owned by Marzan and the Master’s Garden.
Meanwhile, advocates of organic agriculture have scheduled their second regional organic congress at the Benguet State University next year to further promote organic farming.
Vegetarian noodles
Newly developed veggie noodles highly nutritiveJimmy Laking
Health, 4/20/2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vegetable noodles soon to be processed on a commercial scale by the state-owned Benguet State University are rich in Vitamin A, iron, and protein and were developed from temperate crops with known nutritive values.
“It is probably for this reason alone that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decided it should be marketed and made available nationwide,” said Dr. Rogelio Colting, president of BSU.
The highly nutritive noodles were developed by a team headed by Dr. Violeta B. Salda, who took up previous studies on noodle production in Hong Kong.
To make the pro-duct available nationwide through the “Tindahan ni Gloria,” President Arroyo has awarded BSU on March 22, a P10-million funding for the purchase of equipment and the putting up of a building needed for a processing center.
Colting said the processing center will process different kinds of vegetable based products like pasta, noodles, meat, puree, soup, and powder.
He said vegetables will be sourced from local farmers, ensuring an alternative and steady market for their products.
“In a way, the center will help to stabilize veggie prices because the center will be buying their pro-ducts the whole year-round,” he said.
He said the pro-ducts are unique in that these are guaranteed to be developed from vegetables with high nutrient contents. “It would be ideal to family needs.”
He said that the funding provided by GMA would enable the university to perfect the technology in the production of noodles and other vegetable products.
He said the production center is equivalent to an assembly line for fresh noodles using fresh vegetable products.
“We will start first on a pilot scale then increase production as we acquire the necessary equipment,” Colting said.
Health, 4/20/2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vegetable noodles soon to be processed on a commercial scale by the state-owned Benguet State University are rich in Vitamin A, iron, and protein and were developed from temperate crops with known nutritive values.
“It is probably for this reason alone that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decided it should be marketed and made available nationwide,” said Dr. Rogelio Colting, president of BSU.
The highly nutritive noodles were developed by a team headed by Dr. Violeta B. Salda, who took up previous studies on noodle production in Hong Kong.
To make the pro-duct available nationwide through the “Tindahan ni Gloria,” President Arroyo has awarded BSU on March 22, a P10-million funding for the purchase of equipment and the putting up of a building needed for a processing center.
Colting said the processing center will process different kinds of vegetable based products like pasta, noodles, meat, puree, soup, and powder.
He said vegetables will be sourced from local farmers, ensuring an alternative and steady market for their products.
“In a way, the center will help to stabilize veggie prices because the center will be buying their pro-ducts the whole year-round,” he said.
He said the pro-ducts are unique in that these are guaranteed to be developed from vegetables with high nutrient contents. “It would be ideal to family needs.”
He said that the funding provided by GMA would enable the university to perfect the technology in the production of noodles and other vegetable products.
He said the production center is equivalent to an assembly line for fresh noodles using fresh vegetable products.
“We will start first on a pilot scale then increase production as we acquire the necessary equipment,” Colting said.
martial art 1
Atok pride misses WBO title; Igorot boxers cited by GMAJogin Tamayo
Sports, 3/30/2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cordilleras missed having a legitimate world champion last March 17.
The youthful Javier Malulan of Atok, Benguet lost by a close split decision to Pungluang Sor Singyu of Thailand for the vacant World Boxing Organization flyweight title in Pattaya, Thailand.
“Bugbog na iyung Thai na kalaban ni Javier pero nung huli kinapos na... niner-biyos daw,” said international matchmaker and local boxing promoter Brico Santig who accompanied Malulan and another Filipino boxer from Davao.
Malulan, from the Everlasting stable, skipped the main event during the Great Fights at the Heights last March 9 at the CCDC gym in Buyagan to face his biggest challenge in his professional career.
“Sayang, may world champion na sana tayo,” said Santig who also accompanied Malulan and Amor Tino, another boxer from Bokod, Benguet in receiving their citations from no less than President Gloria Arroyo during the 8th Banquet of Champions and the Elorde Awards Night last March 28 at the Manila Hotel.
The two Cordillera champions joined seve-ral other Filipino world boxing champions including newly crowned World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Man-ny Pacquiao, Gerry Peñalosa, Nonito Do-naire, Bernabe Con-cepcion, and former champ Luisito Espi-nosa, among others.
Tino is the WBO Youth Asian Pacific superfeatherweight champion while Malulan is the WBO-AsPac flyweight division champion.
Meanwhile, after winning gold and silver medals in the World Muay Boran Championships, some members of the victorious Cordillera delegation stayed behind in Thailand to attend a summer camp in muay thai.
Ricky Agayas and George Lusadan, gold medalists in sparring, and Reneboy Bellisil and Delver Mangaoile, silver medalists in the same event, underwent training at the Bangkok Sawat Training Camp and will be home by April 5.
Agayas, also the lone gold medalist in the World Martial Arts Festival last December in Thailand, together with his group also won the gold in the muay aerobics team event.
Sports, 3/30/2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cordilleras missed having a legitimate world champion last March 17.
The youthful Javier Malulan of Atok, Benguet lost by a close split decision to Pungluang Sor Singyu of Thailand for the vacant World Boxing Organization flyweight title in Pattaya, Thailand.
“Bugbog na iyung Thai na kalaban ni Javier pero nung huli kinapos na... niner-biyos daw,” said international matchmaker and local boxing promoter Brico Santig who accompanied Malulan and another Filipino boxer from Davao.
Malulan, from the Everlasting stable, skipped the main event during the Great Fights at the Heights last March 9 at the CCDC gym in Buyagan to face his biggest challenge in his professional career.
“Sayang, may world champion na sana tayo,” said Santig who also accompanied Malulan and Amor Tino, another boxer from Bokod, Benguet in receiving their citations from no less than President Gloria Arroyo during the 8th Banquet of Champions and the Elorde Awards Night last March 28 at the Manila Hotel.
The two Cordillera champions joined seve-ral other Filipino world boxing champions including newly crowned World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Man-ny Pacquiao, Gerry Peñalosa, Nonito Do-naire, Bernabe Con-cepcion, and former champ Luisito Espi-nosa, among others.
Tino is the WBO Youth Asian Pacific superfeatherweight champion while Malulan is the WBO-AsPac flyweight division champion.
Meanwhile, after winning gold and silver medals in the World Muay Boran Championships, some members of the victorious Cordillera delegation stayed behind in Thailand to attend a summer camp in muay thai.
Ricky Agayas and George Lusadan, gold medalists in sparring, and Reneboy Bellisil and Delver Mangaoile, silver medalists in the same event, underwent training at the Bangkok Sawat Training Camp and will be home by April 5.
Agayas, also the lone gold medalist in the World Martial Arts Festival last December in Thailand, together with his group also won the gold in the muay aerobics team event.
wushu 1
Wushu Olympian shines; Slow Pitch tourney slated
by Jogin Tamayo
baguio midland news Nov. 2 , 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still fresh from his bronze medal finish in the recent Olympic Wushu Championships in Beijing, Benjie Rivera went back to work again with a silver medal in the 56-kilogram sanshou event in the 4th Wushu Sanshou World Cup held in Harbin, China last Sept. 19-21.
Regional president Tasuitong Candelaria said that Cordillera athletes “continue to be a force to reckon with in combative sports with a proven track record in excellence.”
Candelaria revealed that Olympians Rivera and fellow bronze medalist Marianne Mariano continued competing abroad a few weeks after the Beijing stint in preparation for the coming world championships.
Meanwhile, The Baguio City Batted Balls Club will kick off its Slow Pitch Tournament starting Nov. 9 at the Melvin Jones grounds.
The club is also conducting a clinic on batted ball skills every Sunday at the Athletic Bowl.
“This is open to all interested elementary and high school students and is free of charge,” said Alex Dalog.
“This is aimed at improving and promoting batted ball games in the grassroot level,” added Dalog.
Interested teams for the tournament may get in touch with Jano Cardenas (0927-826-2769) or Lovise Llaneta (0927-934-0315) and Dalog (0928-524-1677) for the clinic.
by Jogin Tamayo
baguio midland news Nov. 2 , 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still fresh from his bronze medal finish in the recent Olympic Wushu Championships in Beijing, Benjie Rivera went back to work again with a silver medal in the 56-kilogram sanshou event in the 4th Wushu Sanshou World Cup held in Harbin, China last Sept. 19-21.
Regional president Tasuitong Candelaria said that Cordillera athletes “continue to be a force to reckon with in combative sports with a proven track record in excellence.”
Candelaria revealed that Olympians Rivera and fellow bronze medalist Marianne Mariano continued competing abroad a few weeks after the Beijing stint in preparation for the coming world championships.
Meanwhile, The Baguio City Batted Balls Club will kick off its Slow Pitch Tournament starting Nov. 9 at the Melvin Jones grounds.
The club is also conducting a clinic on batted ball skills every Sunday at the Athletic Bowl.
“This is open to all interested elementary and high school students and is free of charge,” said Alex Dalog.
“This is aimed at improving and promoting batted ball games in the grassroot level,” added Dalog.
Interested teams for the tournament may get in touch with Jano Cardenas (0927-826-2769) or Lovise Llaneta (0927-934-0315) and Dalog (0928-524-1677) for the clinic.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Environmental issues 1
Albay boy’s drawing bests 1,676 worldwide
By Ephraim Aguilar
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: August 31, 2008
GUINOBATAN, Albay, Philippines—Bryle Napay’s mind is etched with memories of rainy days when he would set aside his black leather shoes and wade to school on slippers as floods would rise fast in their village in Camalig town.
These memories were what inspired Bryle, now 16, to join the Shoot Nations 2008 contest, where his drawing bested 1,676 entries from all over the world.
Shoot Nations, organized by Plan International and London-based Shoot Experience, is an annual photography and drawing contest, which encourages young people to express their thoughts on global issues.
It aims to use these art forms as tools for cross-cultural, language-free communication. Entries are sent online.
This year’s theme revolved around climate change, a global menace that has prompted advocates to launch worldwide campaigns on awareness and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
But Bryle’s drawing, which he finished in just a day using paint and oil pastel, conveyed a simple message out of “a hand holding a seedling.”
It was captioned, “Reminds me that we can still do small things before it’s too late.”
A newbie in outside-the-school drawing contests, Bryle, senior high school student at the Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School here, said he never thought his drawing would win as “Best Overall Drawing” in the all-age category.
Bryle’s winning entry will be printed for exhibition at the World Youth Congress in Quebec, Canada, for the United Nations International Youth Day 2008.
It is also posted on www.shootnations.org and was exhibited at the OXO Tower Gallery in London last Aug. 12 to 17.
Bryle said his awareness of the ill-effects of environmental degradation as experienced by his community vividly showed him the impacts of a changing climate.
“Since [my] kindergarten [days], our village had always been flooded,” he recalled.
This reality, Bryle said, made him easily understand that deeds as small as littering trash have greater effects on a larger population.
He said that as thousands of young people view his drawings, he wants to send a message of unity.
“If every one would contribute in small ways and with all our efforts, we can save mother earth,” he said.
He lamented that most of the so-called “wired generation,” or those born in the advent of mobile technology, have become passive of environmental issues.
“Even if there are environmental laws and education in schools, some young people would not really care. But this can change if the youth are properly educated,” he said.
Dream
Given the chance, he said, he would love to create cartoons, whose content advocates environmental protection.
“I want to make animé about climate change so the youth will be aware of this issue,” he said.
After winning the contest, Bryle said he was motivated to learn more about environmental issues.
Because of his Shoot Nations stint, Bryle received an invitation to become a young ambassador for climate change in the YouthXchange, a international campaign initiative on sustainable consumption and production.
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
By Ephraim Aguilar
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: August 31, 2008
GUINOBATAN, Albay, Philippines—Bryle Napay’s mind is etched with memories of rainy days when he would set aside his black leather shoes and wade to school on slippers as floods would rise fast in their village in Camalig town.
These memories were what inspired Bryle, now 16, to join the Shoot Nations 2008 contest, where his drawing bested 1,676 entries from all over the world.
Shoot Nations, organized by Plan International and London-based Shoot Experience, is an annual photography and drawing contest, which encourages young people to express their thoughts on global issues.
It aims to use these art forms as tools for cross-cultural, language-free communication. Entries are sent online.
This year’s theme revolved around climate change, a global menace that has prompted advocates to launch worldwide campaigns on awareness and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
But Bryle’s drawing, which he finished in just a day using paint and oil pastel, conveyed a simple message out of “a hand holding a seedling.”
It was captioned, “Reminds me that we can still do small things before it’s too late.”
A newbie in outside-the-school drawing contests, Bryle, senior high school student at the Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School here, said he never thought his drawing would win as “Best Overall Drawing” in the all-age category.
Bryle’s winning entry will be printed for exhibition at the World Youth Congress in Quebec, Canada, for the United Nations International Youth Day 2008.
It is also posted on www.shootnations.org and was exhibited at the OXO Tower Gallery in London last Aug. 12 to 17.
Bryle said his awareness of the ill-effects of environmental degradation as experienced by his community vividly showed him the impacts of a changing climate.
“Since [my] kindergarten [days], our village had always been flooded,” he recalled.
This reality, Bryle said, made him easily understand that deeds as small as littering trash have greater effects on a larger population.
He said that as thousands of young people view his drawings, he wants to send a message of unity.
“If every one would contribute in small ways and with all our efforts, we can save mother earth,” he said.
He lamented that most of the so-called “wired generation,” or those born in the advent of mobile technology, have become passive of environmental issues.
“Even if there are environmental laws and education in schools, some young people would not really care. But this can change if the youth are properly educated,” he said.
Dream
Given the chance, he said, he would love to create cartoons, whose content advocates environmental protection.
“I want to make animé about climate change so the youth will be aware of this issue,” he said.
After winning the contest, Bryle said he was motivated to learn more about environmental issues.
Because of his Shoot Nations stint, Bryle received an invitation to become a young ambassador for climate change in the YouthXchange, a international campaign initiative on sustainable consumption and production.
^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
30 years of treating patients for free
Inquirer Headlines / Regions
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20081011-165816
HOMETOWN SNAPSHOTS
HOMETOWN SNAPSHOTS : 30 years of treating patients for free
By Donna Demetillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: October 11, 2008
BAGUIO CITY – The revelation came to Dr. Victor Dumaguing 30 years ago when a woman and her son came to him for treatment.
He recalls that day: “A mother brought her son for treatment of pneumonia and tuberculosis. I examined the mother and found she, too, had tuberculosis. I thought to myself: How could she take care of her son when she herself was sick? Whatever money they had, they should use it for medicines.”
Since then, Dumaguing, 59, has been treating patients for free.
“I opened my eyes to the realities of the medical field. I saw the need,” said Dumaguing, a native of Naguilian, La Union.
On Sept. 29, he was among 10 doctors honored by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senate Philippines in the annual search for The Outstanding Filipino Physicians (TOFP).
“I was the only doctor there who is from the province. I felt honored that someone was chosen from the Cordillera,” said Dumaguing, who stands firm in his desire to stay in the country and serve Filipinos.
After graduating from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Medical School, where he finished salutatorian, Dumaguing worked at the government-owned Philippine General Hospital.
Working in the outpatient department of a government hospital, he treated people who were very ill and had little money to spare for medication.
It was at that moment that Dumaguing made a “covenant with God” that he would never collect fees from his patients.
He is one of the doctors of the Saint Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart here where patients line up to see him as their doctor and friend.
“He is our doctor but he is also our guidance counselor,” said a patient.
Dumaguing continues to give free medical attention, earning his bread and butter from teaching instead.
On weekends, he goes around the villages where he conducts lectures on maternal and child health, performs circumcisions, does blood tests and deworming, and gives away basic medicines for cough, colds, fever and diarrhea, among other things, as part of his outreach program.
He also joins civic organizations in various charity works. He has been called “the rain or shine doctor” for going about medical missions in bad and good weather.
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©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20081011-165816
HOMETOWN SNAPSHOTS
HOMETOWN SNAPSHOTS : 30 years of treating patients for free
By Donna Demetillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: October 11, 2008
BAGUIO CITY – The revelation came to Dr. Victor Dumaguing 30 years ago when a woman and her son came to him for treatment.
He recalls that day: “A mother brought her son for treatment of pneumonia and tuberculosis. I examined the mother and found she, too, had tuberculosis. I thought to myself: How could she take care of her son when she herself was sick? Whatever money they had, they should use it for medicines.”
Since then, Dumaguing, 59, has been treating patients for free.
“I opened my eyes to the realities of the medical field. I saw the need,” said Dumaguing, a native of Naguilian, La Union.
On Sept. 29, he was among 10 doctors honored by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senate Philippines in the annual search for The Outstanding Filipino Physicians (TOFP).
“I was the only doctor there who is from the province. I felt honored that someone was chosen from the Cordillera,” said Dumaguing, who stands firm in his desire to stay in the country and serve Filipinos.
After graduating from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Medical School, where he finished salutatorian, Dumaguing worked at the government-owned Philippine General Hospital.
Working in the outpatient department of a government hospital, he treated people who were very ill and had little money to spare for medication.
It was at that moment that Dumaguing made a “covenant with God” that he would never collect fees from his patients.
He is one of the doctors of the Saint Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart here where patients line up to see him as their doctor and friend.
“He is our doctor but he is also our guidance counselor,” said a patient.
Dumaguing continues to give free medical attention, earning his bread and butter from teaching instead.
On weekends, he goes around the villages where he conducts lectures on maternal and child health, performs circumcisions, does blood tests and deworming, and gives away basic medicines for cough, colds, fever and diarrhea, among other things, as part of his outreach program.
He also joins civic organizations in various charity works. He has been called “the rain or shine doctor” for going about medical missions in bad and good weather.
^ Back to top
©Copyright 2001-2008 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
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