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The Philippines’ very own Efren Peñaflorida, the kariton educator, has been honored the 2009 CNN hero of the year.

The recognition was given to Peñaflorida at the third annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” held at the Kodak theater in Hollywood  Saturday night. The event honoring the top 10 Heroes of 2009, featured stars and award-winning actors and actresses including, Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Underwood and Leona Lewis.

After seven weeks of online voting, Peñaflorida was hailed the victor with more than 2.75 million votes.

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry,” he said upon receiving his honor. “Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

He also addressed the youth by saying, “My message to children of all races, please, to embrace learning and love it for it will embrace and love you back and enable you to change your world.”

He was granted US$100,000 and said in a previous interview that 90 percent of the cash incentive will be used to aid the DTC’s projects and the remaining 10 percent will go to the A Blessed Church in Cavite City.

Peñaflorida, who grew up in Cavite city, is an advocate of education. He brings education to deprived street children armed with his Kariton Klasrum and the determination to give every child the chance to be better. In 1997, he established a group that encourages children to learn instead of joining gangs and fraternities. The group is called the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). The group brought education to children in the form of a mini-library with teaching aids carried by a kariton, thus spawning the present day Kariton Klasrum. 

Among the selected top 10 CNN Heroes with Peñaflorida are, Brad  Blauser with his Wheelchair for Iraqi Kids program; Roy Foster who provided life-changing help for almost 900 struggling homeless veterans; and Andrea Ivory, a breast cancer survivor who provides door-to-door free screening for uninsured women in Miami, Florida – By MALORIE D. MAGSUCI mb.com.ph

Of late, we have all witnessed nature’s onslaught – raging floods that killed thousands and left many homeless, tons of mud that buried people alive, catastrophic landslides and erosions, heavy winds that uprooted trees and toppled homes. All of these are Mother Earth’s response to the abuses we have made, and a very portentous and apparent caveat comes with this: We will all perish lest we do something about it.

This seems to be the message that the University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Centennial Artists are trying to get across in their last exhibit at the Trade Hall of the Gateway Mall. The group exhibit is still part of the continuing art education of the UP Alumni Association. Although not entirely an offshoot of the Ondoy and Pepeng typhoons, the show dubbed as ‘Kalikasan’ hit home and came out very timely.

Poetic, colorful, and alive, the 113 artworks in the show depicted nature at its best. Wielded and rendered in different artistic expressions, the paintings remind us that the environment should be given the utmost attention and care for the very reason that it sustains us.  They tell us that Mother Earth is inherently good to us and gives us a stunning and picturesque escape when not left to man’s destructive devices. Central to the opuses in the exhibit are pristine falls, vast green fields, perennials, blooms, bodies of water, and wildlife among others.

According to group leader Romy Carlos, majority of the works have been made solely for the exhibit while others have been made several years back such as National Artist Jose Joya’s landscape of Zarraga, Iloilo made in 1980 and National Artist Cesar Legaspi’s pastel drawing of a hot summer day in Iloilo that was finished in 1976.

Notable and memorable pieces include Araceli Limcaco-Dans’ painting of a scene in Batanes titled ‘The Carabao,’ where several Igorots are walking an earthy pathway with a carabao in tow; Vincent de Pio’s almost abstract seascape done with thick impastos of black and with hints of fleshy and rosy tones; Roberto Duldulao’s Zen-inspired oeuvre; and Norly Membian’s artwork fashioned with gestural splatters of paint.

Two of the participating artists in the exhibit are Mar Bongalon and Manuel Gamboa. Known for being a figurative artist, Bongalon captured nature using an impressionistic technique. His works ‘Carillon Receding Light’ and ‘Carillon Sunset’ arrest the passage of time and transient light over a scenic view. Gamboa, on the other hand, painted his hideaway from the bustling metropolis for the show.

Billed ‘Secret Coves,’ the diptych has a childlike and effervescent quality. One can tell that it was done with a fervent passion for colors and play rather than with the rigid rudiments of form and structure.
Come December, Carlos said that they are mounting another Mother-and-Child-themed exhibit. The month will also see the core group of the Centennial Artists staging another show titled ‘Sining Saysay.’ It will coincide with the 50th anniversary of Araneta Center. The would-be suite of paintings will put into murals some of the country’s most significant historical events—from pre-colonial period up to Martial Law.

Works from this would-be exhibition will be hung around the Araneta Coliseum. UP Professor for art history and curator Ruben Defeo will be part of the overseeing committee for this project, said Carlos in a previous interview. Slated to participate aside from Carlos are National Artist BenCab, Janice Young, Gig de Pio, Tessie Duldulao, Eileen Lanusa, Cris Cruz, and Ding Hidalgo to mention a few.

So far, the group has produced six shows in just half a year.

For more information about the UP Alumni Association and the UP Centennial Alumni Artists and their works, contact Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Ramon Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City; 929-8327, or visit www.upalumni.ph

Sembreak is good for two things: thinking about things, and catching up on reading.

That being said, I’m thinking: why is it that most people aren’t into reading?

The thought entered my head one Sunday night as I was alternating between re-reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude’’ (they say you only begin to appreciate its’ meaning the second time around), and chatting with a former classmate online. Somehow, we started talking about books and how not so many of our friends read. Before that conversation, I did not know that she was the type who read extensively. Readers, apparently, come in the most surprising packages.

I know this to be true from experience.

Some of the widest readers I know are the farthest things from the bookworm stereotype we’ve all become familiar with. They are a diverse set of people, ranging from models to musicians
to Math majors. Even the people you see on a daily basis — your best friend, break mates, and classmates — might actually be avid readers and you just don’t know it.

Of course, the reality is that most people aren’t. Most people are either music junkies or TV series aficionados, but never book buffs. Even the most popular pieces of literature like Harry Potter and Twilight (though I would hesitate to call it ‘a piece of literature’) are often watched before they are read, if they are read at all. I guess people of my generation simply don’t have the patience to pick up a good story, lie down on the sofa, and start reading.

It must have been easier before television and computers happened. But that was an era I never lived through. All I know is that with things like Glee, Gossip Girl, and Plants vs Zombies, what incentive
would anyone have to read? It is so much easier to have scenes pictured out for you than having to imagine them while reading a dull page full of words. Books just offer no competition when compared to the more visually-oriented media we have today. Comic books provide a little, but film companies turn them into movies anyway.

Reading is hard work compared to watching TV or playing computer games. That is the problem. But I think people lose out on a lot by not dealing with it. There is a value to written literature that cannot be found in visual or digital media. And that is the way it trains you to imagine, to analyze, and to think. TV spoonfeeds everything; books don’t. In watching TV, meaning can be plainly seen. In reading, meaning can only be discovered.

This is why I find it sort of sad that many of my peers have gone through “Florante at Laura’’ in high school only to say, “Yeah, that book was useless.” That people have read “A Rose for Emily’’ and not understand that the point of view was what made the story truly brilliant. That my friend read ‘’One Hundred Years of Solitude’’ once for Lit class and told me that the book was just a pointlessly long narrative. That there are countless other writers (many of them contemporary) with countless amazing stories that will never be read by a large audience, and yet people persist in watching The Hills or that horrible remake of 90210.

But that’s not to say that literature can’t do its part in bridging the gap. The same friend told me about her blockmate who didn’t appreciate Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in high school, but was made to read a more modern version, with more friendly vocabulary, by his Lit professor.

He ended up loving it. Tapping into things that appeal to our generation might be helpful in encouraging us to read — this was how the idea for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was born, and it has become massively popular abroad.

Maybe another way of doing it is to convert books into a digital format. I mean when you think about it, young people read all the time in the form of blogs, Facebook notes, and Twitter statuses. I would also think that most of us would be into reading if this were the case, but somehow ‘reading’ is still a different experience from using the Internet.

Finally, I think more parents should start their kids early in the habit of reading.

I am appalled that very few parents encourage their kids to read. It gets harder to get kids started on reading if they are only encouraged much later.

I guess people tend to think they miss out when they are reading. That it’s so much hard work for so little gratification.

Yet the truth is that people miss out on more when they’re not reading — not only on the stories, but the skills and the knowledge that come with the experience.

But really, come on. It’s sembreak! Why don’t we read?

(The author is a sophomore at the Ateneo de Manila University. Visit http://james.soriano-ph.com, or mail me at james@soriano-ph.com)

MANILA, Philippines—A sophomore student of St. Stephen’s High School in Sta. Cruz, Manila, got a perfect score while 13 other young Filipino numbers aces registered scores of over 99.7 percent in the tough 2009 Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Julius Vincent Sy was one of only 20 students worldwide who scored 100 percent in this year’s AMC.

For his feat, Sy received a medal and a Peter O’ Halloran certificate during Tuesday’s AMC awarding ceremonies at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay City.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Dr. Peter Taylor, executive director of the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT) which runs the AMC, were special guests.

The 13 other Filipino topnotchers in the AMC were Amiel Sy and Emiliano Tan from Philippine Science High School-Main, Justin Edric Yturzaeta from Jubilee Christian Academy, John Russell Virata from Gideon Academy, Alvin Uy Lim from Quezon City Science High School, and Seanne Ng, Adrian Sy, Czarina Lao and Audrey Lao from St. Jude Catholic School.

Lormes Pedeglorio from Butuan City Special Education Center, Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa from Paref-Westbridge School, Jake Gacuan from the University of the Philippines, and Aldric Cristobal Reyes from Chiang Kai Shek College.

Fifty-six other students also won top honors in the AMC, which was held simultaneously in August in Australia and 35-plus other countries worldwide, including the Philippines.

Administered in RP

More than 2,000 Filipino elementary and high school students took part in the AMC, which was administered in the Philippines by AMT representatives, Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines (MTG) and the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.

“We at MTG are very proud of the latest achievements of our trainees. This goes to show that many Filipino students are really talented in Math,” said Dr. Simon Chua, MTG cofounder and president.

MTG wards

Most of the local contestants are MTG wards. Some of them will represent the country in the Philippine International Math Competitions scheduled for late November in Iloilo City.

The first AMC, held in 1976, was limited to Australian students. Two years later, students from New Zealand were allowed to join the contest.

Since 2005, the competition has spread to more than 35 nations all over the world, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Bulgaria, Germany, South Africa and the People’s Republic of China.

The contest paper consists of 30-multiple choice questions, which are ordered in increasing difficulty.

Students are given 75 minutes to solve the problems which cover arithmetic, algebra, geometry and problem-solving. – Inquirer.net

Dear Job Applicant,

I just got your resume, font size 14 and triple-spaced. If it were a landscape, a desert comes to mind. Sparse, drym and with lots of open spaces, with a photo that convinces me of your lack of knowledge about Abode Photoshop.

So here’s the thing. As the chief headhunter, I really don’t care if you enjoy badminton. Of course, I am happy that you have endurance for it, but my chief concern is if our organization can endure and be enhance by you, and vice-versa.

I also know that you love attending seminars. let me guess, you probably kept each and every certificate of attendance laminated and framed hanging on your wall. I don’t think you should have included that seminar on drunk driving though. It sends wrong signals.

Despite the lack of relivant information about you, I will still see you on Monday. I hope you prepare well for your interview because you are number 46 on a list of seventy applicants. It will still be a tough day for your interviewer, having to meet and listen to the pitches of so many people, competing for this single, blessed job vacancy.

What will make you stand out? You would have to sell yourself, keeping in mind the perspective of the buyer. In short, this is not really all about you. It’s about us, and the fact that we do have the money to keep you and your dreams alive. If you come late, then out you go. If you show up with greasy hair, a tattoo in your arm, and hot Shawarma breath, then your resume goes straight to the garbage bin.

Your are not going on stage to audition for American Idol where you can be spectacular or stupidly outlandish, and still make it on the show. In my room, when you come in to take you seat, there really are no second chances. As Heidi Klum on Project Runaway loves to say, it’s either you’re in or out. Bear that in mind when you decide to stroll in my office ten minutes late.

If you slouch in your seat, then that means you are too lazy to even think or care about your personal image. How can we expect you to think about our own institutional image and integrity?

If you come for an interview and you have absolutely no idea about the programs and services we offer, it shows a lack of initiative on your part. It also gives me the impression that you don’t really care about us. You are simply going through the motions of applying for a job.

If you sit across me and start acting bored in the first five minutes of our talk, then maybe you are not cut out for the job. You are probably already daydreaming about your next interview. Extending our conversation would simply be a waste of time.

Here are more tips on how not to land a job:

1. Show up in frayed demins, a halter-top, and sneakers. Ah, audicity of youth!
2. Getting the name of your interviewer and the head of the company wrong.
3. Applying for an account executive and underscoring your units in accounting. Not the same folks, not the same.
4. Telling your interviewer on how much they like your products and then mentioning a different brand? Not cool.
5. Asking about the starting salary, even before the interviewer mentions and describes the work involved. Atribida!
6. And when the interviewer asks you about any future plans, you reallyshouldn’t tell him about your plan to watch moview right after the job interview.

The thing is, if you want to sell yourself then be yourself, but just a tad better. Your competitors are not just the fresh graduates fron any other colleges, but the ex-OFWs who have since returned who have actual experience and not just seminars attended on their resumes. You are also competing with the outsourcing of work to project-based contractuals here and around the world.

The world has changed immensely from when you first entered college. It takes more than connections now to land a decent job. In short, what we have is buyer’s market, where a company headhunter has access to online applications, alumni networks, and walk-in applicants, for every single job opening.

To land a job, you’d have to prepare yourself long before your first interview. Because what you really are looking for, is not just any job – but a career to call your own. Your resume is just part of your arsenal of marketing tools. If your lifetime achievement can fit on one page, triple-space and all, then make up for it with personality, initiative, and infectious enthusiasm that makes it hard for even the most tired interviewer to ignore you.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

YBP (Your Potential Boss)

Source: Philippine Panorama - October 11, 2009 – Susan V. Ople

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean student i want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar; it’s the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present.

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think that corruption is the big problem in the Philippines ? I don’t think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines .

Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point.

After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest country in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippin, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos.. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investor because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him, “President, when can we be well off?” That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off.

Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country.

They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines
.
Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith.

I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsanjan Falls , I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it.

But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them. My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.

She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God, so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let’s put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do unto Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love.

If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That’s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE TO OUR FELLOW FILIPINOS)

Do not blame poverty on political leaders. Leaders are nothing for without the help & cooperation of their countrymen. I hope this essay brings forth changes in our perspective in life especially with the way we see our future in this country, the Philippines! Stand up & be proud Filipinos!

Good afternoon.

Let me start my speech with this quote: “Pinagpapalà ang pinagpapala, at pinagpapala ang pinagpapalà.”

For those who didn’t get that, let me literally translate it in English: “Blessed are those who shovel, and those who are blessed are made to shovel.” Of course, it loses its lyricism, so I repeat: “Pinagpapalà ang pinagpapala, at pinagpapala ang pinagpapalà.”

From the various talks that I have attended, I noticed a general theme: that aside from being good students, which is the primary reason why all of us are here today to be recognized by the College of Science, we should have leadership capabilities and social responsibility. Of course, the fact that we’re from UP sets great expectations.

Do I agree with that? I will make this clear: yes, I do agree. Academic excellence alone is a joy that you will most likely keep to yourself, and if not put to good use, then the University has invested on something for nothing.

The question now is: how do we, as scientists, help in nation building?

I have noticed, again, from the many talks that I have attended, that the common idea of “community service” is Sangguniang Kabataan. Red Cross. Gawad Kalinga. Opinion leaders view community service, which they correlate to nation building, as using physical energy to help the poor. You want to do community service? Solicit money from your congressman and donate a school building. You want to do community service? Help during calamities. You want to do community service? Build houses for the poor.

Again, let me make this clear: These ways are indeed community service. But are these the only ways to do community service? Should community service simply be giving something for nothing? Should community service necessarily involve a lot of legwork? Should the effects of community service be immediate?

Let me ask you now: When Michael Faraday discovered magnetic induction, was that community service?

When James Hutton developed and Charles Lyell promoted the theory of uniformitarianism, was that community service?

When our very own Alexander Edward Dy made it possible for amoebiasis to be tested based on salivary IgA instead of stool, was that community service?

Current conventional wisdom would answer: NO. Faraday had been criticized before for discovering something without practical use. And so what if slow geological processes occurred eons before and continue until now? And how can Alexander Dy’s amoebiasis test serve the poor in the squatters’ area? His method will definitely not give jobs to them. It wouldn’t give them shelter. And it’s not FREE.

But Faraday’s discovery of magnetic induction is what led to using AC power in our homes. It is the reason why we can power this microphone. It is the reason why you have lights at home and in the classroom. It is the reason why you can power your refrigerator.

The concept of uniformitarianism did nothing to help the poor, but it helped gain more understanding of the Earth. And it is uniformitarianism that influenced Charles Darwin in formulating his theory of evolution. And I think you know how influential Darwin’s theory of natural selection had been.

Mr. Dy’s amoebiasis test would probably not be given for free. It would not give them shelter, and most probably, wouldn’t give jobs, at least not to the usual recipients of charity. But if amoebiasis can be diagnosed faster simply by getting the saliva of a patient, something which can be readily obtained, then more amoebiasis patients would be cured. More lives would be saved.

The community service of scientists is often underestimated. Our discoveries are often tagged as having no practical applications, of no use in calamities, and of no immediate help to the poor. If Faraday had concentrated on donating blood, if Hutton and Lyell focused on building houses, if Alexander Dy, now magna cum laude, insisted on tutoring every single kid in his barangay FOR FREE, then they would be considered by the majority as excellent servers of the community. But they would not have done what they have done. Where would we be now?

Fellow scientists, do not be disheartened. Our efforts may be devalued by those who seek immediate, visible, and tangible results. But the fact remains: science drives the technology that makes lives better all over the world. Our devotion to our craft, our unceasing search for our holy grail, that piece of knowledge that will change the way things are, is as much community service as the more popular and immediately recognized forms of giving. Let not the pressure to be recognized make us stray from our efforts to improve the life of humanity in the best way we can.

Thank you.

BASEY, Samar, Philippines—The Cadac-an River has played a significant role in the history of the ancient town of Basey in Samar province.

It got its name from being the biggest river in the area, with the mouth currently measuring about 500 meters.

Basey was originally located near the river’s mouth, in a place now known as the village of Binongto-an. Like other early coastal settlements, it was not spared from plunder by the Moro marauders, which resulted in the poblacion being moved a few kilometers north of Binongto-an to its present site.

Because of the Moro raids, people living in villages along the river bank had to move deeper into the uplands, some of them venturing into caves now known as the Sohoton Caves. Archaeological diggings in the 1960s uncovered graves of early people inside one of the Sohoton caverns.

During the Philippine-American War, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Filipino revolutionaries established a camp atop a cave, now called Panhulugan, at the confluence of the Cadac-an and Sohoton rivers. From their vantage point, they would throw bamboo spears and drop boulders into the river where an enemy boat was passing by.

The Americans, however, were able to eventually overrun the camp in the late 1901.

The Cadac-an River has also been a mute witness to the environmental destruction of the mountains of Basey by a commercial logging firm, which, according to the mayor, had enriched itself and left nothing to the poor municipality. Thousands of logs were floated on the river and dragged to the outside world from the 1960s until the early 1980s.

It was probably the logging operations that caused the siltation of the river and changed its color from clear to light brown. The locals, however, saw a golden hue and started calling it the Golden River.

Protected area

In 1935, in a move to preserve the natural beauty of the area between the villages of Inuntan and Mabini, the farthest upstream village, the government declared protected the 840-hectare Sohoton Bridge Natural Park, which could be reached through the Golden River.

The national park boasts of caves with magnificent stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock formations, and of a natural bridge, an arch-shaped rock that connects two ridges over the river below.

Hundreds of tourists visit Basey every year, lured by the beauty of the park, particularly the spectacular Sohoton Caves.

The number has kept growing through the years such that the Sohoton Caves would eventually become the most frequently visited place in Eastern Visayas, according to the Department of Tourism regional office.

The growth in tourism prompted the DoT to train locals to become professional service providers to visitors.

Skills training that included cave guiding, kayaking, and food preparation were conducted last year, participated in by members of people’s organizations, such as the Sohoton Services Association (SSA), Basey Tourism Association (Batosan), and the Rawis Community-Based Resource Management. Each group has about 30 members.

The idea was to create a pool of service personnel for tourists and provide more income to the community.

While in the past, tourists had to take a one-hour tedious motorboat trip to reach the national park, today they travel in style and take a leisure ride by boat—an open pavilion on top of two outriggers—that serves food, provides entertainment, and allow them to see the landscape.

The river cruise is run by the municipal tourism office, in coordination with people’s organizations whose members were trained to become professional guides under the DOT’s Ecotourism Product Development Livelihood Project, with the support of Basey Mayor Wilfredo Estorninos.

The cost

For the cruise, municipal tourism officer Evangeline Ritaga said a P600-fee is collected per person for a group of at least 20 for the trip to the caves, inclusive of food and guided tour inside.

Ritaga said the number of local and foreign tourists who took the river cruise from May 18 to July 17 alone had reached 215. “This did not include the passengers on the maiden voyage of the river boat during its soft opening on May 11, which numbered 67,” she said.

Tourists not going to the caves can also take the cruise at P400 per person for a group of similar size. The package still includes a meal, but the passengers had to disembark at Sitio Rawis, from where they could go either to the Balintak Falls Nature Park or to the Rawis Cave near the wharf. Separate charges are collected for either destination.

People who want to paddle their way to the Sohoton Caves from the village of Inuntan can rent kayaks. The package includes a guide and free use of life jackets.

On August 9, no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited the area, took an adventure cruise, and explored the magnificent Sohoton Caves.

In 2006, she declared the Central Philippines as the premier tourist destination in the country under her super regions program. It comprises of Palawan, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Romblon, Siargao, and Dapitan/Dipolog.

Central Philippines boasts of unique natural wonders, white beaches, vast forest reserves, and diverse ecosystems, among others.

Ritaga revealed that her office is providing free guide services to tourists who want to go to other places in Basey, especially in the town proper where visitors could see mat weavers working in houses or go to the century-old stone church of Basey and other places.

Improvements

Karen Tiopes, tourism regional director, disclosed that the DoT plans to put up a modern jetty port at the village of Binongto-an to best serve the tourists. The port would include a jetty terminal with a ticket booth, souvenir shop, and comfort rooms.

There will also be a river promenade, tourist center, and parking space.

Two small jetty terminals will also be established in the village of Inuntan and at the Sohoton Caves area. The terminal in Inuntan would have eco-lodges where tourists could stay overnight or for days. The one at the Sohoton Caves entrance would serve as rest stop for tourists.

The Sohoton Caves would also be lighted and the trails inside improved, according to Tiopes.

Basey, a coastal town about 35 kilometers away from Tacloban City, could be reached from Tacloban by a 45-minute land trip passing through the picturesque San Juanico Bridge. Tacloban, on the other hand, is just an hour away from Manila by plane. Flights from Cebu to Tacloban are also available. – Inquirer.net

MAITUM, Sarangani—This province is not just world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s home. It is also home to an outdoor sports haven.

The village of New La Union here, gateway to 1.6-kilometer Pangi River, is about one and a half hours from General Santos City by land.

Vincent Yabes, a son of Maitum’s former mayor, discovered the tourism potential of the white water tubing here in 2003, says tourism operation assistant Arlex Narte.

Since then, the town has hosted about 250 guests a month, said Narte.

What’s the difference with white water rafting? No muscle pains because instead of paddling, adventurers just ride down the river on a tube made of recycled truck rubber tires.

A fee of P120 is equivalent to about 30 minutes of thrill; fee includes a life jacket and a helmet for protection. Thrill seekers are advised to wear outdoor sandals with straps rather than slippers because of the strong current, as well as goggles.

Guests who are under 18 are asked to get consent from their parents, even as a local guide takes care of the guest from the back tube.

“Sometimes, there’s a tendency for the tube to turn over. So, we remind the guest not to panic and hold the rubber handles attached on the tube firmly,” says Narte.

The Green Cross and Zonrox brands are now undisputably among the biggest households names in the country, but their successes didn’t come easy.

Perseverance, hardwork, a lot of guts, and resiliency amidst adversity paved the way for these two brands to become the market leaders in their respective categories.

Their story however began many decades back.

In the 1920s, Co Ay Tian, then a very young boy, came to Manila from mainland China to work for his uncle Go Tam Co who was then engaged in the lumber and construction business.

Upon reaching the age of majority, Co Ay Tian went back to China, got married and had his first child Gonzalo Co. A few years later, Co Ay Tian returned to Manila leaving his wife and young child behind temporarily to try his luck and engaging in several businesses with his uncle as partner.

Co Ay Tian would later be joined by his wife and son Gonzalo in Manila. It was in 1952 when he established Gonzalo Laboratories, a sole proprietorship business engaged in the backyard operation of rubbing alcohol with a start-up capital of P15,000. Co Ay Tian named his company after Gonzalo, who was the only one of age then (around 35 years old). His second child, Anthony was around 12 years old at that time.

Gonzalo Laboratories then was a small affair, with a staff that included Co Ay Tian, Gonzalo, a driver, and three workers. Later on, they would be joined by Anthony who was studying at Letran and on his sparetime would be manually washing recycled bottles.

At that time, the company was producing around 5,000 to 6,000 bottles a month, using the most ingenuous of systems to manufacture alcohol, including using a felt hat as filter. Green Cross was then a relatively unknown brand, fighting the likes of giants Jai Alai of La Tondeña and Starco of Standard.

It was in 1971 when Co Ay Tian’s entire brood consisting of Anthony, Joseph, and Mary became of age that the former decided to convert the sole proprietorship into a corporation – Gonzalo Laboratories Inc. (GLI). It was also around that time when the company decided to establish another brand Zonrox in an industry that was lorded over by imported products, particularly Clorox (virtually the “generic” name for the cleaning liquid in the same way that toothpaste was known as Colgate).

Upon Gonzalo’s exit from GLI in Dec. 1986, it was Anthony who would take over in managing the business but Gonzalo stayed on as chairman until 1997 with one qualifying share.

Anthony recalls that before working full time with GLI, he worked with Go Lam Co upon graduation. “My father was a contractor so I decided to follow his footsteps, taking up civil engineering. After working with my grand uncle, my father invited me to work again with GLI, which was then moving out from its backyard operations to a new plant in Parañaque,” he said.

During the 50th anniversary of the company, Anthony said he mentioned two people who helped his father during the company’s difficult times. “My father would frequently call Ang Guan and Jackson Horn to borrow money. He would also borrow from Merced Drug and Pascual Drug who were our clients,” he said.

The financial difficulties would persist for many years. The competition remained very strong and both Green Cross and Zonrox were struggling players.

The turning point, he recalls, came when younger brother Joseph introduced the “new look” for the two brands, changing the label, the container, and going into massive promotion. “We then had Tia Dely for radio and Helen Vela for television as our endorsers for Green Cross,” Anthony said.

Even in the early ‘90s, Zonrox remained a struggling brand. About 95 percent of revenues were still coming from Green Cross and the remainder from Zonrox. According to Anthony, it had to take a lot of imagination and educating the public to introduce new uses for Zonrox.

While saddened by Gonzalo’s exit from the business, Anthony muses that it also posed a big challenge for the rest of the family. “We all became very active in the business. We put in 100 percent of our effort, maybe even more,” he pointed out.

The younger generation was also being introduced into the business. “Eventually, our children and my nieces and nephews would take over the business so why not start them young,” he said.

And because the organization was being run, not by one person but by several well-educated and highly motivated people, it became a professionally managed company, and each member of the family was able to contribute everything they could to make Green Cross Inc. a force to reckon with.

The long years of struggling have finally paid of. Green Cross and Zonrox are industry leaders, and each brand now has several products and variants. People have began to appreciate the many uses for Zonrox, which has dislodged Clorox as the “generic” name for the product. Green Cross alcohol and Louis & Pearl products are now being exported to other countries in the region. Zonrox now has a separate plant (unlike before when it occupied a small corner in the Green Cross compound). The two factories are now fully automated and utilized world-class technology and processes. The company now has between 300 to 400 employees as well as several brands, including Dell Fabric Conditioner.

Gonzalo Laboratories, now Green Cross Inc., has definitely come a long way.