Friday, October 30, 2009

Among Kapatagan

Sa imong kadagatan gitugob among kinabuhi
Unos, ayaay giagwanta aron pamilya mabuhi
Kanunay nag-ampo panalangin di mopalayo
Matag pagbugsay sa kaharuhay mosangko

Sa imong kaumahan among kinabuhi gipugas
Tudling sa maamomahong pag-ugba dili motipas
Sa kalisud among pamilya mahaw-as
Panalangin sa Tibubdan kanamo walay puas

Oh among minahal nga Kapatagan
Sa imong sabakan kami nag-ambahan
Panaglahi sa pagtuo dili suliran
Kay sa imong grasya kami gibubuoan

Mag-uuma, mangingisda ug kabataan
Mamumuo, negosyante ug simbahan
Alimahan ang kinabuhi ug mga maayong mithi
Kanamong tanan modagayday hamiling kinabuhi

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tigtumod



Komon kini nga talan-awon sa mga kaumahan sa Mt. Malindang ilabi na kon ting-harvest og sayote ug ubang utanon. Usa ka Subanong nagsangkiig sa iyang dalang utanon nga akong nakuyog pagkatkat sa usa ka bukid sa Tudela, Misamis Occidental niadtong 1998.

Tatay ug anak



Usa sa dili nako malimtan nga panan-awon sa usa ka suok nga baryo sa Misamis Occidental, ang amahan ug anak nga naglukdo og mais paingon sa sentro sa baryo.

New Mactan Bridge



Ang bag-ong tulay sa Mactan (bag-o kung ikompara sa mas una sa usa ka tulay dili halayo dinhi), dili lang nindot agianan sa mga sakyanan. Nindot usab siya nga talan-awon ilabi na sa silong niini. Dinhi nagponsisok ang taga-Mactan ug ang mga dayo sa isla ilabi na sa sayong buntag ug kagabhion aron mohanggab og hangin gikan sa dagat ug magtan-aw sa daghang tawong magpahangin dinhi.

My paintings (Les Miserables)



Pipila kini sa mga painting nga akong nahimo gikan 2001-2006. Nagkatag kini sila, depende sa lugar nga akong napundohan og dugay-dugay. kining inyong makita karon, mao ni nabilin nga akong natapok sa balay.

Les Miserable ang ulohan sa sikat nga nobela ni Victor Hugo nga naglarawan sa pangandoy sa katawhan sa Pransya alang sa makiangayong pagtagad gikan sa usa ka Monarkiyang sistema sa maong nasod. Ang maong pangandoy miresulta sa 1832 Revolution nga miresulta usab sa paglambo sa sistemang hustisya ug pagtahod sa tawhanong katungod. Gihimoan kini og musical nga gipasundayag sa London, England. Nindot ang libro apan mas makalingaw ang musical. Usa sa dili nako malimtan nga nasuroyan sa among trip sa UK niadtong summer sa 1994.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Ginikanan ug anak (3)

On Logic
Aduna koy gitiwas nga trabaho sa computer samtang ang akong anak gusto na kaayo mopuli kay magdula daw siyag "spider man." Dili gyud siya mohawa sa iyang gilingkoran kilid sa computer hangtud dili nako siya papulihon.

Nabalaka ko kay medyo alum-om sa iyang nahimutangan kay hapon na unya, medyo suok pa gyud ang nahimutangan sa among computer. Adunay panalagsang lamok didto ug hasta ko gikalingawan pod og paak sa mga mananap.

Ako siyang gibadlong: "Pahawa lagi diha kay naay lamok." Naglingi-lingi lang siya ug wala gyud mohawa sa iyang nabutangan. Busa ako siya giingnan: "Daghan lagi lamok diha. Maayo pa motan-aw kag tv." Iya kong gitubag: "Maka-unsa diay nang tv sa lamok?"

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Karsada, livelihood project gitugyan ngadtos barangay

DAKO ang gibating kalipay sa taga Brgy. De-Asis, Curvada ug Poblacion sa Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte sa mga proyektong livelihood ug farm-to-market road nga gipadangat sa Mindanao North Coast Integrated Area Development Project (MNCIADP) ning nasangpit nga mga barangay.

Sa turnover ceremony nga gihimo sa barangay hall sa De-Asis niadtong Oktobre 1, gipadayag sa mga lider sa tulo ka barangay ang ilang kinasing-kasing nga pasalamat ngadto ni Mayor Benjie Baguio kinsa walay hunong nga naningkamot aron pagtubag sa mga nag-unang suliran sa katawhan ning lungsod.

Ang nasangpit nga mga proyekto naglangkob sa pag-rehab sa 2.5 kilometro karsada nga nagdugtong ning kahumayang mga barangay. Aduna kini tibuok kantidad nga P3.250-milyon, 80% (P2.275-m) niini ang gitubag sa MNCIADP samtang ang 20% (P975,000) gitubag sa lungsod isip counterpart.

Ang livelihood project naglangkob usab sa pagpamuhi’g bebe alang sa pagprodukto’g mga itlog. Gilaumang pinaagi niini, makabaton og dugang panginabuhian ang katawhan dinhi gawas sa naandang pagpanguma.

Ang MNCIADP usa ka espesyal nga programa sa Department of Agriculture (DA).
Atol sa maong seremonyas, mahinangpong gidawat ni Mayor Baguio ang simbolikong yawe nga nagtimaan sa mga proyekto uban sa panaad nga ampingan kini sa lungsod. Ang maong yawe gitunol ni Ms. Carlota Madriaga, and DA-10 Regional Coordinator sa MNCIADP.

Gikan ni Mayor Baguio, gisangon ang simbolikong yawe ngadto nila Barangay Captain Virginia Pueblos, Evangeline Labastilla ug Barangay Kagawad Dodong Guylan, kinsa mao mi-representar ni Capt. Barry Baguio.

Sa ilang pakigpulong, ilang gipadayag unsa kalisod ang maong dalan sa wala pa ang tabang sa MNCIADP. Matud nila nga kining maong dalan hilabihan ka lapok panahon sa ting-ulan, maglisuo og agi ang mga sakyanan ilabina ang mga estudyante.
Tungod niini, mahal ang bayad sa mga sakyanan nga mag-agian dinhi, matud sa mga opsiyal sa mga barangay.

Sa ilang pakigpulong ilang giawhag ang katawhan nga ampingan ang maong proyekto aron molungtad ug mapahimoslan sa kadaghanan.

Gipasalamatan usab ni Mayor Benjie si DA-10 Regional Executive Director Lealyn Ramos ug Ms. Madriaga sa ilang walay puas nga tabang sa taga Kapatagan.

Ang kalampusan usab sa maong mga proyekto nahimong posible sa paningkamot nila Municipal Agriculturist Frank Bihod, Municipal Engineer Jerick Orlanes ug Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator Gilbert Eya.(With reports from Joy C. Pepito)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Ginikanan ug anak (2)


On Logic

Amo nang gihinay-hinay og anad among 4-year old nga anak nga dili na magsuot og diaper panahon sa gabii. Gawas nga hinay-hinay na siyang nakat-on sa dili pagpangihi sa tibuok gabiing pagkatulog, amo usab gi-explain kaniya ang ekonomiya sa dili nya paggamit og diaper. P11.00 (presyo sa diaper) multiplied by 30 days equals P330. Mao kini ang matangtang sa among binulan nga galastohon kung moundang siyag gamit og diaper. AMo siya giingnan maayo na lang ni idugang sa among bayad sa internet connection. Ok ra kaayo siya kay hilig pod kaayo siyag dula sa online games for kids.Iya pod na-imagine ang mahitabo kung wala na mi internet connection.

Usa ka adlaw, nagkuyog siya ug iyang inahan sa usa ka grocery store. Namalit sa mga panginahanglan sa balay. Sama sa naandan mipunit ang inahan og usa ka putos nga diaper, apan dali nga mi-explain sa naglibog nga anak: "magpalit ta ani pero dili lang nimo gamiton ha...? (Ang huna-huna sa inahan panagana lang sa mga especial nga sitwasyon.)

Ang naglibog nga anak, wala makapugong ug nangutana: "Nganong mopalit man tag diaper kung dili man diay nako gamiton...?"

Wa dayon makatubag ang iyang inahan samtang nangatawa ang ubang costumer nga nakadungog sa pangutana sa bata.

(Sunod: More on Logic)

Friday, October 23, 2009

Ginikanan ug anak

Kitang mga ginikanan mahimuot gyod nga magsud-ong sa paglambo nga giabot sa atong mga anak. Sa gagmay pa kaayo sila, malingaw kitang makadungog sa ilang kinataw-an, sa ilang paningkamot nga molakaw, sa ilang paningkamot og litok sa mga unang pulong, ug daghan pa.

Sa paglanat sa panahon, daghan sila og mga madiskobrehan. Ug sa matag pagdiskobre, mohatod kini kanila sa lain pang mga pangotana nga nagtagad sa lain pa gyong mga pangotana human sa matag tubag nga ilang makaplagan. Ingon ini gyod kuno ang normal nga kalibutan sa mga bata matud sa akong maestro kaniadto sa Psychology 1.

Busa angayan lang gyod nga anaa silay kasandigan panahon sa ilang mga panginahanglan sama sa tubag sa ilang mga pangotana, pagpatin-aw sa ilang mga kalibog, —ug labaw sa tanan sa pag-amoma nga ilang gikinahanglan. Kining tanan, matud sa akong maestro, mao ang modetermina sa ilang pag-ila sa ilang kaugalingon, sa mga tawo ug sa mga butang sa ilang palibot. Ang kapakyas kuno sa mga ginikanan nga ihatag kining tanan, mao kuno ang hinungdan sa problemadong pagtubo sa mga kabataan.

Busa wala gyod tingale ginikanan nga wala mangandoy nga makahatag sa ilang pinakamaayo alang sa ilang anak. Apan sama sa kadaghanang ginikanan, ako makadaghan na usab nga nabutang sa dili siguradong posisyon diha sa akong paningkamot pagtagbaw sa mga pangutana sa akong mga anak. Kamo, aduna pod siguroy mga susamang kasinatian.

Sa akong bahin, kini ang mga sitwasyon nga nabutang ako sa alang-alang nga lugar uban sa akong 4-year old nga anak:

On Theology

Anak: Tay, kinsa ang tatay ni Jesus?
Tatay: God the father.
Anak: Kinsay ngalan?
Tatay: Mao ra na iya ngalan.
Anak: Diba duna toy ngalan ang tatay ni Jesus? Ikaw baya ang misulti nako kinsa to iya tatay sa una…(Iyang giutingkay kadtong picture sa kalendaryo sa Holy Family nga anaa si Joseph Mary and Baby Jesus.)
Tatay: (Nakahinomdom) Ahhh. Si Joseph..pero dili siya ang tinuod tatay ni Jesus.
Anak: Dili ba bana siya ni Mama Mary?
Tatay: O pero….
Anak: (Misal-ot sa tunga-tunga sa sa akong kalibog) Duha diay bana ni Mama Mary…?

Wala ko makatingog ug mibalhin na pod siya og laing hisgutanan.

(Hangtud sa sunod: On Logic)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Gary, Bayang, Joy sing peace in Zambo

Multi-awarded musical artists Gary Granada and Bayang Barrios together with Zamboanga del Sur’s Fr. Joy Suson continued to stir hope among the people in Mindanao in their recent concert-lecture held in San Pablo and Aurora towns in Zamboanga del Sur, October 13 and 15 respectively.

The artists were the lead performers of the ecological and peace concert sponsored by the said Catholic parishes.

Gary Granada started off by defining what "peace" was all about. He said in Cebuano: "Ang peace o kalinaw usa ka konkretong konsepto. Sama kini sa fish o isda, makaon" referring to fish embroidered in the church clothing, which he said practically meant food.

"Ang fish, makaon. Kung walay pagkaon, walay kalinaw," (Fish is food. Without food, there is no peace) Gary asserted, pointing out that so much injustice breeds social conflicts such as rebellion and other criminal activities. To emphasize his point further, Gary sang one of his classics, “Bahay.”


On environment, Gary said, because of some people's drive for super profits, they destroyed the environment in the pretext of delivering development programs to the affected communities. His old song entitled "Dam" aptly explained the recent catastrophe that hit most of Northern Luzon involving the irresponsible release of dam waters to downstream communities at the height of storms Ondoy and Pepeng.

Bayang Barrios on the other hand, endeared the crowed when she sang the lullaby "Ugoy ng Duyan." Her grace in ethnic dance also added color to the new compositions she had on environment and peace which were mostly had ethnic instruments as accompaniment.

Pagadian Diocese Priest Fr. Joy Suson, currently serving San Pablo Parish in Zamboanga del Sur and who was also part of the cast, showed off his feats in song-writing and stage performing. Dubbed as Pagadian’s Singing Priest, Fr Suson’s original "Kultura" and "Paraiso" were attention-grabbing pieces especially for the audience who were not used to hearing "alternative" music.


>In one of his preliminaries, Fr. Suson was grateful to both Gary and Bayang for responding to their invitation positively to do concert in Pagadian Diocese despite the meager fee the organizers gave them.


Fr. Suson or “Joy” to his friends earned his AB-Philosophy from St. Columban College and Holy Infant Seminary in Pagadian City and his theologate from St. Mary’s Theologate in Ozamis City.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Kapatagan retains Banana Village



The decades-old deadlock between the local government of Kapatagan and the Philippine Army over who should rightfully occupy Banana Village is finally over.

The former army reservation which has served as dwellings of civilian families after being vacated by the soldiers in the late 80’s is officially reverted back to the local government. The Philippine Army , which has been asserting ownership rights over the place has agreed to accept the 7.8-hectare lot in Butadon as a swap to the contested Banana Village.

This agreement is contained in the August 19 memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by the LGU and the military. The MOA stipulated that the military shall cease claiming rights over Banana village on the one hand, while the LGU committed to provide an alternate lot, electric connection and opening of a road network in the proposed alternate lot, on the other.

This development came about after Mayor Benjie Y. Baguio exerted efforts to persuade military authorities under Philippine Army’s Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ebrado to agree on a land swap. Mayor Baguio and the military agreed that the village ceased to be fit for military purposes as its location is at the heart of Poblacion Kapatagan and is now mainly inhabited by civilian population.

But Mayor Baguio’s jubilation was not yet complete. After getting the nod from the military higher ups of the land swap, he had to face another block: how to acquire the needed funds to pay for the proposed land to be used as a swap considering that budget year is ending.

Mayor Benjie faced the Municipal Development Council and persuaded its members to realign a portion of the approved 2009 Municipal Development Fund to pay for the stated purpose. Convinced, the MDC immediately passed a resolution on June 22 realigning P1.7-million of the P13.9-million development fund which the Sangguniang Bayan members under Vice Mayor Perlito B. Gonzaga readily adopted.

The idea of a land swap started during the term of former Mayor Benny P. Baguio. But due to some political hitches during his term, the old Baguio who is now member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan did not see the completion of his initiatives. The young Baguio who builds on the dream of his father of making Kapatagan a regular city in the near future, carried on and make the dream materialize little by little.

The Banana village was proclaimed an army reservation in 1950’s. Then, there were only four civilian families residing in the area. They were the Quidato, Cabrera, Dagani and Gellica families who hailed from the Visayas. It became known as Banana village only in the early 80’s when the 40th Infantry Battalion moved in the area. It was retired Col. Lito P. Castillano, then battalion commander of the 40 IB who gave Banana village its name. “We call it as such because of the multitude of banana plants growing in this place then,” Castillano said.

Banana village is now home to more than 200 households. For a very long time, the residents stand on their lots without legal documents. Always insecure of their status, they could not proceed with the development of their respective houses.

Now that the lot is finally with LGU, residents are expecting that they will finally have their own papers for their lots. The LGU, on the other hand heads to hold consultations with various stakeholders to make occupancy in the village productive and smooth both for the present and future residents.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Pls respond

The recent typhoons (Ondoy and Pepeng) that ravaged the country should serve a stern warning for local government units to take environmental concerns seriously. Although the destruction of the environment has already assumed an "irreversible" level according to experts, LGUs can still do great things to mitigate the harsh impact of natural disasters.

Environmental programs should take a prominent place in LGUs' development programs. From now on,(for starter LGUs) they should begin by assessing the present condition of their waste management, their water bodies, forest lands, coastal waters, etc. Repair of river banks and unclogging of creeks and drainage systems should be addressed as a short term solution. Rehabilitation of forest and coastal areas, watershed areas and other water ways should be done as part of long term solution programs.

To do this, LGUs can tap the expertise and resources of civil society organizations in their localities. Churches and schools are excellent sources of volunteers in cleaning waterways and tree planting activities. Business groups can provide material, financial and human support. There is no other ripest time to initiate a multi-sectoral environmental work than today, I think.

Flooding, landslides, prolonged droughts, tsunamis and the like are likely to be experienced in frequent and usual manner according to experts. So environmental work should be the top concern of LGUs.

The worst disaster that we can make now is to neglect the challenge of environmental rehabilitation and management in our respective localities.

Monday, October 5, 2009

In Dumingag’s ridges



December 21, 2007

I was with Konsehal Roger Pacalioga one morning in November for a hurried climb to the towering peak of Upper Landing, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. It was literally hurried because we were both conscious of the meetings each of us had to attend to when office hours first opened that day. That hike was a response to Konsehal Roger’s long-standing proposal that we would climb the peak for me to have a vantage view of Dumingag for my ongoing video documentation of the town’s scenic spots.

The Upper Landing peak holds a magnificent view from below. Anywhere in the plains, one could see its sharp pointed cone displayed prominently beside the other peaks.

Agreeing on an estimated two-hour trek starting past 5:00 in the morning, we rode Konsehal Roger’s motorbike upward until sitio Dila, and from there set foot ascending the moderately steep terrain under the bursting early morning sunlight.

After about 30 minutes of hiking, we reached a considerable elevation wherein we could see on our right the sun’s golden rays spreading through the Dilud ridges. The morning rays created in the ridges a contrast of dark green and golden yellow. The constant rains that poured the past few weeks enabled the cogon grasses to grow abundantly and provided the bald mountains a green covering. A little higher we began to notice the Guitran river that glowed like a silver cutting across the cogon-covered hills which sides held a few of Gemilina and coconut trees.

We reached the Upper Landing peak at 9:30 in the morning. Konsehal Roger immediately waded through the thick cogon grass as if looking for a lost coin. Later he explained that the concrete marker buried on the peak was completely lost. He thought somebody got it, removed the steel bars and had them sold . What was left was a hole. Konsehal Roger said that the peak served as a boundary of Upper Landing, Mahayahay and Dapiwak.

The extreme exhaustion that we experienced in that more than three-hour climb was gradually washed away by the breathtaking scenery we got at the top. On the western part of our location we saw Barangay Dapiwak. On the southern part, Barangays Saad and Sinonok were visible, and on the eastern part Dumingag town center shone like a gem. Although hazy due to our distance, we could see the shining rice fields that mirrored the morning sun, the smoke hovering above Dumingag’s houses, and trees sporadically growing around.

From where we stood what we saw were ridges that looked like waves of a raging green ocean that rushed to the plains. From the other vantage, the ridges’ contours formed like wrinkles of a severely crumpled piece of paper.

We rarely saw farms around. Cogon grass dominated the vegetation in almost all the fields. Where there was a corn field, we saw a small hut in the middle or nearby. Occasional barking of dogs that were left in the huts echoed the mountain ranges to warn their owners that strangers set foot on their abode.

Konsehal Roger and I rested for a few minutes, conscious of the schedules we both just missed back at the municipal hall. The few minutes rest provided me some precious moments of recalling how have these ridges before me now witnessed the bloody encounters between the New People’s Army and combined forces of the para-military “4 K” members and regular government fighters in the 1980’s.

Twenty years ago, these ridges served as trails of the red fighters belonging to the Front 1 of the Communist Party of the Philippines, otherwise known as the Big Beautiful Country (BBC). It was where the supposed “new people’s government” in Western Mindanao first assumed a face according to the communist mold.

Twenty years ago, Dumingag’s present Mayor Jun Pacalioga, then known as “Ka Alfie” established his name as a guerilla leader who was poised to lead thousands of armed fighters to grab political power in the town centers and capitals of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Norte provinces through a bloody revolution in a Party-determined national offensive.

Twenty years have passed, Pacalioga is now at the helm of one of the local government units he sought to crush. Now these ridges have occupied a special place in his administration. Not anymore for a large-scale military project, but for a large-scale economic battle. Although with the same aim of minimizing, if not eradicating poverty, he takes up another means--that is, the implementation of his brainchild Eight -Point Agenda.

Aggressively pointing out that genuine agricultural development is Dumingagnons’ only way out from poverty, Pacalioga seeks to transform this cogon-covered hills and ridges into vast plantation of rubber, abaca and cassava.

Believing in the power of the masses, he mobilized the main propellers of his economic development program—the more than 200 casual and regular employees of the municipal hall. Massive education campaign at the barrio-level has been underway too to rally the widest support of Dumingagnons behind the town’s economic program.

His fiercest enemies from the “4 K’s” during his guerilla life then are now among his closest buddies and trustees. These barangay officials and ordinary folks are ensuring that the Eight-Point Agenda is implemented in their respective communities.

And he leads by example. For those who think that Dumingag lands are all barren and agricultural development is a wishful thinking, he has his own integrated upland farm in Sitio Dila to show. Here, the seemingly lifeless fields five years ago, he transforms into ecologically diverse and productive upland farms today.

When I was at the peak, I wished I could stay there longer but the10 o’clock sun began biting our skin. We hurriedly slid down, hoping to reach part of the agenda of our respective meeting. And indeed, when I entered the room few minutes before 12:00 that day the group was ready to disperse.

I hope I could climb again the Upper Landing peak someday. Five to 10 years from now, the ridges that we saw in November will surely have another covering on their bodies. The grown-up abaca, cassava and the ready-for-tapping rubber trees will surely veil the barren fields. Farmers’ huts will no longer be surrounded by cogon grasses but by vegetables and staple crops. The bark of dogs will then blend with the crowing of fowls that will resound all over the farms.

When this time comes, I will not be looking for the scenic spots of Dumingag just like what I did in November, and I would not be in a hurry for a meeting at the municipal hall. If time allows, I will be in this place to shoot the images of farmers hauling their farm products to the people’s buying stations in the barrios or in the town center. When the sun buries itself in the horizon on that day I wish to share a dinner with a Duminganon family.

As the night deepens by then, the ridges must be cold and the fireflies will adorn the canopies of the rubber trees that will be sprinkling lights on the ridges’ footpaths.

I don’t want to miss any of these images—in Dumingag’s ridges.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Here at Last

I've been wanting to try this another means of self expression but it's only now that I'm able to find time. With this I hope I can write my thoughts oftenly (as I've wanted to) so I can be part of this network of sharing and learning through the net.

I'm glad to welcome myself here! (hehehe)