A8 Saturday, April 1, 2017 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos
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Pangasinan governor cites ‘Class of Achievers’
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By Orly Guirao | Correspondent
INGAYEN, Pangasinan— They may be older, but they’re a fresh wind who can rev up tourism in Pangasinan. Thus said Gov. Amado I. Espino III as he cited the group, known as “Class of Achievers”, way back in their grade school at the Saint Columban’s Academy in this city. The school was then run by Irish nuns, some of whom were alumnae of Sorbonne and Oxford Universities. Espino lauded the group for “attaining heights of achievements”, even as he asked them to promote the province’s various tourist destinations. Among them are numerous waterfalls and a natural hot spring found in Balungao nd Mangaterem towns. Pangasinan’s tour ism of f ice said 8,062,918 tourists visited the province last year, with domestic visitors numbering 7,995,158 and foreigners totalling 17,950. Holding their reunion recently, the members of the group, led by their class valedictorian—book author, social philosopher, educator and visual
artist Margarita Ventenilla-Hamada who founded the Harvent Schools in Lingayen and Dagupan City—went on a tour binge and enjoyed the splendor of the San Roque power dam, a huge eco-park festooned with green vegetation and picnic huts in San Manuel town, the scenically romantic 4-hectare arboretum of former Environment Secretary Vic Ramos and the “nature church” in Baay, Lingayen, designed by multiawarded architect Ben Soriano. From there the Class of Achievers e x plored t he breat hta k ing mountain views of Mapita in Aguilar, the awesome Riverside Restaurant in Banyaga, Bugallon, where yearly, during the summer months, water adventure sports, such as windsurfing, jet-ski riding and kayaking, among others, lure tourists on the clear river. The river bank was developed by former Governor
4,000 martial-law victims getting compensation soon
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HE Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) has accelerated the process of evaluating and releasing of claims of martial-law victims as part of its commitment to President Duterte to expedite the release of claims. The HRVCB informed the Office of the President of their accomplishments and latest developments on the processing and release of claims since their meeting with Duterte. The HRVCB transmitted to the Office of Executive Secretary (OES) Salvador C. Medialdea, Board Resolution 01-2017, approving the preliminary list of 4,000 eligible claimants and release of partial monetary reparation; Board Resolution 03-2017, publishing the list of eligible claimants; a memorandum of agreement between HRVCB and LandBank pertaining to the use of the bank’s Cash Card facility to pay legitimate claimants; and an acknowledgement receipt from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), pertaining to the letter of HRCVB requesting for the release of P300 million from the Bureau of Treasury intended for the partial payment of monetary reparation. Duterte earlier met with officers of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) and members of HRVCB in Malacañang, to discuss matters pertaining to the release of monetary reparation to victims of human-rights violations during martial law. The said meeting was also attended by senior government officials, which included Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III and Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno. Selda sought the assistance of Duterte to expedite the release of the claims since the reparation law—the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 (Republic Act 10368)—had been passed four years ago and martial-law victims have yet to receive recognition and compensation. The HRVCB only has until May 12, 2018, to complete the reparation process of about 75,000 claimants. To date, 4,000 claims have been approved out of the 30,027 claims already adjudicated and 45,703 applications are still
to be resolved. I n t he me e t i n g , D u t e r t e , through Medialdea, discussed with the HRVCB the drafting of a resolution seeking to expedite the processing of claims, recompute the claims amount based on actual received applications, release 50 percent of the monetary value, revise the processing timeline and collaborate with concerned government agencies and other human-rights groups to expedite the distribution and acceptance of decisions. The HRVCB, in its resolutions, committed to distribute 50 percent of the total estimated reparation value due to the first 4,000 eligible claimants, consisting of 2,661 conclusively presumed victims and 1,339 new applicants. The HRVCB, following the point system prescribed in the reparation law, came up with a total of 23,567 points to be awarded to the first batch of claimants, with one point equivalent to P25,000 rounded up. Thus, the total reparation value amounted to P589 million. Half of it will be released to the first batch of claimants by the second quarter of 2017 through LandBank’s Cash Card facility, and the balance to be released after the final resolution of all claims and the publication of the final list. Meanwhile, the Philippine Postal Corp. offered a discount of 50 centavos per mail to the HRVCB in lieu of franking privilege. The HRVCB, however, requested for additional discount for the mailing of notices and resolutions. Prior to that, the claims board requested the Commission on Audit for a public bidding exemption on the publication of the list of legitimate claimants. Also outlined in the documents submitted to OES are the activities required by law the HRVCB needs to perform before the actual delivery of payment, such as docketing of appeals from the claimants and oppositions from any interested party; resolution of appeals and oppositions; publication of the final list of eligible claimants; and submission of the list of the first 4,000 eligible claimants to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Health for the delivery of nonmonetary reparation benefits. PNA
and now Fifth District Rep. Amado T. Espino Jr. into a blissful evening at promenaders’ lane. Also in the group’s reunion tourism itinerary were the magnificent Sison auditorium within the Capitol complex in Lingayen, which is likened to the Royal Albert Hall of London; the historic Lingayen Cathedral; and the majestic residence of Dr. and Mrs. Titus Arcinue that was built and incorporated by Soriano into the ruins of the old Colegio de Santo Rosario. With Hamada in the Class of Achievers are former Energy Secretary Francisco Viray; former Lingayen Mayor Nolan Evangelista; Alberto Jimenez, head of the Rural Bank of Mangaldan chain; lawyer Vicente Jimenez, a San Beda magna cum laude alumnus; chess master Ricardo Yuson; Araceli Soriano-Manaloto, who was head of PNB in New York; Marirose Sison-Garcia, who retired as vice president of Citibank, Florida and now Board of director of the AIM; Carmen Martinez-Pascual, civic leader and wife of past University of the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual; Catherine Badua-Fianza, wife of former traffic czar Gen. Florencio Fianza; and Mariska Angeles Castillo, wife of contractor Melquiades Castillo Jr., among a long list of successful professionals here and abroad.
BIKING FOR A LIVING Lolo Noel, at 76 years old, drives his trike in front of the Quiapo Church, where he earns money transporting goods. MAU VICTA
What you need to know about so-hot-right-now infrared spa therapy
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NFRARED saunas are the next model boxing. It’s the latest new-old thing that has received attention from fashion types, celebrities and social-media influencers. If you are a physician or longtime wellness nut, it’s likely you already know about them. For decades hospitals and medical-treatment centers have used them to foster growth for premature babies and expedite healing for athletes and the elderly. But only in the past year did infrared treatments become—shudder—trendy. Gwyneth Paltrow extolls their benefits. Lady Gaga uses them to treat her chronic shoulder pain. Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez use them at home. A host of boutique shops are popping up to support the demand, especially in the US (New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami are big markets) and in Australia. It’s a $75-million market “and growing rapidly”, according to a report published in the Canadian Family Physician, the official journal of the college of family physicians of Canada. Sunlighten Inc. sells infrared saunas to spas and wellness centers via 16 distributors worldwide. The Overland Park, Kan.-based company has seen steady growth in commercial and residential sales since 2013, with last year’s sales up 20 percent over 2015's. “We have seen a growing trend for a while now,” said Brooke Basaldua, Sunlighten’s marketing manager. “Last year was definitely our biggest year, and we would expect to see the same thing again this year, as well.” The saunas work by using infrared wavelengths of light to heat the body itself, rather than heating the space around it. There are three wavelengths—short, medium and far, with far being the most intense form: The heat vibrates water molecules in the body so much that they break down. The result, according to supporters, is a healthy release of toxins that you sweat out. Infrared temperatures range from 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the conventional 160. That’s why an infrared sauna is cozy and dry, not sweltering and musty like a regular health club sauna. “The appeal of saunas, in general, is that they cause reactions,
such as vigorous sweating and increased heart rate, similar to those elicited by moderate exercise,” Brent Bauer, the director of the Department of Internal Medicine’s complementary and integrative medicine program at the Mayo Clinic, wrote in a Mayo Clinic report. “An infrared sauna produces these results at lower temperatures than does a regular sauna, which makes it accessible to people who can’t tolerate the heat of a conventional sauna.” The benefits are myriad, if you believe the hype: muscle and organ relaxation, detoxification, pain relief, improved cell health, better circulation, antiaging, skin purification and (the holy grail) weight loss. Richard Beever, the clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, is more circumspect, though tentatively supportive. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with it, he said. “Although the evidence is limited, it does suggest a number of benefits of far infrared sauna use, including effects on systolic hypertension…and clinical symptoms of
congestive heart failure, premature ventricular contractions, brain natriuretic peptide levels, vascular endothelial function, exercise tolerance, oxidative stress, chronic pain and, possibly, weight loss and chronic fatigue,” Beever wrote in a review for the official publication of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Importantly, “No adverse events were reported.” Prominent trainers agree, using the practice on themselves— and their most-prized, city-harried clients. “I personally like infrared sauna for relaxation and flushing out toxins like heavy metals—and you get a moment of Zen in a busy city full of noise,” says Stephen Cheuk, the owner of S10 Training Club Llc. and House of Matcha Inc. tea. He is known for his attention to progressive and holistic treatments, often sourced on his frequent trips to Asia; Cheuk trains some of the most beautiful, fit and famous people in New York. Manhattan’s HigherDOSE Llc. is a frequent callout in model and fashion-boss Instagram feeds. (“DOSE” is an acronym for those natural elation-causing chemicals known as dopamine, oxytocin,
serotonin and endorphins.) Leonardo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams are known clients. Sessions cost $65 for the recommended one-hour duration, which allows 10 to 15 minutes to disrobe and arrange yourself inside the wooden box (For my visit, I reserved a single room, although you can reserve an $80 double if you want to go with a friend.). The small shop, which opened last year, is tucked underneath an actual alchemist kitchen. To enter, guests walk past shelves of myrrh oil and sage, descend a stairwell festooned with junglethick vines, and present themselves at a front desk doused in red light emitting from a neon sign above. (The neon spells out “Higher Dose” underneath some mystic-looking triangles). Short-term results were more than satisfactory. I had gone into it feeling lethargic and stymied in general by the snow and winter weather. My shoulders were sore from a recent eight-hour flight from Geneva and from gingerly picking my way over black ice as I attempted to jog around town. I was also sleepy, having been out late the night before. Bloomberg News
THE OLD MAN AND HIS STAR FISH Ernesto Ecolin shows giant starfish he found floating around the shore of Vitalis Resort in Ilocos
Sur.
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