Dumaguete Metropost, October 30, 2022 edition

‘No Vax Card, No Entry’ at cemeteries

White Alert on for holidays

The Dumaguete police on Wednesday said they will not allow individuals to enter the cemeteries on Nov. 1 and 2 unless they can present their respective CoVid-19 vaccination cards.

Lt. Col. Joeson Parallag, city police chief, told the media that presenting the vaccination card is a requirement in all six public and private cemeteries in Dumaguete.

“We are adopting the “no vax card, no entry” policy during the Undas (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day) celebrations to ensure public safety, and prevent the spread of CoViD-19,” Parallag said.

Cemeteries will also be allowed to open only up to 8 p.m., and no overnight stay as previously practiced will be permitted.

Parallag said police officers are currently deployed to secure the ongoing activities of the Buglasan Festival which ends Sunday, Oct. 30, but the security plan of which will extend until Thursday, Nov. 3 when the public is expected to return to their places of work or school.

Police officers will be assigned to the cemeteries, as well as places of convergence such as churches, bus terminals, sea ports, and the Sibulan airport, in anticipation of the influx of guests and returning family members who will pay their respects to the dead.

Alcoholic beverages, sharp and deadly weapons, and loud music will be prohibited inside the cemeteries.

Police assistance desks will be established in strategic locations, and at the cemeteries, while the City’s Traffic Management Office is drafting a plan identifying entry and exit routes during the Undas, Parallag said.

PAGE 2

Thousands flee homes as ‘Paeng’ dumps rains on Negros Oriental

as floods, coupled with the high tide, caused their river to overflow its banks.

Even while Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’ was still out in the Pacific Ocean, the rains started to be felt in northern Negros Oriental Wednesday, reaching the Red Warning Level by Wednesday afternoon, where pounding rains produced heavy flooding in rivers.

Landslide warnings were also raised.

In southern Negros Oriental, a number of towns were inundated early Friday as heavy rains triggered flash floods, rendering some roads and bridges temporarily impassable.

Netizens uploaded on Facebook various videos and photos of flash floods in parts of Siaton, Sta. Catalina, and Basay, which were shared by hundreds others by midmorning, following a continuous downpour in the preceding hours.

So far, no casualties were reported, although damages to property and infrastructure are still being assessed, authorities said.

A bridge passing through barangays Fatima and San Pedro

in Sta. Catalina was temporarily rendered impassable, but was later opened to motorists.

Power outages were also reported in some areas, which slowed down the reporting of information from the ground.

Lt. Col. Roderick Salayo, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army headquartered in Siaton town, told the media that he sent troops to help in rescue and relief operations when necessary.

Salayo said at least 64 households, or 274 individuals, from barangay Poblacion 3 of Siaton town were evacuated to the gymnasium, with personnel from the local Social Welfare & Development office conducting profiling of the evacuees.

In Basay, seven families from Purok 4, barangay Bal-os, were initially reported as affected by the flooding.

Rising floodwaters cut in half a footbridge in barangay Mantuyop, Siaton, while a bridge in barangay Giligaon was also reported to be partiallydamaged.

A report from the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office

Thousands of Negrenses have fled their homes for safer grounds as Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’ unleashed heavy rains that caused floods and landslides in both the northern and southern portions of Negros Oriental.

The Dumaguete booth at the Buglasan Festival, designed by GLI Architects, is inspired by the old kiosk at Quezon Park built in the 1930s. (Photo by Ian Casocot)

Yeongdong-gun Mayor Jeong Yeong-Chul of South Korea and Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and Youngdong-gun Chairman Lee Seung-Joo, exchange mementos after renewing the Memorandum of Agreement strengthening the sisterhood relationship of the two cities deemed mutually beneficial for their citizens. (City PIO)

The Department of Social Welfare & Development has handed over P16.5 million in livelihood assistance to 1,141 beneficiaries from conflict-vulnerable and conflict-areas in Negros Oriental.

The Sustainable Livelihood Program beneficiaries were identified under the livelihood program Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PaMana); Executive Order 70, which employs a wholeof-nation approach to end communism and institute peace-building initiatives; and Kapatiran para sa Progresibong Panlipunan Inc., a group composed of former rebels.

The SLP is a communitybased capacity-building program that seeks to improve the socioeconomic status and enables participants to manage sustainable microenterprises or link them to locally available jobs that would enhance their access to basic social services and improve their standard of living, according to the DSWD.

Under PaMana, 853 people in 40 conflict areas in Guihulngan City, Pamplona, Sibulan, Sta. Catalina, Siaton, and Zamboanguita were given an aggregate total of P12 million.

For Kapatiran, one community of 60 people received P1.5 million.

On the other hand, EO 70, initiated during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte, made possible the turnover of more than P3 million to 228 individuals in the municipalities of Ayungon, Bindoy, and Manjuyod.

DSWD Undersec. Alan Tanjusay, who led the distribution of the assistance at a local hotel here Friday afternoon, reassured the agency’s continued support and assistance.

Guihulngan PNP gets more guns

The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office on Monday handed over 20 high-powered firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition to boost the capability of Guihulngan City police in fighting criminality and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army insurgency.

Provincial Police Chief Col. Jonathan Pineda turned over the firearms and other items to Vice Gov. Jorge “Guido” Reyes during the regular Monday morning flag-raising rites at the NOPPO headquarters at Camp Francisco Fernandez in barangay Agan-an,

VAX CARD....FROM P. 1

The Provincial Health Office has placed Negros Oriental under Code White Alert to monitor and prevent the spread of diseases at the height of the Buglasan Festival, and the upcoming observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

Assistant Provincial Health Officer Liland Estacion said that the Code White Alert will run until Thursday, Nov. 3, by virtue of Administrative Order 2008-0024, known as the Integrated Alert System for the Health Sector of the Department of Health.

“It is during these days that we need to place the Province under that level of restrictions because of the anticipated influx of people coming from many areas to attend the Buglasan festivities, as well as those who want to visit their dead relatives during the KalagKalag (Undas) observance,” Estacion said in mixed English and Cebuano.

Since the Province is no longer requiring people to present their vaccination cards, she said it is now up to the local government units to adopt and institute measures and actions that will help prevent the

Sibulan.

“This is just part of a bigger allocation from the PNP Region Office 7 for Negros Oriental and Guihulngan City is the first to receive the issued firearms because we have established community outposts there due to the insurgency problem,” Pineda told the media in mixed English and Filipino.

During his address after the flag-raising ceremony, Reyes, who hails from Guihulngan, noted the gravity of the insurgency problem in his hometown.

“We really need these firearms for our police in

PAGE

transmission of diseases, particularly the coronavirus disease 2019.

Apart from sporadic cases of CoViD-19, the Province is also currently experiencing a continuing rise in the number of dengue and typhoid fever infections, she added.

Under Code White, surveillance will be strengthened at points of entry and exit; laboratory and referral hospitals will be prepared; diseases from outside of the country will be monitored; essential medicines and personal protective equipment will be made available; protocols for case detection, management, and referral based on previous outbreaks will be observed; and risk communication systems will be implemented, among others.

The Buglasan Festival is the Province’s premiere showcase of its different town and city festivals, cultural heritage, socioeconomic, tourism, and other activities held every October, and with large crowds coming to the capital city where the events are held in various venues. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)

The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office has created a Special Investigation Task Group to probe the murder of a barangay official in Bayawan City whose death is believed linked to the coming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Provincial Police Director Col. Jonathan Pineda told the media on Tuesday that the SITG, which he chairs, also includes other investigating units such as the Criminal Investigation & Detection Group in the Province.

He said it was created on Oct. 23 as directed by the Regional Police Office but was officially announced Tuesday.

“We have created the SITG to fast-track the investigation considering that the victim is a barangay official and we have tapped other units so that whatever evidence is gathered, we can collaborate for the immediate resolution of the crime,” Pineda said in mixed English and Filipino.

On Oct. 21, Diosdado Petiluna Gemina, 52, a barangay councilor of San Miguel, Bayawan City, was riding his motorcycle when he was shot in Sitio Cabcacon, barangay Banga by unidentified suspects on a motorcycle.

Gemina was brought to the Bayawan District

Dengue claims 9th victim

Negros Oriental reported its ninth dengue death this year, as cases continue to rise in the Province, a health official said Wednesday.

OIC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said the increase in dengue cases is also due to the rainy season, the resumption of face-to-face classes, and the easing of CoViD-19 restrictions.

“I am reiterating my appeal to the people to be mindful of their surroundings and activities, and to undertake antidengue measures especially as we are now more exposed to one another, compared to a more secluded life during the previous years at the height of the pandemic,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano.

Records at the PHO showed that from Jan. 1 to Oct. 22, the Province logged 1,867 dengue cases with nine deaths compared to the 637 cases and zero deaths during the same period last year.

“This is 193 percent higher than last year’s figures, and we are still expecting the cases to rise until the end of the year,” Estacion said.

Cities and municipalities with the highest number of dengue cases are Canlaon

Councilors to probe pyrolysis incinerator in Camanjac

The Environment Committee of the Dumaguete City Council has expressed grave concern over the harmful effects of the recently-installed pyrolysis-gasification plant in barangay Camanjac, after holding a special session with solid waste management experts.

In a special session, the Councilors listened to the warnings of scientists and environment advocates asking the City to shut down Dumaguete’s pyrolysis-gasification unit, a waste incineration method.

The Councilors’ meeting was conducted upon the request of the Friends of the Environment in Negros Oriental (FENOr), Kahugpongan para sa Kinabuhi ug Kinaiyahan Inc., and War on Waste-Negros Oriental, where they also discussed about the benefits of a City-wide zero waste system.

Present at the session were representatives of the People’s Development Council and Burn Not Dumaguete, a new coalition seeking to safeguard the health of the public and the environment.

Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, adjunct professor at Silliman University, whose expertise includes pyrolysis-gasification and incineration-based technologies, explained that pyrolysis-gasification emits many pollutants, including dioxins, the most toxic chemical known to science.

He cited multiple research studies that link dioxins with numerous health problems such as cancer, reproductive disorders, birth defects, and miscarriages.

Dr. Emmanuel also added that dioxin is a “persistent organic pollutant” that stays in the environment for hundreds of years. “Thus, not only is it a threat to the current generation, but it can put the health of the next 10 to 40 generations in jeopardy as well.”

He also noted the high operating costs, as well as the large expense of annual dioxin testing.

“We were convinced [then] that the pyrolysis machine was the only solution to our waste problem,” lamented Councilor Bernice Anne Elmaco. “Now that we are informed of its ill-effects, we need to depart from this method of waste management, and strive to become a zero-waste City; that is where the solution lies,” she said.

According to Merci Ferrer, head of the War on Waste in the Province, and of the Zero-Waste Cities Project-Dumaguete, zero-waste systems are versatile strategies that aim to continually reduce waste through “source-reduction, separate collection, composting, and recycling”. She said it is a “decentralized approach that emphasizes green jobs and community participation”.

“The pyrolysis-gasification incinerator undermines existing zero-waste work in the City, and has adversely impacted the livelihood of waste pickers, informal recyclers, and their families,” she added.

In the session, Gary Rosales of Kinaiyahan demanded transparency, and called on the City Council to release copies of the bidding documents for the pyrolysis machine, the Environmental Compliance Certificate, test results, the Permit to Operate, expenses related to its operation and maintenance, the revenues thus far, and the waste volume processed.

He said the decision to bring in pyrolysis-gasification did not include expert opinion, was not subjected to thorough discussion, and did not involve public consultations with the host barangay of Camanjac, the surrounding communities, and other stakeholders.

In response, Councilor Jose “Petit” Baldado, chair of the Committee on the Environment, committed to convene his Committee to craft plans and legislative actions. “We now have an idea of how harmful pyrolysis-gasification is, and I firmly believe that zero-waste is the direction we should take to address the waste crisis,” he said.

The Committee on the Environment includes Councilor Tony Remollo, Councilor Elmaco, Councilor Renz Macion, and Councilor Tincho Perdices.

Ferrer said the new group, Burn Not Dumaguete, is inviting concerned Dumagueteños to participate in the series of public hearings the Committee will soon conduct. (PR)

THOUSANDS FLEE HOMES....FROM P. 1

said that around 20 families in barangay Fatima, Sta. Catalina were affected by the flooding, while about 50 persons were rescued.

Provincial Police Director Col. Jonathan Pineda, who motored to the south in the afternoon, said he talked to a project engineer of an ongoing dike construction in barangay Omanod, Siaton who said they lost two cement mixers that were carried downstream by flash floods.

The dike project, which was 90 percent complete,

incurred damages worth an estimated P40million.

Pineda said the flash floods have since subsided, but he cautioned the people against letting their guard down.

The Police Director said he has given instructions to the police chiefs to undertake preventive evacuation before nightfall, considering that rescue operations would be harder during nighttime, especially if there are power outages. (Judy F. Partlow/ PNA)

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Police Col. Jonathan Pineda, director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, discusses his security deployment activities for the Buglasan Festival which is drawing thousands of people from around the Province. (NOPPO photo)

DSWD gives P16.5M to ex-rebels

Brgy official murder: political angle seen as motive

Degamo offers Provl Board P10M each “for unity”

Gov. Roel Degamo, addressing the usuallyadversarial Sangguniang Panlalawigan, has offered Provincial Board Members a discretionary fund of P10 million each this year.

The Governor made the offer in remarks made to the Provincial Board during last Monday’s regular session, as he reached out to the Board in a quest for unity.

Of the P10 million fund, P5 million can be used for soft projects such as computers, medicines, etc., while the other P5 million can be allotted for infrastructure projects like

Sanggunian rejects Enojo as prov’l admin

The Provincial Board of Negros Oriental has disapproved the recommendation of Gov. Roel Degamo for Atty. Richard Enojo to be appointed as Provincial Administrator.

Degamo made the recommendation, saying that Enojo has his full trust and confidence.

Enojo currently sits as OIC of the Provincial Administrator’s Office.

However, because he needed to be confirmed as a full-fledged Provincial Administrator, he had to have the concurrence of the Provincial Board.

The denial of Enojo’s confirmation happened during the Board’s regular session last Monday.

Provincial Board Member Julius Sabac told reporters after the session they disapproved Enojo’s nomination on the ground that he is currently serving a six-month suspension from practicing law for a legal malpractice.

Sabac said the position of Provincial Administrator needs a person of good moral character. The suspension of Enojo from the practice of law, he said, constitutes moral turpitude.

roads and bridges identified by each respective Board Member.

The money will come from the Province’s 20 percent Economic Development Fund, which has to pass through the Provincial Development Council for approval, before the Provincial Board can officially realign the budget.

Another promise made by the Governor to the Board Members is an allocation of a total of P150 million that he slashed from the Agriculture budget that former Gov. Pryde Henry Teves had earlier

designated.

Degamo said the P150 million earlier earmarked by Teves for agriculture will be divided equally among the three Districts in the Province at P50 million each, for the respective Board Members to allocate for livelihood projects.

The Governor’s allies in the Provincial Board are in the minority. Four of the incumbent Provincial Board Members ran with Degamo’s party, while the six others ran with the party of Teves.

Degamo also released P500,000 that was initially TO PAGE 7

Yoongdonggun, Dgte affirm ties

Yeongdong-gun Mayor Jeong Yeong-Chul of South Korea and Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo formally signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Agreement strengthening the sisterhood relationship of both cities, deemed mutually-beneficial for their respective citizens.

Specifically, the MOA will promote and expand the exchange of projects in areas of administration, the economy, culture, sports and tourism; promote a better understanding of each other’s cultures and

PAGE 9

Degamo freezes quarry applications

Gov. Roel Degamo has announced the freezing of quarry permits in the Province, pending verification into the quarry boundaries.

In a press conference Thursday, the Governor said his political opponents had always been accusing him of owning quarry operations, but could not find any [record] implicating him during the

three months they were in office.

Instead, he said, he found that in the last three months his opponents were in power, 134 quarry operators had applied for permits with the Teves administration.

Degamo said some of the applications for particular quarry areas even had “overlapping claims” with the Province’s previously-

approved quarry operations.

He said he was “shocked” by the volume of applicants, adding that if we approve all the applications, “the Province would be destroyed”.

He said he has advised the Department of Environment & Natural Resources not to issue Environmental Compliance

TO PAGE 6

CAMPUS NEWS

Former SolGen Hilbay named SU Law dean

Silliman University President Dr. Betty Cernol-McCann has named the country’s former Solicitor Gen. Florin Hilbay as dean of the SU College of Law starting November this year.

Dr. McCann said Atty. Hilbay will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the deanship of the College of Law, after having served in important positions in government, the academe in Manila, and civil society.

Atty. Hilbay assured that aside from strengthening the position of the SU College of Law as one of the top law schools in the country, he intends to take the lead in cutting-edge issues like Money and the State, referring to the advent of digital currencies and its effect on law and society.

SU study: Students

not contamination

The reported illness of several students from “probable food-borne illness” after eating food from the Silliman University Cafeteria on Oct. 1st was not a result of contamination but spoilage.

Dr. Walden Ursos, University Health Committee chairperson, made the statement after conducting an investigation into the case, and said their investigation found “no definite conclusion” on the catered food being contaminated.

Following the “probable food-borne illnesses” outbreak, the Silliman administration said in a forum last Thursday that the cases were due to food “spoilage, not contamination”, from the time lag between the food being delivered, and its actual consumption.

The results of the study were made public last Thursday, three weeks after the start of the investigation, and about two weeks after the survey was administered on students from the College of Mass Communication and the School of Public Affairs & Governance.

“On the day of the incidents (Oct. 1), the SU Cafeteria prepared the catered orders of both parties from 3pm-4pm. The events started at around 5pm-6pm, and the students consumed the food around 7pm-8pm. Both parties ended around 9pm-10pm,” Dr. Ursos noted.

The result recorded 95.6 percent (43 students) having experienced diarrhea, while others experienced nausea, vomiting, fever, stomach aches; the majority of them experienced their first symptoms on the average of 12 hours after having that dinner in campus.

“Through deductive analysis of the gathered information, most probably the food may have started to become spoiled four to six hours from the time of serving,” he said.

Atty. Florin Hilbay during a lecture on the West Philippine Sea in 2019 at the SU College of Law.

Former Assoc. Justice Francis Jardeleza (5th from right), who was keynote speaker during the induction of trustees and officers of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry now headed by Edward Du (6th from left), poses with the other guests and new officers (from left): NOCCI Executive Director John Villegas Jalandoni, PCCI Regional Gov. Melanie Ng, Former Solicitor Gen. Florin Hilbay who was the inducting officer; Nonoy del Prado, Atty. Florian Alcantara, Immediate Past President Francel Martinez, Edward Uy, Danford Sy, Engr. Greg Uymatiao Jr., and Arthur Chua. Other members of the NOCCI Board of Trustees include Atty. Florence Tangente, Tyrone Ramas Uypitching, Dante Uymatiao, Gilbert Uymatiao, and Alex Rey Pal.

Gov. Roel Degamo shows the media the list of 134 applicants for quarry operations that were filed within the three months of the governorship of Henry Teves, expressing fears that their approval will “destroy” the Province. Beside the Governor is his legal counsel Richard Enojo. (Videograb)

Buglasan amidst ‘Paeng’

Despite the political changes thathave caused a change in priorities of theprovincial administration, we are againcelebrating the Buglasan Festival after atwo-year hiatus due to the coronaviruspandemic.Thousands of Negrenses have beenflocking to the Benigno Aquino Jr. FreedomPark to sample the food and marvel at thebooths, exhibits, and best of all, enjoy liveentertainment from the country’s mostpopular performers, no less.

The Buglasan Festival, celebratedannually since 2002, is the Festival ofFestivals of the Province. While then Gov. Emilio Macias II wanted to celebrate it to coincide with the founding of NegrosOriental on Jan. 1, 1900, it was difficult to gather everyone to celebrate an event thatcoincided with the Yuletide season.

The organizers had to find a timewhere the Buglasan would fit. Novemberis reserved for the Dumaguete fiesta;December and January were also ruledout as almost everyone prepares forthe yuletide season and the new year;Holding the event in the summer wouldmiss out on the student crowd; then there are already too many fiestas in the monthof May; families and businessmen werealways busy in June and July for the schoolopening; August seems almost sacred forthe Silliman Founder’s Week....

So October had to be the month. But there is also the more established Masskara Festival in Bacolod every October. Tosolve the possibility of competing with thebig festival in Occidental, the organizersthought of holding the Buglasan after the Masskara Festival. That way, tourists andother guests could attend to both festivalsin the same island, if they wanted to.

Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’, however, (with‘Queenie’ following closely behind) hasdampened the Buglasan event this yearby causing many Negrenses to go hungryand homeless, at a time when people aresupposed to be celebrating.

At this time, our wish is for our fellow Negrenses, who have to put up with thefloods and landslides in the northern and southern parts of the Province, to recoverswiftly.

As we also hope for the authorities toshow the same concern and enthusiasm in helping them, as they have demonstratedin preparing for the Buglasan.

The Buglasan, after all, is not just a timefor merriment. It is a showcase of NegrosOriental at its best, and how we relate to each other, in good times and in bad.

ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP

101

Recently, the City has been implementing some steps to use pyrolysis to reduce or control the volume of waste we generate.

As the name implies, pyrolysis ( Greek derived elements pyro “fire”, “ heat ” , “ fever ” and lysis “ separating ”) or devolatilization process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere , which involves a change of chemical composition, turning organic matter into several different end materials that include tar, syngas, ash, and charcoal (also known as biochar) by burning them in a controlled anaerobic (no oxygen) environment.

High temperatures (300°C to 800°C) are necessary for this process, thus, will use high energy.

Last Friday, Oct. 21, Catholic and Protestant

churches, joined by concerned citizens, as well as the No to 174 Movement , marched the streets of Dumaguete to oppose the City’s impending resumption of operation of a pyrolysis plant in barangay Camanjac.

This facility has been proven to use an incinerator technology hiding under a different name, thus, undermines the health of the surrounding communities and environment.

dioxins) can find their way into waterways contaminating the water supply, crops and plants.

It is also known to emit harmful pollutants like dioxins and furans which are carcinogenic, and are known to mimic the action of hormones in the human body.

Pyrolysis

Studies have shown that the problem with pyrolysis is that several pollutants can be released into the environment: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), Sulphur oxides (SOx), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Ammonia (NH3) which can threaten human health and the environment.

By-products like ash (loaded with heavy metals and

ATTY. JOSE RIODIL D. MONTEBON

Repeated daily exposures to pollutants emitted by the pyrolysis plant, even at low levels, can irreparably harm the immune system, and cause developmental problems in children.

In a nutshell, there are alleged benefits to having pyrolysis plants – mainly to take something unwanted (domestic refuse including more complex plastics and turn it into something useful, e.g., biofuel).

But the same pyrolysis plant raises more serious

EMPEROR’S NO CLOTHES

On Oct. 21, the Supreme Court listened to the oral arguments on the petition to strike down Republic Act 11935, the law that allows postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. The SC also required the Commission on Elections to file its comment to the Petition.

The Petition to overturn RA 11935 was filed by Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal who argued that while Congress has the authority to set the term of office of barangay officials, it does not have the authority to postpone the barangay elections nor extend the term of office of barangay officials.

By postponing barangay elections, and consequently extending the terms of barangay officials, Congress overstepped its Constitutional boundaries by effectively “appointing” these officials to extended terms, the election lawyer claimed.

Former President Duterte endorsed the postponement of the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled on Oct. 31, “due to fears that drug money may be used to fund the campaigns of those running for barangay posts”.

“This proposed postponement of barangay polls would give barangay officials a longer term than governors and mayors who are supposed to supervise them,” Makalintal said.

He further argued that barangay officials cannot be appointed because under the law, they have to be elected by their constituents.

Despite his objections to delaying the barangay polls, Macalintal does not see any issue if the SK elections

Congress or the President. This assertion is supported by the following Constitutional provisions:

“Art. IX Constitutional Commissions

“A.Common Provisions. Section 1. The Constitutional Commissions, which shall be independent, are the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Elections, and the Commission on Audit.”

“The Commission on Elections.“Sec. 2. The Commission

The wisdom of the Court

will either be postponed or permanently abolished. “There will be no problem for the postponement of the SK elections because it is not under the provisions of the law. The SK can be easily postponed or abolished through the passage of a new law,” Macalintal said.

He further said there is no constitutional provision against the appointment of SK officials.

The crux of Atty. Makalintal’s argument is grounded, first, in the argument that the COMELEC is an independent and autonomous constitutional body. It is should be free of influence or control from the

on Elections shall exercise the following powers and functions

1) Enforce and administer all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum, and recall.”

Sec. 9. Unless otherwise fixed by the Commission in special cases, the election period shall commence 90 days before the day of election and shall end 30 days thereafter.”

Second, the Constitution recognized in Article VI, Section 8, that Barangay officials have a six year term, contrary to the three-year term of other elective local officials.

The term of barangay official is determined by law,

concerns about the health risks and negative environmental impact on the community, and the workers of the pyrolysis plant.

In fact, safety in pyrolysis plants became an essential and increasingly-important health and environmental security issue since an explosion like the one in Chennai, India where a boiler exploded, flung up to 30 meters from where the pyrolysis plant was located, killing one person and injuring two others. This also happened in 2014 in Joensuu, Finland. In 1998, a pyrolysis plant accident in Germany resulted in the release of the pyrolysis gas into the air. A pyrolysis gas explosion also happened in 2012 in a Russian oil sludge treatment plant in the Khanty-Mansiysk where eight people were killed, eight workers got carbon monoxide poisoning and sustained burn injuries, among others.

In 2017, Fr. Von Arellano of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, only had this to say of the operation of a pyrolysis plant in Trece Martires City in Cavite: “Poor communities are often the ones who pay the heaviest price for ecological deterioration.”

No to pyrolysis!

whereas the terms of other local elective officials is set under Article VI, Section 8 of the Constitution:

“Art. VI. Local Government Units.

Sec. 8. The term of office of elective local officials, except barangay officials, which shall be determined by law, shall be three years and no such official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected.”

“Election of Barangay Officials.

“Sec. 37. Regular election of barangay officials. The election for barangay officials shall be held throughout the Philippines in the manner prescribed on the second Monday of May, 1988, and on the same day every six years thereafter.

The officials elected shall assume office on the 3oth day of June next following the election and shall hold office for six years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified.”

Finally, Makalintal argued that under the Omnibus Election Code, only the COMELEC may postpone elections in specific instances. This power to postpone elections is an exclusive power granted to the Comelec:

“Sec. 5. Postponement of election. When for any serious cause such as violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other analogous

Member, Philippine Press Institute

One of my favourite pamper-me activities whilst in the Philippines is having a massage performed by one of many blind masseuse here in Dumaguete who provide such excellent experiences.

Two weeks ago, I headed to the Blind Massage Centre along Rizal Boulevard, only to discover the Centre was partially demolished and currently unusable. No beds to lie on to get a full-body head-to-toe one-and-a-half hour long massage.

Instead, I and a number of others found ourselves hunched over on plastic lawn chairs (Muskoka, Adirondack

DIANA BANOGON-BUGEYA

PEOPLE’S CORNER

DianaBugeya@gmail.com

goods with this sign hung from their front fenders but since when did rocks, gravel, stone and boulders become perishable?

This smacks of arrogance on the part of the unsanctioned reclamation ( a.k.a. destruction) project manager that his or her project bears our moving aside to let these bearer of totally non-perishable goods have priority on the road.

And where did these nonperishable goods come from anyway? But this is a question for another day.

After I left my open air massage, I discovered that my car parked across from the Press Club was covered all

and consideration? And when are they going to have another building to work in?

They have no clue what the plans are. But what they know is that they’ve lost clients who only want their massage lying on a bed.

Unlike sighted people, the blind, on the whole, have limited work opportunities. Losing business to a sighted masseuse who works in a location with beds speaks to the subtle discrimination by City Hall of individuals who are determined to be independent and self-sustaining, instead of seeking continued assistance from others. The blind hold their head high, they take pride

Short-term gain for long-term pain leading to ‘Do Not Delay’

style) as our masseuse attempted to give us as best a massage as was possible. A temporary makeshift arrangement on the sea-facing open verandah of the Press Club.

Massages are Zen moments for me, but at that time, it was a struggle to achieve this.

A pile driver at work nearby, splitting our eardrums. Back and forth rumble of large, heavy, very heavy dump trucks with printed tarpaulins bearing the signs Shoreline Protection Project ” and Do not Delay”.

Protection , my eye! Destruction, you mean.

And “ Do Not Delay” ? You’ve got to be kidding!

With our unrelenting heat, it is understandable you see trucks carrying perishable

over in brown dirt. My parked location was many metres from the shoreline work.

So much dust, unseen, but there, nonetheless. What was this dust doing to the lungs of the masseuse who are there all day? Their clothes, their hair?

During the project planning for this ill-advised unwanted work, did the planners consider the welfare of the blind masseuse? Did they do a 360 to consider all the risks/ consequences and benefits/ advantages of the project?

As in, demolishing half their building to create a parking lot, exposing the blind and their clients to the elements like this?

Or, are the blind so unimportant to the City Hall officials that they were not even part of the investigation

LIGUTOM

&

When a General was appointed Undersecretary of the Department of Health, not a few individuals and organizations expressed their dismay.

In a statement, the Alliance of Health Workers strongly denounced the appointment of Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan as Health undersecretary, saying that it shows President Marcos Jr.’s lack of concern for the lives, health, safety, and welfare of the health workers and Filipinos in general. “The appointment is a huge insult to our health experts, who are most qualified to administer and run

delivery of health services is not just about doctors and scientists working together.”

“What is equally important is reaching the grassroots and feeling their pulse. The management skills of General Cascolan have long been proven in his several years of untainted service. Quick and timely response during calamities as well as the coordinated implementation of programs under devolved healthcare, not to mention the gigantic task of logistics and planning, are important factors in DOH,” she added.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa also supported the President’s decision, saying that being in the DOH does not necessarily

in their work, in their earnings gained honestly.

Can you say the same, City Hall officials?

In the month that I’m back, I’ve started to wonder if the people of Dumaguete really care about what is happening in the City as the officials at City Hall seem unstoppable. After all, the proponents of this massive destruction got voted back in. If you care, why vote them back in?

The answer, I am told, was the massive infusion of cash into the hands of the voters. Lucrative cash. So once again, the Filipino settled for Short Term Gain for Long Term Pain.

I turned my attention elsewhere. I asked around. Why has the Department of Environment & Natural

PAGE 6

OPINION

HearHerNow

Unpopular opinion here.

Eversince group chats were made on the Facebook app Messenger, all it ever did for most, if not all, was feed gossip.

Perhaps not all, but if you are a member of group chats that cultivate gossiping, trust me it won’t take long until someone gets

transcended by all sorts of immorality, and in worse cases, even promiscuity.

The most common vice though is what almost everyone is fond of -gossiping.

Gossiping, per Google, is casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details

already taking part in gossiping, even when you thought you were simply listening and being quiet.

Remember, not saying anything or not defending the person being talked about could mean you were actually tolerating it to happen, and indirectly colluding with them in the conversation.

FB group chats resevoir for gossip?

bored, and starts dissing out people for fun.

For as far as I can remember, group chats were an effective platform to get people together on a social media platform, and consolidate positive ideas, bypassing the hassle of having to message people separately, one by one.

But as time went by, the effectiveness of group chats is now paralleled with, or in most instances now,

that are not confirmed as being true.

Perhaps we all have taken part in gossiping in one way or another but it takes a great deal of conscious effort to actually shrug it off.

No matter how seemingly-harmless small talks are, if they are not confirmed to be true, they will always settle as a form of gossiping.

For all you know, you’re

IAN ROSALES CASOCOT

It could be fun for awhile until you yourself become the topic of gossip when you happen to be offline and not part at that particular group chat.

It always starts sweet and fun until someone in the group starts to overthink and create their imaginary issues, and inevitably, initiate competition.

And if you haven’t gotten the memo yet, competition is only for the insecure.

TEMPEST IN A COFFEEMUG

icasocot@gmail.com

If you ask me, what I love about the Dumaguete Booth at the 2022 Buglasan Festival is the fact that the entire thing is essentially a tribute to the City’s heritage of culture and the arts. [Full disclosure: I am responsible for the design of the various labels featured in the displays, as well as for the various short essays around the venue, which I will be incorporating in this article. I am not, however, involved in the conception of the booth itself.]

Dumaguete at the Buglasan feels right, because the plaza itself is not only the veritable center of the City, it is also the true mark of confluence in terms of Oriental Negrense history.

new environments.

Conventional wisdom holds that a second category of management skills—those specific to a given company, such as knowledge of idiosyncratic processes and management systems—don’t transfer as well.

Switching employers, it is thought, leads to a shortterm decline in a manager’s performance until the individual develops new skills specific to the new company.

But executives who come from institutions known for strong leadership development processes can be expected to have first-rate skills of the transferable type—general

Portability of managers

the affairs of the DOH,” the AHW said.

Some health workers said they would rather work with a Health Undersecretary who is an expert in helping eradicate deadly and infectious diseases.

A well-known Manila lawyer poked fun by posting in his social media account a picture of Doc Willie Ong (defeated senatorial candidate) in a General’s outfit with a sarcastic statement, “Praktis lang. Baka ipatatawag as chief ng PNP!”

Former Health Sec. and now Iloilo Cong. Janette Garin, however, sees nothing wrong with the appointment of a retired police general to the Health department, saying the agency also needs non-medical managers.

To her, “DOH is also involved in delivering essential health services to people which does not only involve those in the medical and sciences field and that

mean being able to cure the sick.

This article is not meant to criticize nor defend the appointment of General Cascolan as undersecretary of DOH but to consider the idea that hospitals and the Health department are not only for medical doctors, much as construction companies and the Public Works & Highways department are not only for engineers and builders.

The question here is the portability of managers. Can an executive’s skills be readily transferred from one setting to another?

Theoretically, when an organization hires a new executive, it gets a bundle of abilities and experience. Some general management skills such as setting a vision, motivating employees, organizing, budgeting, and monitoring performance have been shown to translate well to

management skills.

Some researchers found that company-specific skills can prove valuable in a new job, under the right circumstances. They uncovered several other types of skills and experience that shape performance in one job and may influence performance in a new one, again depending on the circumstances.

These types fall under three headings: strategic human capital, or the person’s strategic expertise in cost cutting, growth, or cyclical markets; industry human capital, meaning technical and regulatory knowledge unique to an industry; and relationship human capital, or the extent to which a manager’s effectiveness can be attributed to his experience working with colleagues or as part of a team.

The advantages conferred by these skills are more likely

The booth’s structure, designed by GLI Architects, is a modern recreation of a local architectural beauty now long gone: the kiosk of old M.L. Quezon Park, which was built in the 1930s, but was replaced with a larger structure sometime in the late 1990s, which exists at present. The old kiosk served as a bandstand for various cultural events in the old town of Dumaguete. It was the centerpiece for the town plaza, and served as its heart, and a reminder of Dumaguete’s heritage and history.

The fact that City Tourism Officer Jacqueline Antonio chose this historical part of Quezon Park to represent

What I

The plaza occupies the space between the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria [the original foundation of which was built in 1754] and the Presidencia [built in 1937 by renowned Filipino architect Juan Arellano], and by its very location has been witness to the historical upheavals and progress of Dumaguete at the height of both Spanish and American colonial rules.

It was in this space, for example, that Don Diego de la Viña and his men settled when they arrived in Dumaguete from Guihulngan

about the

cannons, speeches, music, and refreshments—marking a year of rapid progress in Dumaguete. [By Nov.16, electric lights were turned on in Dumaguete for the first time.]

Quezon Park was refurbished under the

direction of Sr. Juan Posadas, transforming the area into recreation grounds with green lawns, gravel walks, flower

booth at the Buglasan

on 24 November 1898, completing the liberation of Negros Oriental from Spanish rule.

Here they hoisted the flag of the Republic in front of the nearby convento, while the men rang the bells of the church tower in jubilation.

Formerly a field of weeds, and then a corn field, and finally a makeshift plaza between the casa tribunal and the Catholic Church, Quezon Park was formally dedicated in the afternoon of 17 September 1916 with the firing of

beds, and concrete benches. It was named after the statesman Manuel L. Quezon, even before he became President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935. This was in honor of his efforts in the passage of the Jones Law, or the Philippine Autonomy Act, in 29 August 1916. Quezon had been one of the Philippines’ two resident commissioners to the U.S. House of Representatives, and had drafted at least two versions of the Jones Bill.

Quezon would make frequent visits to Dumaguete in the ensuing years, developing a close relationship with the place. After World War II broke out in the Pacific and the Japanese Occupation began, Quezon and members of his family, and their military escorts, slipped off to safety in Australia from the port in Dumaguete by submarine on 6 March 1942.

The winning design of Oliver Gajano for the Festival Costume Competition of the 2021 Sinina Sandurot.

Barracuda Whirlpool by Alta Jia, Julbert Ramos, Beshiel Mayordomo, and Flomil Rey Labarento.

causes of such a nature that the holding of a free, orderly and honest election should become impossible in any political subdivision, the Commission, motu proprio or upon a verified petition by any interested party, and after due notice and hearing, whereby all interested parties are afforded equal opportunity to be heard, shall postpone the election therein to a date which should be reasonably close to the date of the election not held, suspended or which resulted in a failure to elect but not later than thirty days after the cessation of the cause for such postponement or suspension of the election or failure to elect.”

“Sec. 29. Regular elections of local officials. The election of provincial, city and municipal officials whose positions are provided for by the Local Government Code shall be held throughout the Philippines in the manner herein prescribed on the first Monday of May, 1986, and

DEGAMO....FROM P. 3

Certificates to those applicants in question,pending a review by theProvince.

Degamo read to themedia some names from among the “list of quarryapplicants” who happento be identified with the political group of HenryTeves.

on the same day every six years thereafter.”

“The officials elected shall assume office on the thirtieth day of June next following the election and shall hold office for six years and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified.”

Arguing contra to Makalintal’s points is the factual postponement of the Barangay and even the SK elections by legislative fiat.

In December 2019, former President Duterte signed Republic Act 114632 postponing the May 2020 Barangay and SK elections.

This law’s constitutionality went unchallenged, and resulted in the actual postponement of the Barangay and SK polls.

The sponsors of Republic Act 11935 rely on the strength of the previous postponement as the basis for their authority as the legislative branch to pass laws. This fact and argument,

He said one of the quarry permit applicantshad filed a disqualificationcase against him.

Atty. Richard Enojo, theGovernor’s legal counsel,also said that two quarryoperators in the list -- RogerRubio and Teddy Salao --are actually “suspects in the

The Good Life

‘The Solar Guy’ Jeff Davis brings his parents over here to Dumaguete to live their final years. “They will move here to die here; but before that, they will get a life here in Dumaguete.” (Jeff Davis, 2018, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

And so on Oct. 21, 2022, the happy couple -- Ralph and Marvin Davis -- celebrated not only Mrs. Davis’ 90th birthday, but they also commemorated their 72nd anniversary of their marriage vows.

“Thank you to the high quality of nursing care here in Dumaguete, and for the comfortable lifestyle offered by Negros Oriental, my parents continue to be healthy and happy through their sunset years,” said Jeff Davis, son of the couple.

“I thank God everyday that my parents are here with me in Dumaguete, and that the care offered by locally-trained care-givers is of such high quality.“

“I highly recommend Dumaguete as a genuinely excellent Retirement Destination regardless of the level of care that may or may not be needed.Here in Dumaguete, it is truly The Good Life.”

notwithstanding, the Supreme Court is not estopped from ruling on the constitutionality of Republic Act 11935 in the exercise of its judicial power and independence. We await the wisdom of the Court in this highly sensitive matter. It’s consequences are not limited merely to whether or not the polls should be postponed, but especially whether limits to legislative power are clearly defined in the Constitution; and finally, whether the highest Court has the political will to assert its independence as a separate and co-equal body of government.

The way this Court behaves will determine the path to a restored democracy for our people.

“He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom. A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.” (Proverbs 18:1-2)

killing of broadcaster DindoGeneroso”.

“When we saw the list of quarry applicants, we weresurprised that their namescame up. It’s probablyjust a coincidence but it’ssurprising to know thattheir names are in the list,” Enojo said.

to transfer to an executive’s new role when the new environment is similar to the old.

As regards General Cascolan, the issue could be only on the industry human capital as he is from the police organization.

Industry-based technical know-how is only one of the many human capital qualities which include, among others,education, health, mental and emotional wellbeing, problem solving and communication skills and people management.

The economist Gary Becker identified two types of human capital capabilities: general , which have potential value to more than one employer, and company-specific , which may be useful to a single employer only.

So in addition to the industry-specific alleged weakness of General Cascolan, he may initially find lacking in the company-specific human capital.

Appointees with more generic leadership capabilities will be better able to port their talent across from one organization to another, unlike those with more companyspecific capabilities.

However, if the company with that new job is similar,

DSWD....FROM P. 2

“Sa ilalim ng inyonggabay, nabigyang daanang Negros Orientalupang makatatag ngpangkabuhayan sa mga SLP association ng inyongmamamayan (Yourguidance has paved theway for Negros Orientalto provide livelihood forthe SLP associations),”Tanjusay said in his speech,thanking local officials fortheirThecooperation.beneficiary areaswere among those identifiedby the National Task Forceto End Local Communist Armed Conflict as former insurgency-affected villages.

in terms of organizational culture, to the one that the candidate is about to leave, then porting their talent has a higher likelihood of success.

I am sure that while PNP and DOH have wide differences in organizational mandates, operation-wise they share many commonalities.

During the pandemic, while many may refuse to recognize it, the experience of the military man in the person of Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. contributed much to the success of the Philippine fight against CoViD-19.

It is reported that lately, many companies have placed at the center of their talent management strategies the promise of the portable leader which can be summarized as “working here today will make you a leader elsewhere tomorrow”.

Using the promise of portable leadership can attract talented people in companies, motivate them, and build valuable networks of alumni outside the firm’s walls.

US President Reagan was not an economist nor a graduate of political science. He started working after graduation as a sports reporter, and later became an actor. Yet, he became a celebrated state governor, and did well

as the oldest politician who became president of a world superpower.

Sen. Mark Villar had a good record as DPWH Secretary, even though he is not an engineer. He was a graduate of Economics, Political Science and Philosophy, with an MBA.

In my hometown, the COO of one of the more popular private hospitals there is not a medical doctor. My college contemporary, who was with the SU College of Business Administration, was president of the Zamboanga Peninsula Medical Center; he is now its chairman of the board.

The Department of Labor & Employment is known to be a haven of lawyers but an Agriculture graduate of Silliman was actually recognized as one of its outstanding executives.

Portability is a characteristic attributed to a computer program if it can be used in operating systems other than the one in which it was created, without requiring major rework.

Porting is the task of doing any work necessary to make the computer program run in the new environment.

Is porting then acceptable in the management of corporations or public institutions?

PEOPLE’S CORNER....FROM P. 5

Resources not stopped this? What about the other government agencies that will have had to stamp their approval on this project?

Having experienced firsthand bribery of government officials and workers to get anything done around here -at Customs, the Land Registry, BIR -- it gives the impression that money, or some form of compensation, may have changed hands. I need not wonder anymore.

Is this what we, Filipinos, have become? Crooks and

abetters of crooks?

For a country that takes pride in the presence of so many churches and mosques, and very well attended at that, the teachings have not made a dent, it seems.

But this doesn’t stop me, and the many out there who continue to provide me with answers and details behind what is going on right now, to say it’s NO TO 174-HECTARE RECLAMATION here in our beautiful Dumaguete! (Thanks to Atty. Whelma Siton-Yap for this rallying cry.)

NOTICE

Visayan Solar Services CEO Jeff Davis feeling honored to have been inducted into the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry, coinciding with his mother’s 90th birthday.

“I am so grateful to thegovernment for giving usa chance at starting a newlife. We are now enjoyingfreedom and a peaceful lifefollowing our surrenderfrom the communist underground movementand I hope to see moresurrenderers in the future because the governmenthas followed through withits promise to help us oncewe leave the movement,” a former rebel who requestedanonymity said in aninterview.

Brig. Gen. LeonardoPeña, commander of the 302nd Brigade of thePhilippine Army based inTanjay City, lauded theefforts of the governmentthrough the DSWD.

“This is living proof thatthe government is sincere insaying that it will help theformer rebels start a new life once they surrender,”Peña told the media in an interview.

VISAYAN SOLAR SERVICE

Mobile: 0919-491-4041

thesolarguyjeffdavis@gmail.com

He reiterated his call for the remaining NPAmembers in the provinceto give up the armedstruggle and not be swayedby the propaganda of theunderground movementthat warned they will bekilled if they surrendered.(Judy F. Partlow/PNA)

public is hereby informed that DOLGER A. GERMUDO, ARCHIE K. GERMUDO and JUN RAY K. GERMUDO, all of Ayungon, Negros Oriental, have executed an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH AUTHORITY over the deposits/share capital and other receivables of deceased MRS. JULIET K. GERMUDO with the DCCCO Multipurpose Cooperative Guihulngan Branch with Membership ID No. 004022255 on October 5, 2022 in Ayungon, Negros Oriental and is registered as Doc No. 477, Page No. 096, Book No. LIII Series of 2022 in the Notarial Register of Atty. Edmund Tubio.

October 30

October 23

October

informed that AMALIA G. DELFIN, LEIZL ANN D. ABRASALDO, LEO BON D. DELFIN, all of Mabinay, Negros Oriental and LUCEL D. CAGUCO of Bacolod City, have executed an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH AUTHORITY over the deposits/share capital/other receivables of deceased LUCINO D. DELFIN with the DCCCO in Kabankalan City with Membership ID NO. 070038747 on October 9, 2022 in Dumaguete City and is registered as Doc. No. 1122, Page No. 16, Book No. XXI Series of 2022 in the Notarial Register of Atty. Wilson C. Abrasaldo.

2022 October 16

ALLEN T. CORSAME,

EXTRAJUDICIAL

T. CORSAME and

NegOr addresses mental health issues

Negros Oriental’s Provincial Health Office is strengthening its mental health program with the setting up of hubs to address such issues as suicide, an official said Thursday.

“The mental health program was kind of neglected or left behind during the past years due to the CoViD-19 pandemic restrictions and so we are now in the process of revisiting and strengthening it,” Dr. Liland Estacion, PHO officer in charge, said in mixed English and Cebuano.

This was after a report from the Negros Oriental police showed that the total number of suicide cases from January to October this year reached 42.

Many of the cases were youths although the police declined to give further details due to the sensitivity of the problem.

Estacion said they would train more health workers, including those at the barangay level, on counseling so they could be assigned to centers in certain communities to cater to mental health clients.

Having available health workers to attend to mental

TO PAGE 9

DEGAMO....FROM P. 3

appropriated by Teves, with the promise of the release of another P2.5 million for the rest of the year, once it goes through the Provincial Development Council next week.

Board Member Jessica Villanueva (1st District) welcomed the offer of the Governor but expressed apprehension that while the money will actually be included in the budget, the Governor can still withhold the fund if he does not like the Board Member.

She said she had a hard time as Board Member for nine years with Degamo as governor. Admitting that she and the Governor are in a “love-hate relationship”, she said that even if we do not like the Governor, we have to respect the office he represents.

Degamo, for his part, admitted that there was a lot of “political power play” in the past. This, he confessed, was the reason that Villanueva’s fund for her projects was not released.

But he promised Board Member Villanueva that this time around, the Board Members will be sure to get their respective allocations.

Board Member Julius Sabac (1st District) also welcomed the offer, but said he hopes there are “no strings attached” to the offer.

Sabac said allocating funds for Board Members is not required under the law, and is only a gesture of goodwill on the Governor’s part.

He vowed to do what he has to do for the good of the people.

FEATURE

NORSU grad is EDC SIKAT’s first summa cum laude

Fouryears ago, Renelyn Udtohan from Valencia, Negros Oriental was given a fighting chance of opening doors of opportunities to help her family break out from the vicious cycle of poverty as a SIKAT scholar of renewable energy leader Energy Development Corp.

With hope and her grand dreams for her family, Renelyn became laser-focused on her studies as a BS Mathematics student at Negros Oriental State University, one of the premier public academic tertiary institutions in the Province.

Not even the CoViD-19 pandemic that limited her and her batchmates to distance learning for two years of their college life could stop her, not just from graduating but from finishing at the top of her class.

Her achievement as this year’s summa cum laude is even more special because it is the highest graduation honors attained so far among alumni of the prestigious SIKAT scholarship program of EDC.

SIKAT identifies deserving high school graduates within EDC’s geothermal energy production sites across the country and helps them gain acceptance into state universities and colleges.

SIKAT further supports their college education not only financially but through personality and social development skills. SIKAT’s assistance further extends to mentoring, career guidance, and board exam review sessions if needed. Then, through job placement assistance, SIKAT graduates are able to find jobs within EDC or elsewhere in the private or public sector.

“SIKAT takes precedence among EDC’s corporate

social responsibility initiatives because it has proven that education is a catalyst for progress and a better life for the underprivileged members of our society,” said Norreen Bautista, head of EDC’s corporate relations in Negros Island.

Established in 2011, SIKAT has so far sent a total of 256 scholars to state colleges and universities, and produced a total of 133 graduates, 75 percent of whom are now gainfully employed in the private sector.

For 2022, SIKAT produced 43 graduates, nine of them from Negros Island. This year’s batch yielded 19 graduates with latin honors, the highest number among all batches in the program, including Renelyn as its first summa cum laude; Jhayvan Eve Quitoy, one of two magna cum laudes and now a BS Economics degree holder from UP Visayas; and Maureen Autor, who graduated cum laude with a degree in BS Applied Mathematics from UP Visayas-Miagao.

SIKAT also supports young students in basic education. As part of its annual outreach activities, the program distributes school supplies and participates in the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela drive.

To date, SIKAT assists 90 public schools as part of its yearly outreach program, benefitting more than 20,000 children. The program also extends financial assistance to selected K–12 students, apart from training for teachers and tutorial sessions for the kids.

For her part, Udtohan recognizes the invaluable help that SIKAT has provided scholars like her. “We were able to become individuals we could never have imagined before,” she said.

“As we move forward, remember to pay it forward. Let us continue to serve our community and be a source of hope for the next generation,” she also reminded her fellow graduates and scholars.

Energy Development Corp. is First Gen Corporation’s 100-percent RE subsidiary, with over 1,480 megawatts total installed capacity that accounts for 19 percent of the country’s total installed RE capacity. EDC’s 222.5 Southern Negros geothermal facility in Valencia, Negros Oriental is a part of its 1,188 MW geothermal portfolio that comprises 62 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity. (PR)

CAMPUS NEWS Casocot wins Palanca

Sillimanian writer Ian Rosales Casocot won 1st prize in the 2022 Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature under the Short Story in English category, his sixth Palanca award to date.

He received the award for his short story titled Ceferina in Apartment 2G.

Casocot first won a Palanca award in 2002, earning the 2nd prize for his short story, Old Movies. He won another 2nd prize in the Palanca Award in 2003 for his short story, The Hero of the Snore Tango; the 3rd prize in 2007 for his children’s short story, The Last Days of Magic; the 1st prize in 2008 for his short story, Things You Don’t Know; and the 2nd prize in 2012 for his short story, “It Always Breaks my Heart a little to See You Go.”

Casocot taught literature, creative writing, and film at Silliman. He served as coordinator of the Edilberto & Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center, festival director of the Silliman Film Open, and resident panelist of the SU National Writers Workshop.

He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Mass Communication degree and a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Silliman.

He has won other awards such as the NVM Gonzalez Prize, an Honorable Mention from the 2006 PBBY-Salanga Writer’s Prize, and the Fully-Booked/Neil Gaiman Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards. He was longlisted in the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize for his novel Sugar Land. In 2017, he was selected as member of the National Committee on Cinema of the National Commission for Culture & the Arts.

The awarding ceremony of the 70th Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature will be on Nov. 30. (Jameela Antoniette Mendoza)

DOST scholars’ assoc adjudged best in Region 7

The DOST Scholars Association of Negros Oriental bagged the 1st place in the Search for the Most Outstanding Scholars Association in Central Visayas Region.

The announcement of winners was held during the National Science & Technology Week in Central Visayas on Oct. 14 in Cebu City.

DOST Negros Oriental Provincial S&T Director Atty. Gilbert Arbon received the Plaque of Recognition and cash prize worth P10,000 in behalf of the association.

During the onslaught of Typhoon Odette last year, the DOST Scholars conducted extensive donation drives, made and donated make-shift lamps, and participated in tree planting activities. They also did clean-up drives of the streets and the ocean.

The DOST Scholars’ Association has been registered as a youth organization in Dumaguete the past two years. The members are enrolled in Negros Oriental State University, Foundation University, and Silliman University.

According to Ana Jean Aanduyan of DOST 7 Scholarship Unit, the contest was initiated to recognize their efforts in quality engagements and endeavour including their contribution to the community. (Reinhold Jek Abing/DOST NegOr)

ComSci student wins stats quiz

A BS Computer Science major in Software Engineering freshman student, Rohi Bustamante, of Metro Dumaguete College, was adjudged as the provincial champion during the 26th Philippine Statistics Quiz held on Oct. 20 at Provincial Convention Center, this city.

RJ Quimosquimos garnered the 1st runner-up prize, while Paul Czar Cataylo landed 2nd runner-up. Both are BS Computer Engineering students at the Asian College of Science & Technology.

GUIHULNGAN....FROM P. 2

Guihulngan as these will help bring peace to our area. You all very well know the current peace and order situation there with encounters still taking place between the NPA and the Philippine Army and the PNP,” he said in mixed English and Cebuano.

Reyes received on behalf of the local police 20 Israelimade Emtan MZ-4P assault rifles; 140 30-rounder steel magazines; 4,200 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition; 20 tactical slings; 20 instructional manuals; 20 detachable forward grips; 20 cleaning kits; and a Field Investigator’s Crime Scene Kit.

Guihulngan Police Chief Col. Romeo Cubo told reporters that the additional weaponry will complement their current firepower capability not only in anti-

criminality but also in their internal security operations.

“The local government unit of Guihulngan City also gave us earlier 54 units of M-4 assault rifles so now we can give all of our personnel one long firearm each,” Cubo said in mixed English and Cebuano.

Cubo said he is also hopeful that the Vice Governor’s request to deploy more police personnel to Guihulngan City will be granted.

Police community precincts have been established in critical barangays Trinidad and Buenavista that were identified under the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict but have limited assigned personnel, he said.

Advanced command posts are also in place in

these conflict areas, he added.

The Vice Governor, meanwhile, proposed a meeting with counterparts from Negros Occidental so that peace will be attained on the island of Negros.

Recently, a series of skirmishes between Army troops and NPA rebels in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental led to the displacement of thousands of residents who fled their homes in Barangay Carabalan.

Two Army soldiers and one NPA leader were killed in the clashes that lasted for about a week.

On Oct. 14, two skirmishes between the 62nd Infantry Battalion and the NPA insurgents were reported in the hinterland barangays of Trinidad and Calupaan. (Judy F. Partlow/ PNA)

According to Philippine Statistics Authority Chief Statistical Specialist Engr. Ariel Fortuito, the three provincial winners will represent Negros Oriental in the 26th PSQ regional competitions on Nov. 14 in Cebu.

The PSQ is designed to test college freshman on their knowledge and application of statistics.

The provincial elimination was a simultaneous activity within other provinces in Central Visayas.

The regional elimination will determine the representative to the national finals.

Provincial winners received cash prize of P2,000 for the champion, and P1,500 and P1,000 for the 1st and 2nd runner-up winners, respectively. All regional champions will also be awarded during the National Finals with a PSQ medal and a certificate of recognition. ( JCT/PIA7 NegOr)

Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

BRGY OFFICIAL MURDER ....FROM P. 2 enemies; although it is still not “conclusive”.

Police recovered from the crime scene nine fired cartridges of caliber 9mm, a motorcycle, and a mobile phone.

Pineda said the Bayawan Police Chief told him they are looking at the crime as related to the barangay and SK elections because the victim had no known

The Police Director said they are requesting the Anti-Cyber Crime Group to help retrieve and process the messages and other information from the mobile phone that was retrieved from the crime scene, including those that had been previously deleted. (Judy F. Partlw/ PNA)

EDC SIKAT scholar Renelyn Udtohan, summa cum laude from NORSU.

SIKAT scholar-graduates from Negros, one of EDC’s areas of operation.

The investigation started on Oct. 5, four days after the incident involving food from the SU Cafeteria, while the 73 students who were reportedly “contaminated” after their respective acquaintance parties answered a selfadministered survey concerning their exposure and the development of the symptoms “attributable to a probable food-borne illness”.

Dr. Ursos said a contributing risk factor that may have led to spoilage was the fact that the food were not served in ‘food warmers’.

Food warmers are table-top equipment normally used in catering services to maintain the temperature of prepared food.

“The caterers did not place and use food warmers. Considering that the venues were air-conditioned halls, this allowed the cooling of the food to start early. Thus, we put the food at risk of spoiling,” Dr. Ursos added.

He highlighted the critical importance of the use of food warmers by the caterers in campus to reduce the risk of spoilage, as he also urged students to practice punctuality in all their events, especially if it involves “large-scale

catering”.

“Food is recommended to be kept at 60 degrees celsius, or even hotter -- the required temperature to keep bacteria at bay, and prevent spoilage. Ideally, food should be served hot. The food should be served on time as planned to ensure its freshness,” the medical doctor said.

Ursos urged the students to practice health-seeking behavior, and to not hesitate in consulting medical help.

Meanwhile, Jane Annette Belarmino, SU vice president for Development Enterprise & External Affairs, said the incident was the first case they have encountered. “We went back to our records more than five more years, wala man po’y incidents of food contamination.”

She said the University has faculty and staff who have enough experience. “I just would like to let you know the University seriously takes [the] issue of food safety.”

She urged the students to be aware they have benefits to avail, like free medical consultations, and 50 percent discount on laboratory tests at the Silliman University Medical Center. “I know the Student Government disseminates that [information] to the students, maybe you

missed the announcement from the Student Government; that is your right,” she said. (SU Masscom Investigative Journalism class; Photo by Francis Ryan Pabiania)

Dr. Walden Ursos and VP Jane Belarmino

YOONGDONG-GUN....FROM P. 3

arts by sending delegations to leading festivals and cultural events, and exhibitions of artworks, and for the employment of seasonal workers and youth by both cities.

Both cities noted that this year marks the first anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the introduction of seasonal workers to residents of Dumaguete who are deployed in the grape farms of Yeongdong-gun to help ensure continued growth of their economies.

Yeongdong-gun plans to hire about 150 seasonal workers next year. It is known to produce quality grapes with high sugar content and a sweet aroma, and is home to the best wineries in South Korea.

Yeongdong-gun is Korea’s No. 1 Agricultural City and Local Government with the best brand for clean tourism in their country. It is also the center of traditional Korean music, with regular performances or workshops for the production and experience of classical sounds and instruments.

The signing ceremony

was witnessed by the Councilors and key department heads of both cities, and was held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall.

Other Yeongdonggun officials present in Dumaguete were Chairman Lee Seung-Joo, Councilor Kim O-Bong, Councilor Lee Dae-Ho, Councilor Kim Eun-Ha, Administrative Director Seo Jong-Seok, Private Cooperation team leader Jeong Mi-Sook with his member Choi SeongJun, Agriculture Director Sung Uk-Jae, heads of Nonghyup Agricultural Bank An Jin-Woo, Park Dong-heon, and Shon SukJoo; interpreter Lee KyungHwan; Secretary Park Byeong-Hoon; Planning & Audit members Park JunEu and Gang Hean-Seok.

Also representing Dumaguete were Acting Vice-Mayor Karissa Maxino, Councilor Maria Marife Cordova, Councilor Agustin Miguel Perdices, Councilor Rey Lyndon Lawas, Councilor Franklin Esmeña, Councilor Dionie Amores, Councilor Renz Macion, City Administrator Lilani Ramon, and other department heads.

NEGOR ADDRESSES....FROM P. 7

health cases, such as anxiety and depression, can help prevent suicide, she said.

“Most of those with suicidal tendencies are young people who cannot identify who or where to go,” she said, noting that the advent of social media has also contributed to mental health issues.

“Many young people are so engrossed in computer games that sometimes their studies are compromised,” she added.

Estacion expressed hope that schools would have programs on mental health care for their students.

She also encouraged families to be proactive in their roles within their own homes to help the children cope with their problems.

In the near future, she said, they would undertake a program where at least one family is trained for counseling.

“These young people need advice and guidance, as well as those who listen to them and not just ignore them,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital aims to improve the Talay Rehabilitation Center, which caters to mental health patients, Estacion said.

The Talay facility is the only one in Negros Oriental and is already overcrowded as some patients from nearby areas like Dipolog City in Mindanao are sent there, she said.

To address the lack of accommodation at the facility, Estacion said in some areas, such as in Guihulngan City, they have a monthly outpatient section for mental health clients.

These clients come in regularly for consultation, as well as for their medication that the government is giving for free, she said.

She lamented that some patients committed to the Talay facility have nowhere to go once they have been treated, while others are also left there with their families no longer coming to visit them. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)

Serving as solicitor general during the term of former President Benigno Aquino III, Hilbay acted as the principal agent of the Philippines in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea arbitral proceedings against China on the issue of the West Philippine Sea.

Before his stint as solicitor general, Hilbay taught Advanced Constitutional Litigation, Constitutional Law, and Philosophy of Law at the UP College of Law, where he earlier earned his law degree in 1998. He topped the 1999 bar examinations. He was also director of the Institute of Government & Law Reform of the UP Law Center.

Atty. Hilbay earned his Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School in 2005.

Aside from being a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Boston College in Massachusetts, he has held fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law & International Law in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the Asian Law Institute for Comparative Public Law at the National University of Singapore.

He also served as editor-in-chief of the Philippine Law and Society Review, and editor of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Law Journal

Atty. Hilbay first came to the Silliman campus in 2006 when he gave a lecture at the College of Law as vicechairperson of Bantay Katarungan (Sentinels of Justice), a civic organization formed by former Sen. Jovito R. Salonga. Hilbay then helped Silliman organize the Dr. Jovito R. Salonga Center for Law & Development, now headed by Atty. Mikhail Lee Maxino.

Hilbay will take over the deanship from Atty. Myles Nicholas Bejar, SU general counsel. (SU OIP)

‘Operation Smile’ launches Women in Medicine in Asia

CEBU CITY -- OperationSmile’s all-female team of volunteer cleft care professionals from 12countries celebrate the close of the six-day educationaland medical mission theymounted here recentlyto launch “Women in Medicine” in Asia.

The multinational team conducted a one-day forum on women empowermentin the health professionfollowed by five days offree surgeries on 59 childrenwith cleft lip and cleft palateat the Cebu City MedicalCenter.

Operation Smile co-founder and president,Kathleen Magee, flew infrom the U.S. to lead the launch.

Women in Medicine is a new global initiative thatseeks to encourage womento join the health careprofession, and empowerthem to take leadershiproles in their respectivefields. It is also beingpiloted in Africa and inSouth America.

The program wascreated in response to thecall of the World Health Organization for women todrive the transformational change in global health care.

Women comprise70 percent of healthprofessionals but occupyonly 25 percent of leadership positions.

The WHO had said the world needs 18 million more health professionalsto achieve universal health coverage. In thePhilippines, the gap inhealth professionals is290,000. (Jingjing Farrarons)

FEATURE

by Renz Torres

How Ceferina in Apartment 2G came to be

On Oct.15, the writer Ian Rosales Casocot, also MetroPost columnist for at least 20 years, received the news of his career, and he would find it…four days later, on the birthday of my mother, his mother-in-law.

The email had been buried in his inbox, saying his entry, Ceferina in Apartment 2G, had won first prize under the short story category in the 2022 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

He had previously submitted it to another literary contest, but it lost, so he applied it for this year’s Palancas. It was his first Palanca in 10 years.

When I asked him about what makes him write, nothing quite gets him to write more than his mother.

“It seems [she] has always been my muse,” he once said to me one afternoon.

It checks out, I thought. She’s been the constant for most of his life. That conversation on that afternoon was a lifetime from where that statement began, when she had him, youngest of the siblings.

His familial wealth had been taken from them by the sugar crisis. His father had disappeared. Home life in Bayawan became school life in Dumaguete, and before the family was able to save enough money to buy a house for themselves— from Ian’s childhood to his college years—they moved nine times.

But Feny remained steadfast on this first move. She had to. She had six boys to feed.

Growing up, Feny

learned two things from her family: a penchant for hard work, and a deep Christian faith to propel it. She earned a living by selling peanut butter, and answering hairdressing house calls. She formed

Feny to migrate to the United States. He volunteered his apartment as their domain while she was there. After successfully bringing her abroad, she returned to the Philippines two years after.

Ian never asked her for details of that visit, but he wondered. “What did she do while she was there?”

One afternoon, he plucked that question from his wandering mind and speculated an answer.

her social circle from the connections she made in church. With what she had earned, she was able to send all of her boys to school. She tried to inculcate these gifts to her six sons.

Like her other sons, Feny’s second youngest Rey caught the drive, finished his nursing course. With it, he applied for US citizenship, and migrated abroad. As for the faith, much to her dislike, he lived contrary to it. Being away in the US, Rey could explore a side to him openly…and where else to explore his homosexuality than to find it in sunny Los Angeles? Despite its comparable weather, Los Angeles was no Dumaguete. Not everyone thought the same. In 2009, to keep an eye on her, Rey had petitioned for

He wanted the title of the short story to have his mother’s full first name. He opened Google Maps and searched for the address of his brother’s apartment: an unassuming beige building surrounded by a grid of streets. In his mind, he placed Feny in Rey’s apartment. He wanted to see how she would spend her day at his brother’s apartment while he was out.

One thing Ian knows is that if Feny doesn’t know what to do…she cleans. With every chore, she discovers the apartment they were living in…and who the man her son grew up to be.

As a conservative parent, she had to confront her son’s artifacts of a gay life. But will she return to what she knows or will she take him as he is?

Feny is still in Dumaguete. She celebrated her 90 th birthday this year. She would still go to church every Sunday. We meet each other when she’s out with other family members, trying new cafes or restaurants. She gives me a big hug and she always says God bless you. Much like her son, she knows just what to say.

DENGUE CLAIMS....FROM P. 2

City with 278; Dumaguete City, 212; Guihulngan City, 177; La Libertad, 173; Bayawan City, 171; Sibulan, 92; Bais City, 83; Siaton 71; Sta. Catalina, 69; and Valencia, 64.

The latest death is a oneyear-old girl from Barangay Mantuyop, Siaton who died on Oct. 19 at the town’s rural health center.

The other dengue mortalities were reported in Guihulngan City (two); Bayawan City (two); Basay, Dumaguete City, Sta. Catalina, and Tanjay City (one each).

Meanwhile, Estacion said typhoid fever cases in Negros Oriental have more than doubled from last year’s figures.

She said the Province logged a total of 347 typhoid cases, with four deaths from Jan. 1 to Oct. 22 this year.

This is 121 percent higher than the 157 cases and zero deaths during the same period last year, she said.

The top five areas with the highest cases are Guihulngan City with 80; Bayawan City, 37; Dumaguete City, 36;

Ayungon, 26; and Canlaon City, 21.

The rest of the towns and cities had 20 or fewer cases.

The mortalities were reported in Guihulngan City with two and Dumaguete City and Bayawan City, one each.

Estacion said the reason for the increase in typhoid cases is contaminated water.

“In Guihulngan City, we have seen that due to rains and flooding, their water system has been contaminated,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano.

The Guihulngan City Health Office, in cooperation with the Provincial Health Office, distributed to the residents food packs, jerry cans, water purification tablets, and medicines.

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria spread through contaminated food or water.

Estacion urged residents to boil their water before drinking, especially in areas with a high incidence of typhoid fever. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)

FORMER SOLGEN HILBAY....FROM P. 3

Going beyond this historical significance, we enter the Dumaguete booth with anod towards the costume and fashion arts—with a display of the winning design of Oliver Gajano for the Festival Costume Competition of the 2021 Sinina Sandurot.

The costume is all of a piece with its intricate layers and

them made under the auspices of Dwntwn Films, headed by local filmmaker JR Dalisay.The latest of these audiovisual presentations by Dalisay is a short film on the terra cotta heritage of Dumaguete City, which situates it both historically [recalling the pre-colonial past, as revealed by archaeological

traditions in ethnomusicology, choral music, band music, and orchestral music.

Today, Dumaguete is hometo bands and solo acts that are currently making waves in the regional and national music scene, and boasts of a thrivingnetwork of music artists—the Bell Tower Project—that has produced a series of successful

accessories made from native materials which try to refine the looks of Dumaguete’s premiere festival.

And then the visual arts take their dominance with a

digs around the area, notably with sites in Bacong and Tanjay], as well as culturally [recalling Daro’s contribution to this heritage with its potmaking businesses, whichas a whole is now a dying enterprise], and artistically [informed by the current trend among local artists in incorporating terra cotta in their work].

On the second floor of the Dumaguete booth, we find an exhibit dedicated to the music heritage of Dumaguete, complete with a DIY “piano” —with each key dedicated to a particular contemporary Dumaguete band of regional and national renown.

anthology albums that have helped shape the Dumaguetesound.

That “sound” is still very much in the process of defining itself, but it is music that speaks of an island vibe, a Dumaguete cool, a small city liveliness that moves you to listen, to jive, to find yourself home.

The displays also namesome of the makers of this Dumaguete sound, a sampling of bands, musical groups, singers, composers, instrumentalists, educators -- including Enchi, Hopia, Midnasty, Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, Priscilla Magdamo-Abraham, Elmo Makil, and many others.

display of terra cotta sculptures and paintings of local visual artists Danilo Sollesta, Babbu Wenceslao, Jana Jumalon, Jomir Tabudlong, Mikoo Cataylo, Hemrod Duran, Kevin Cornelia, Alta Jia, Kat Banay, Hersley-Ven Casero, Flomil Rey Labarento, and Jascer Merced.

Most of these are inspired by local scenes and tidbits of culture—like Sollesta’s rearing sigbin, Wenceslao’s crowded habal-habal ride, Banay’s watercolour travelogue of Dumaguete, and Tabudlong’s tianggue tribute.

The pieces occupy the central portion of the Dumaguete booth, a display space that projects upwards and is crowned by a sculptural work, Barracuda Whirlpool, intricately made from hanging wires by artists Alta Jia, Julbert Ramos, Beshiel Mayordomo, and Flomil Rey Labarento, with assist from An Marjo Banagua and JudeMillares.

The work is inspired bythe Banilad Marine-Protected Area, and which is sometimes called Barracuda Alley because an inventory of marine speciesat the site shows abundant schools of barracuda. (This MPA is a favorite among seasoned divers.)

On hand every day, from 5 pm to midnight right outside the Dumaguete Booth, local terra cotta artists Mikoo Cataylo andHemrod Duran demonstrate the rigors of their art, building a sculpture from scratch, to be finished on the final day of the Festival.Buglasan

Immediately to the side of the visual arts display is a big screen that loops some of the most popular videos commissioned by the Dumaguete City Tourism Office in the past few years, most of

This “piano” is a delightful attraction as it actually makes a sound when each of its keys is struck by a visitor’s foot. It invites one to create music, or just some random sound.

Another display I am more responsible for is the Dumaguete booth’s tribute to the literary heritage of Dumaguete.

I was tasked to gather the cover art of books by Dumaguete authors, with titles that directly depict the City in novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and essays.The inspiration for the display sprang from a quote by writerDumaguete and National Artist for Literature Edith Lopez Tiempo. A national magazine once posed this question to her: “What makes you stay in the Philippines?” And her answer was short: “The Dumaguete shoreline.”

This display is important because if Dumaguete hasan artistic claim to fame that should be recognized more, it is that it’s a veritable City of Music. It is a musical melting pot to both the classical and the contemporary, having beenthe venue for various music festivals and workshops, as well as concerts of all kinds genres from jazz to metal, from reggae to pop, from orchestral to opera. It has also contributed greatly to the culture of national music with its deeply-held

For me, this response is emblematicperfectly of the “pull of place” in the life of writers, and how important where one comes from is in the life of the imagination.

One can consider Dumaguete as a singular place of importance when it comes to the development of literature in the Philippines because for many, it has been nurturing ground for some of the best writers in the country,and the literal hometown to some of our most important contemporary writers, many of whom have helped shape the country’s literature as it exists today.

Dumaguete is also only one of the few places in the Philippines where so many bookshave been dedicated to exploring, and thebooks featured at the Dumaguete booth are only some of the tomes that showcase this tendency.

This tribute is an encouragement for everyone to read them, and for locals to get to know their own writers, to get to know their own literature, and ultimately, to get to know Dumaguete better.

Come and see the Dumaguete booth at the Buglasan now, and bask in our heritage of cultureand the arts!

Visual artist Mikoo Cataylo demonstrating terra cotta art-making.

The music heritage display with the DIY piano.

The literary heritage display on the second floor of the Dumaguete Booth.

The visual arts display featuring Dumaguete artists Danilo Sollesta, Babbu Wenceslao, Jana Jumalon, Jomir Tabudlong, Mikoo Cataylo, Hemrod Duran, Kevin Cornelia, Alta Jia, Kat Banay, Hersley-Ven Casero, Flomil Rey Labarento, and Jascer Merced.