See PASS

Elections...

from page 4 resources and how it robbed employment opportunities not only from the American population but also immigrants like Filipinos who entered the country legally.

Thus it’s very galling to watch Democrat senators like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arguing over the right of illegal immigrants to stay in the US despite entering it illegally with immigration officers who were depicted unfairly in US mainstream media as abusing them when in fact they were observing due process. Ocasio-Cortez is a disciple, nay a trainee of Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders, an avowed ‘democratic’ socialist whose ideas are influencing the Democratic Party and its members like Sen. Kamala Harris.

It is these illegal immigrants who were tapped as a voting bloc in this year’s elections which was hobbled by among other things the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus compelled anyone fearful of the disease to stay at home and mail their votes rather than vote in the polling booths. The fact that the 2020 election results weren’t as convincing a victory for Biden over Trump compared to Trump’s victory over Clinton in 2016 gives rise to speculations, not totally unfounded unless disproved convincingly in court, that the ballots can be subject to manipulation.

I’ve also read the social media comments of non-Filipino Americans, Pinoys specifically, who rant, sneer and otherwise put down fellow Pinoys and even Filipino-Americans who supported and continue to support Trump and while I acknowledge their views owing to democratic space, the depth of their scorn can be quite surprising. And those are comments from outsiders who haven’t experienced actual life in the US under any administration be it Democratic or Republican.

As it is, the 2020 US election is subject to comment by anyone around the world owing to the still pervasive influence wielded by the country over the rest of the world. And like the rest of the world which is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic no thanks to Communist China’s ‘negligence (?)’—a fact that Beijing’s communist government is trying to change through its state media and paid hacks in foreign media outlets—whoever will eventually be declared US president will have to deal decisively with the crisis which saw its first definite ray of hope with confirmation of a vaccine that’s supposedly 90 percent effective against the coronavirus.

PS: By the time this sees print, Veterans Day would have come to pass and so I greet a belated Happy Veterans’ Day to my husband Ronnie Dennis, who along with many American veterans laid their lives on the line to protect the freedoms enjoyed by the US and its citizens including immigrants like me. I hope and pray along with my fellow Filipino-Americans that their sacrifices won’t be in vain and will continue to be honored by Americans for years to come.

Crime...

from page 4 have.”

How far has climate change put the earth in the state of cataclysmic emergency? A global estimate was supplied by an independent report commissioned by 20 countries in 2012 to study the human and economic costs of climate change. The DARA study wrote that it: “linked 400,000 deaths worldwide to climate change each year, projecting deaths to increase to over 600,000 per year by 2030… Heat waves kill many, to be sure, but global warming also devastates food security, nutrition, and water safety. Since mosquitoes and other pests thrive in hot, humid weather, scientists expect diseases like malaria and dengue fever to rise. Floods threaten to contaminate drinking water with bacteria and pollution. When the report looks at the added health consequences from burning fossil fuels – aside from climate change – the number of deaths jumps from 400,000 to almost 5 million per year. Carbon-intensive economies see deaths linked to outdoor air pollution, indoor smoke from poor ventilation, occupational hazards and skin cancer.”

Despite such truism, climate change denialism remains rampant. We must now advocate attention to the “web of denial,” a network of think tanks and from groups that had execute “a colossal political scheme” to deceive the public about climate change, and to halt climate action. That insane ideology called corporate globalization that has put the earth in the state of planetary emergency and conniving with the mainstream media and religious groups to hide the truth must now be debunked if we have to stop our accelerating drive towards the earth’s 6th extinction. The coronavirus pandemic is a wakeup call but no one seems to care.

And am not surprise! Humanity is so deeply buried in consumerism and materialism. The profit motive based on monetary growth ideology has already captured the mindset of all governments, all institutions, all universities and all religious groups. There is so much denigration of spirituality based on the fundamental principle of the oneness and interconnectedness of all of God’s creation. Billions of species that have been created by God even before the homo sapiens came into being have already become extinct having been sacrificed to the altar of greed and profit!

The homo sapiens, the most flawed of God’s creation have been captured by the diabolic ego-ic mind as now being exemplified by the ousted narcistic US President Donald Trump. A paradigm shift to effect social transformation is now the call of the times. Cooperativism which is value-based and philosophy & spiritually-driven is now the liberating force to awaken and unfetter humanity from diabolic captivity. That awakening process toward a new Consciousness is now unfolding – which in fact, is the most awaited Second Coming of Christ that will give birth to a new earth and a new heaven! CHRIST has in fact come through that SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS!

The new spirituality based on that looming CONSCIOUSNESS will connect us to the SUPREME BEING that is deep within all of us. Indeed, “what would profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul!” Feel and connect with that eternal and deathless Being deep inside to realize the divine purpose of the universe now unfolding through you! That’s how important you are! Remember you are more spirit than body! As spiritual being, you are deathless and eternal! That consciousness has been taken away through the ego-ic mind controlled by Satan that has polluted our inner being. That inner reality is manifested though the external world that has gone berserk, as the homo sapiens killed its own kind, more than one hundred million lives in the last 100 years and massacred all life forms and now killing the earth itself. With that new consciousness, you will cease to be homo sapiens but be transformed into homo pacem or spiritual luminous!

When that happens, the COOPERATIVES WILL BECOME TRANSFORMATIVE FOR PEOPLE, PLANET, PROSPERITY AND PEACE!!!! You are indeed a transformative leader not transactional!

Chicken...

from page 1 carenderia and the local bagsakan outlet for farmer’s yields Casa de Verdura, she is also the president of Marajaw Karajaw Local Producers and Exhibitors Association, the cooperator of OTOP Hub Surigao City, a pasalubong center located at the Luneta Park, this city.

Just recently, she added another feather to her cap when she put up the Memorada Farm, a 1.7 hectare of agri-tourism haven. It is a vegetation site for ginger, eggplant, okra (lady finger), string beans, chili and bell peppers, among others amid flowering and beautiful shrubs lined by several mango trees. It also has pigpens and chicken coup for fighting and free-range native chickens.

But what draws us into her world even more and prompted a visit from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Surigao del Norte OIC Provincial Director Elmer M. Natad was her recently opened egg-layer machine for 1,000 chickens. Nestled almost at the edge of her land bordered by the Surigao River was a structure built to supply the egg requirement not only within Trinidad but also Surigao City and nearby municipalities such as Placer.

Although it opened last March 2020 when COVID-19 pandemic had just started to be felt in the country, she was not daunted by its effect but instead gave her an additional drive to do right by it. She became hands on in the operations (procuring feeds and tending to the chickens) and meticulously keeps track on how the egg business works. She first started by selling eggs around the neighborhood and tap agencies such as DTI to help her market her eggs. Not long after, she started harvesting an average of 900 eggs daily. Pretty soon, egg dealers started stopping by at her farm to buy all her eggs.

Conversing with her about her return on investment, capacity to repay capital loan, business contingency plan and the next bout of increased harvest by putting up another egg-laying machine, it was very clear there is no stopping her just yet.

“I want to share what I have learned because I want to help not only in providing jobs for people of Trinidad but also because I am an advocate of food security for Surigao,” Arce said encouraging other existing or would-be entrepreneurs by sharing her story and the thriving agri-business of Memorada Farm.

Projects...

from page 1 comprehensive database of IDPs to aid future programs and policies for Marawi rehab, while other projects cater to IDPs living and necessary needs.

PSC was formed as the policymaking body of the BARMM – MRP and to oversee effective management and actual implementation of projects aimed at the city’s recovery.

“Our job as your leaders in the Bangsamoro Government continues until the rehabilitation of Marawi is done and until we see the people of Marawi are back in their homes,” said PSC chairman Ali B. Solaiman.

PSC Vice-Chair Hamid Ami-

noddin Barra and other members, such as MP Abdullah Macapaar, MP Marjanie Macasalong, and PSC Secretariat BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin Ali were present during the first meeting.

BARMM Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun and Finance and Budget (MFBM) Deputy Minister Atty. Ubaida Pacasem participated via online conferencing. (BPI/PIA-ICIC)

Pass...

from page 1 service (for those without employer-employee relationship) for work; photocopy of the ID of employer or employee and driver’s license of the driver for drivers picking up individuals to and from work; event invitation for family events; identification with address for persons who are walking, jogging, or cycling; certification of membership, gym ID, and appointment confirmation for gym-goers; certification as a patient, confirmation of appointment for medical, allied-medical or dental services; business permit, Securities of Exchange Commission registration, Department of Trade and Industry registration, or any other document for proof of business; satisfactory oral explanation, appointment confirmation, receipt of services rendered, and other pertinent documents for church or other wellness activities; pertinent document to the government office to be visited for access to government services; pertinent document related to the office or email/SMS confirmation for access to private offices and establishments services; and student ID for access to school modules.

As of November 13, Davao City reported 5,008 cases, comprising 69% of the 7,197 total COVID-19 cases in the region, according to DOH-Davao. Of this figure, 373 cases were recorded in Davao de Oro, 780 in Davao del Norte, 540 in Davao del Sur, 109 in Davao Occidental, and 387 in Davao Oriental.

Davao Region, which is considered as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Mindanao, has 2,185 active, 4,760 recoveries, and 252 deaths, DOH-Davao said.

Of Davao City’s 5,008 cases, 1,678 cases are classified as active; 3,120 have recovered and 210 have died.

According to the national Department of Health’s COVID-19 tracker as of November 13, Davao City tops the list of areas with “new cases in the last 14 days by date of onset of illness” at 1,196, followed by Quezon City with 872, Cavite with 853, Rizal with 777 and Manila with 741. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

Lokalista...

from page 10 said: “Culture is the basis of how we can and should develop products, from food to wearables. What is important is preserving them while adapting to the new global economy. E-logistics has made it possible for local products and crafts to be brought to the homes of the people.”

With 75,000 online entrepreneurs now active on digital marketplaces, DTI itself, which is focused on exports, “did a backward integration on helping people to start their own business and onboard e-commerce,” Director Dillera continued. One

support that the DTI-PTTC will be providing these new entrepreneurs is training in vital areas like the digitization of their processes; business finance and operations; business marketing; business human resources and organization; and working in the logistics and supply chain.

According to Zoe Chi, Vice President of J&T Express Philippines, the Certified Lokalista campaign celebrates the hard work, creativity, and nationalism of the online sellers. She said, “Filipino entrepreneurs, especially those who went above and beyond amid the mobility restrictions brought about by the pandemic, deserve to be supported and recognized for their creativity and tenacity.”

Panel moderator Amor Maclang, the Co-founder of GeiserMaclang Communications Inc., enthused that the increasingly popular digital double-day sales, launched on the same day of the same month by different online marketplaces, can be a long-overdue opportunity where shoppers can support regional entrepreneurs. She said, “It is because of these men and women that our local products are finally getting the recognition they deserve! Generations-old family recipes, regional specialties, and other proudly Filipino wares are becoming stars on these ecommerce platforms.”

The Certified Lokalista campaign kickstarted in 2020 by awarding Filipino entrepreneurs with a Certified Lokalista badge that will recognize them as J&T trusted sellers. These Certified Lokalistas, whose inspiring work has paved the way for the promotion of Filipino goods, will be awarded P20,000 worth of free shipping by J&T Express. These citations are also designed to influence more sellers to represent their own regional products online.

Ms. Chi described how the challenges brought about by the coronavirus crisis and its lockdowns became instead an opportunity for businesses to discover the advantages of e-commerce and e-logistics. She looked back, saying, “After the pandemic greatly reduced mobility, both old and new entrepreneurs without any previous e-commerce interest or experience joined the platform in droves. It was a matter of survival because people were staying away from brick-and-mortar stores and were doing a lot of their shopping online. But what these sellers may or may not realize is that by joining e-commerce, they aren’t just boosting online sales--they are becoming ambassadors of their own heritage.”

Four Certified Lokalistas who represented the three major islands of the Philippines spoke about and showed their own homegrown products and produce which gave their respective regions their unique edge.

Maria Todi, founder of the

School of Living Tradition, based in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, emphasized the intricacy and beauty with which native artisans design and weaveT’boli shirts, bracelets, necklaces, and rugs, among other heirlooms. Because the handicrafts are a collective effort, Todi said that buying from the T’boli means “not just helping one weaver or organization, but helping a community.”

Meanwhile, Katherine Jordan, the Marketing Head of the Leyte-based online food store Mary’s Abuyog Special Toskolyet Moron, atp., named the following delicacies that have become popular outside the region: pili nuts, chocolate moron, binagol, sagmani, and suman latik.

Rica Dakudao-Buenaflor, who relocated from Davao to Bicol in 2002, founded Que Rica to manufacture, promote, and deliver the latter’s best cuisine to other parts of the archipelago. She maintained that Bicol should be known as the “land of Keto” because of its nutritious food: “We produce the healthiest recipes when it comes to heart-healthy fats. Coconut milk is high in fat and with no carbohydrates. The pili nut contains the highest healthy-fat content, and 95% of the overall production of pili nut comes from Bicol.”

Finally, Bulacan-based culinary whiz Rheeza Santiago-Hernandez said it is about time that the normally reticent Bulaqueños start promoting the dishes that they are known for. One example is the hamon bulaqueña which has a rich place in Philippine history. Santiago-Hernandez said, “It is historical. It was served during the liberation of Bulacan in 1898 during the time of General Gregorio del Pilar, who was then a lieutenant colonel. Other national heroes who have dined on it are Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini.”

As celebrity host Robi Domingo put it, the work of these regional entrepreneurs I “making local the new premium.”

Ms. Chi emphasized that J&T Express Philippines is passionate about supporting Filipino entrepreneurs and the whole local ecommerce landscape considering the wide reach of their courier service. She said, “Community can be vital in the promotion and expansion of entrepreneurship as we have heard from our guests. Lokalistas or local entrepreneurs are the best ones to reach out to their fellow entrepreneurs, and J&T will support them in that endeavour.”

“As the logistics company with the fastest and farthestreaching operations, no region is too far-flung and no seller is too out-of-reach. With a safe and trustworthy partner like J&T Express, e-commerce can continue to boom and fuel our economy while acting as a platform for Filipino entrepreneurs,” Ms. Chi added.