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Mindanao Star
MindaNow
JUNE 15-21, 2013
Your Community Newspaper
Police seized 560 sacks of beach pebbles in Zamboanga Norte By AL JACINTO, Regional editor
DIPOLOG City––Police have seized a huge quantity of beach pebbles and arrested 7 people who were caught illegally transporting the rocks in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern
Chair... from page 1 Its thought, at least, demured my nerves amidst that ‘Terror Friday!’ Earlier, I picked up one Domer C. Postero, a civil engineer broadcaster, to see for ourselves the repairs at Cagayan de Oro City port --and for me to complete my investigative feature. Unfortunately, my story failed to catch up the deadline because of one person’s “lunatic interval,” someone alleged. (Truth is, he just didn’t know it would rain nor was he told how we raced with time before its downpour). Prior to the sight-seeings, a civilization’s fiat told us pay one courtesy call to a chief of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)! Thanks to its Public Information Officer’s cordial accomodation. She lent us her time to feel at home. (Well, PIO Jessica DensingAngeles is a former Philippine Inquirer reporter.) However, I couldn’t believe there was something behind the office secretary’s crisp and frisk-like smiles. She must be jittery but charming. She just mistook us of being interviewees, somehow! A courtesy call is never a long ritual, at all. Time passed us by, though. But the laid back from a staff to another that took us far too long made me anxious what was taking place in a seclusion by the end of the hall. A door’s postskin announced it’s of the boss or something, I can’t recall exactly. Neither did I know the person inside, nor do I wish to keep him in mind. His name sounds difficult, just that. But lo and behold, there sat on a swivel chair a man, whom I thought afterwards, may just have been in dysmenorrhea --rather than being uncivilized. He got me impressed,
Philippines, officials said. It said policemen and members of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from the town of Gutalac intercepted 7 men and seized from them at least 250 sacks pebbles from the seaside village of San Juan.
though: Here comes a person who cannot look into your eyes when talking but keep counting on how many grooves the roof has at another building across his office. I don’t know if his was sort of arrogance, but he spoke that way through. (I suspect he hated journalists in his past life --or otherwise). HANAW KO BA, had he just awakened from deep siesta. And, I’m pretty sure our visit wasn’t a joke! Nevertheless, with his overcoat carefully hanged on his chair’s headboard may not at all impress anyone of being too preoccupied --and our 5 minute interruption wasn’t worth becoming rude. A good sign but never newsworthy to observe a person sporting a dyed crown astutely fastened against his top when we found him behind his executive desk. Perhaps, prim and proper must be his whim. All that however does not make up for civilized decorum --contempt rather dissipates the effort. But was there anything wrong with him? He got ire for no apparent cause. Likewise, I don’t think we were a bad company giving him the right to bully us back to the road. Journalist’s instinct tells every practitioner there is always an appropriate reason corresponding every action. No one else could rather hint us into more than anything that met our eyes, but he did! Was he hiding something? Nosing is never my cup of tea, yo! Besides, I hate to look forward to uncovering a can of worms myself. My agency can’t buy the kind of article. Ironically, of course, the sparkling sets of diamonds around a simple ring dominating the fingers couldn’t turn the person into least than mediocre. But a care to gaze on it before flashing it accross just made him one! It was perhaps a wed-
Police said villagers tipped off the authorities about the illegal activity of the men who were identified Lester Gongob, 20; Mercedito Tañola, 27; Julito Cordova, 23; Glen Mangubat, 29; Michael Molijon, 25; Judy Redoble, 20; and Jemar Velasco,
ding ring or otherwise, but signalled about his vanity --all the same. All those, however, could have made him modest without being humble, as expected at par of a well dressed man. (Being an ape once doesn’t matter)! Or, did he really think he is over and above anyone else? He must have all the priviledges, but his is a public office --makes all rights to any interested citizen a party of. Nonetheless, someone from the hallway tipped us he hailed from Surigao province. Well, let’s say he was not brought up in the mainland, but PPA is absolutely never his own island. The hallway man, however, said his boss has been like that sometimes, but not more often. So it comes as to when the moon waxes and wanes? I don’t think so! Else, you need pro’s advice, gentleman. I tell you some: A courtesy call is a salute, an honor and respect paid to you. (Shouldn’t these returned, we don’t get pains in the ass, anyhow.) Instead, it beckons you not to cower on your low self-esteem. You should get out from your darn shell. Be happy! ––– The columnist is an international correspondent and reachable for comment at times_instofmgt@hotmail.com
Talent... from page 1
Then there are leaders we have met in our lives that never get to see authority that may improve many lives. There are many not some as of the latest elections who get the mandate from the people with no proven competence other than a popularity either driven either by money or media (i.e. movies) who occupy seats in government to our detriment. Is this not our fault as well – or should
21, and all residents of the neighboring town of Labason. Police also seized 310 sacks of pebbles in the nearby coastal village of Osukan where a man, Wendolino Redoble, claimed ownership of the rocks and said he had government permits to
transport them. But Redoble’s documents were insufficient to prove that the transport of pebbles is legal. Extraction or gathering of beach pebbles is illegal in the country unless this is covered by a special permit.
government that can help ensure all these but is the government doing these? In the 7.8 percent growth rate posted by our gross domestic product or GDP, agriculture’s contribution was nil. What does this tell us? It tells us that nothing good is happening in the rural areas where about 70 percent of the Philippine population resides. The lesson that we can learn from the first quarter GDP is that the government should address the concerns of the farmers if we dream of making the agricultural sector contribute substantially to the GDP in particular and the economy in general. If the national government is not seriously addressing the concerns of the countryside folks, the local government units are not addressing the problems of the poor in their localities as well. Just look at the kind of programs or projects these local government units are allocating their funds for. In Butuan, for example, the city government there is spent so much of their scarce resources in purchasing CCTV cameras, improving their natural park into a cemented one, buying a lot of radio airtime to paint a rosy picture of their thorny programs and projects, to name just a few. And we still wonder why there is so much un-peace in our country, the countryside most specifically? --from page 6 (Reactions at jelbacon@ and most of all ensure yahoo.com or at jelbaconii@ that their produce have a gmail.com) ready market that pays them just and fair prices. Ensuring that the coun- from page 7 tryside is productive will “The few farmers lucky definitely prevent the migration of the rural folks enough to own the land they to the urban centers where are tilling become more they just end up as informal vulnerable to changes in settlers with bleak future. A the weather because of the productive countryside will lack of state support. For also ensure that the youth example, those without acthere are able to pursue cess to irrigation are at the tertiary level of education mercy of nature, dependent in areas where they can on whether it rains regularly help boost the countryside’s or not. Even if they manage productivity. It is only the to successfully harvest their we just blame this to the tyranny of the masses. We remain passive over time and before we know it we are older and physically relegated to the background. And yet in business when we identify talent we go out of our way to hire these talents if not nurse them to fully develop but all for the singular purpose of profit. How very sad, isn’t it! Love of country should always remain priority like CSR or corporate social responsibility or even personal social responsibility because it is of the same pool we derive talent from for our businesses and where our leaders come from. The rich and the powerful that have influence are more to blame with all their time prioritized for personal gain. The richer they get the more money they require, this we call simply greed! The academe is not to be left out with their responsibility to the country to improve the home grown talents not necessarily just inside the campuses but in the economic and political arenas as well if need be. The Church also has its fault all considering how splintered they are with their conflicting messages outside their own faiths. It has to be true; the more one reads the more confused the messages become.
Peace...
Workers...
crops, they then have to contend with cheaper imports being dumped in the Philippines,” said Crisostomo. Reports also indicate that the Aquino government is abetting large multinational plantations in expanding its operations, at the expense of farmers and indigenous peoples currently farming or living on the target lands. KMU said the record high unemployment resulted from the Aquino government’s cheap labor policy of swelling the country’s unemployment to further press down workers’ wages. “Upon his boss’ orders — the big foreign and local capitalists – Aquino is intentionally worsening joblessness in the country. With higher unemployment and lesser jobs, it would be easier for capitalists to force workers to accept meager wages” Labog said. Historically, presidents like Aquino have always pitted jobs against wages. Using such rhetoric, “Aquino is also denying our demand for a P125 wage hike. Now, workers are left with no wage hike and worst, no jobs. This shows that the economic growth boasted by Aquino is just an illusion. It’s just a cover-up of his anti-worker and anti-people policies,” said Labog. The labor leader invited the public to join “tens of thousands of workers” who would protest on President Aquino’s third State of the Nation Address next month. He said they would present the real worsening conditions of workers and the Filipino people under Aquino’s administration. (http://bulatlat.com)
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