The Chairmanspeaks

Atty. RENATO U. GALIMBABarangay Chairman

(please turn to page 2)

(please turn to page 2)

W

(please turn to page 14)

SPECIAL REPORTOn a “Lakbay-Aral Tour ”

Lagro hosts 54Northern Samar

Barangay Captains

(please turn to page 20)

Heart of the Angat-Ipo-La MesaWater System

By Dr. Abercio V. Rotor

About the Author: Dr. Abercio V. Rotor isthe award-winning author of "The Liv-ing with Nature Handbook" (GintongAklat Award 2003) and "Living with Na-ture in Our Times" (National Book Award2008); professor, University of SantoTomas; School-on-Air instructor,(Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, winnerof Gawad Oscar Florendo for Develop-ment Communication) DZRB 738KHzAM Band, 8 to 9 o'clock evening,Monday to Friday.); Outstanding Teacherin the Philippines (Commission on HigherEducation - CHED 2002); Filipino Sci-entist (DOST-Batong Balani); former Di-rector, National Food Authority; and Con-sultant on food and agriculture, Senate ofthe Philippines.

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Vol. I No. 1 (Maiden Issue)

January - June 2008

Volume 1 No. 3

October - December 2008

Volume 8 Number 1

January - March 2015

The Official Publication of Barangay Greater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

The

Topmost photo above shows Barangay Chairman, Atty. Renato U. Galimba,delivering his “State of the Barangay Address (SOBA)’ during the Synchronizedbarangay Assembly held on March 28, 2015 at the 3/F, Barangay Hall, MainPlaza, Ascension Avenue, Barangay Greater lagro, District 5, Quezon City.Middle photo shows the huge crowd in attendance led by barangay officialsand staff. Third photo shows Barangay Chairman Atty. Galimba and QCFDofficers displaying the BFP “Fire Prevention Month” banner at the start of amotorcade held on March 14, 2015 to drum up public awareness on thesignificance of fire prevention specially during the summer months.

rom the Sierra Madre moun-tains, a series of water reser-voirs - Angat, Ipo, La Mesa -

makes a picturesque from the air of aliving artery of Nature's wondrous wa-ter cycle. Clouds form and condenseinto rain, funneled by their vast water-sheds, and stored in man-made damsfor the use of millions of residents inMetro Manila.

The La Mesa Dam

Profile of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa Water System. Angat Damcompleted in 1967 is situated in Norzagaray, Bulacan. It has a totalwater storage capacity of 850 million cubic meters and supplies81.4 percent of the total output of the system. Downstream 7.5kilometers away is Ipo Dam completed in 1984 has a share of 12percent. It diverts the water to La Mesa Dam, which contributes 3.4percent. It is here where water undergoes a series of treatment tomake it potable before it is released to thousands of households inMetro Manila. The La Mesa Dam is the heart of this complex watersystem.

Call it an engineering feat, an ideal profileof ecology, seat of rich biodiversi ty, source ofinspiration of lovers and artists, an attraction to

Greater Lagro holds “Synchronized

“Fire Prevention Month”

arangay Chair-man, Atty. Rena-to U. Gal imba,

once again faced hisconstituents in BarangayGreater Lagro and ren-dered his “State of theBarangay Address(SOBA)” during a generalassembly held on March28, 2015 at the 3/F of the

The occasion, dubbed as the“2015 1st-Semester SynchronizedBarangay General Assembly", washeld in compliance with DILG Memo-randum Circular No. 2015-24 datedMarch 5 2015 treating on the "Con-duct of Barangay Assembly for the FirstSemester of CY-2015" and pursuant toProclamation No. 260 dated 30 Sep-tember 2011 which set the date for the

Barangay Assembly”; marks

Adminis trat ive Bu ilding o fBarangay Greater Lagro. Theevent was attended by hun-dreds of res idents comingfrom the various sectors of so-ciety within the community.

B

e have just bade good-bye to the year 2014 andwelcomed a brand new

year 2015. To some, a new yearmarks the start of a new era. Thisis the best time to complete theremaining tasks of the previousyear and start everything fromthe beginning -- new dreams,new visions, new resolutions, newcommitments, new thinking, newway of living. And for us, govern-ment officials and civil servants,a time to think and carry out newand more innovative and effectiveway of serving our constituents.

delegation of Barangay Captains and DILG officials fromthe Municipalities of Gamay

and Lavesares, Northern Samar madean observation /educat ional tour(“Lakbay-Aral”) in Barangay GreaterLagro, District 5, Quezon City on Thurs-day, April 16, 2015.

The delegation, which was composed of54 barangay captains and six DILG officialsand staff, were welcomed and feted byBarangay Captain, Atty. Renato u. Galimbaand his Council and other barangay officials.

A

2 NEWS * FEATURES

The Chairman speaks(cont’d from page 1)

Jan. - Mar. 2015

Greater Lagro holds...(cont’d from page 1)

(please turn to page 9)

The occasion marked the 2015 "1st-Se-mester Synchronized Barangay General Assem-bly" and held in compliance with DILG Memo-randum Circular No. 2015-24 dated March 52015 treating on the "Conduct of BarangayAssembly for the First Semester of CY-2015" andpursuant to Proclamation No. 260 dated 30September 2011 which set the date for the ob-servance of Barangay Day for the first semesterof CY - 2015 on Saturday, March 28, 2015.(Please tu rn to page 10 for photographstaken during the event - Editor)

Also in March, a motorcade was heldin Barangay Greater Lagro and adjoiningbarangays in observance of “Fire PreventionMonth” and to drum up the people’s aware-ness on the importance of the observance offire safety and prevention, particularly duringthe summer months. The event was held incompliance with a Memorandum Circulardated March 4, 2015 issued by the QuexonCity government’s Barangay Operations Center(BOC).

Senior Citizens League ofGreater Lagro elects new

set of officers

The new officers/board mem-bers of the group are the following:

Joselito A. Aquino, President;Valeriano T. Tesoro, Vice-President;Dolores M. Reyes, Secretary;Stephen L. Rosal, Treasurer; Irene B.Manga, Financial Secretary; PedroC. Lomibao, Auditor; Bernadette R.Paule, Asst. Auditor; Artemio B.Nogueras, Internal P.R.O.; BenibaldoS. Mapa, External P.R.O.; AdmiranteV. Quetulio, Business Manager;Domingo E. Escurel, Asst. BusinessManager; Aurora S. Ocampo, PeaceOfficer; and Manuel D. Ereno,Teresita M. Calip and Iderlinda S.Coloma, Trustees.

Advisers of the group are NoraG. Tolibas, SCL-BGL Charter/PastPresident; Nicanor R. Muncal Jr.,Lagro Homeowners Association(LAHA) Incumbent President; andAtty. Edgar Higwit who also acts asthe League’s Legal Consultant.

The Senior Citizens League ofBarangay Greater Lagro, Inc. (SCL-BGL), which was organized in De-cember 2011, is accredited and rec-ognized by the Quezon City govern-ment’s Office of Senior Citizens Af-fairs (OSCA) as the official umbrellaorganization of senior citizens resid-ing in Barangay Greater Lagro, Dis-trict 5, Quezon City.

he Senior Citizens League of Barangay GreaterLagro, Inc. (SCL-BGL) recently elected a new set ofofficers and board members who will serve a two-

year term (2015-2016). The new set of officers were electedduring a special general membership assembly and elec-tion of new officers/board members held on February 7,2015 at the Lagro Elementary School Cpd., Ascension Av-enue, Barangay Greater Lagro, District 5, Quezon City.

The new set of officers/board members of the SeniorCitizens League of Barangay Greater Lagro, Inc.(SCL-BGL) who were elected during a special member-ship general assembly and election of officers held onFebruary 7, 2015 at the Lagro Elementary SchoolCpd., Ascension Avenue, Barangay Greater Lagro,District 5, Quezon City are shown in photo at left,namely: (seated, L-R) Irene B. Manga, Financial Sec-r etar y; Stephen L. Rosal, Tr easur er ; Valeriano T.Tesoro, Vice-President; Joselito A. Aquino, President;Dolores M. Reyes, Secretary; Pedro C. Lomibao, Audi-tor ; and Aurora S. Ocampo, Peace Officer.

Standing (L-R) Bernadette R. Paule, Asst. Auditor ;Iderlinda S. Coloma, Trustee; Domingo E. Escurel,Asst. Business Manager ; Artemio B. Nogueras, Inter-nal P.R.O.; Manuel D. Ereno,Trustee; and Teresita M.Calip, Trustee. Not in photo is Benibaldo S. Mapa,External P.R.O.

Top photo above was taken during a courtesy call to the Barangay Chairman,Atty. Renato U. Galimba, made the members of the new set of officers of theSenior Citizens League of Barangay Greater Lagro, Inc. (at table end, facingcamera). Earlier, Atty. Galimba administered the oath of office to the newlyelected officers of the group. Lower photo was taken during the organizationaland first official meeting of the newly constituted SCL-BGL Board of Trustees.

T

Even more significant, the event washeld in observance of an evolving regularannual traditional event started by BarangayGreater Lagro six years ago in March 2010 withthe holding of an elaborate motorcade par-ticipated in by 23 fire stations and volunteerfire brigades from the various barangays andpeoples’ group in Quezon City and whichstarted in Barangay Greater Lagro and passedthru the other adjoining barangays and backto the barangay. (Please turn to page 10for photographs taken during the event -Ed ito r )

That groundbreaking observance inMarch 2010 was spearheaded by the LocalGovernment of Barangay Greater Lagro underits Chairman, Atty. Renato U. Galimba andCouncil, in coordination with the LGUs ofBarangays Pasong Putik and North Fairviewand in collaboration with top officials of theBFP-Quezon City Fire District (BFP-QCFD) led byS/Supt. Bobby V. Baruelo – Fire Marshall; S/Supt.Romeo P. Rillo – Station 2 Commander; and S/Insp. Domingo C. Dela Cruz – Lagro Fire Sub-Station Commander, who were primarily themoving spirits behind the success of the pa-

rade.

And speaking of new visions, newresolutions , new commitments, newthinking and new way of living and anew and more innovative and effectiveway of serving our constituents, on nu-merous occasions in the past, we havemade clear where we stand regardingthe matter.

As the incumbent Chief Executive ofour community, I recall a message which Idelivered during our first regular flag-rais-ing ceremony on the first Monday of Janu-ary 2012 wherein we have outlined and/orset the parameters by which we in the gov-ernment service under the employ of theLocal Government of Barangay GreaterLagro, may be able to serve our constitu-ents in the most efficient and effective way.

Now, if our discerning readers andconstituents may have observed, signifi-cant past events and situations that havebeen happening within our community andwithin the organizational sphere of thosein the service of the Local Government ofBarangay Greater Lagro, have the ten-dency to persist or keep on happening orrepeating themselves with regularity. It isfor this reason, that for all it is worth,we have decided to publish our above-mentioned message in its entirety, whichwas delivered extemporaneously and inFilipino in the hope that it would serveor achieve the purpose by which wehave originally intended to achieve. Wefeel, that more than ever, the message wehave sought to impart then, is even moresignificant and true at this time.

Here goes:-o-0-o-

Magandang umaga po sainyong lahat. Ngayon ay unangLunes ng unang buwan ng bagongtaong 2012. Dahil meron l imangLunes ngayong Enero, napakaramiang dapat nating gawin sa unangbuwan ng bagong taong ito. Mgakasama, mga kaba rangay, n i to ngnagdaang taon ng 2011, marami potayong nagawa, marami tayo ngna tu lu ngan at marami tayo ngpagkilalang natanggap. Sa kabila ngmga i to, mayroon din tayo ngnaapakan at may roon din tayongnaranasan na kapighat ian.

Subal i t sa kabu uan, maramitayong dapat pasalamatan sapagkattayo po ay b in i yayaan ngpanginoon. Habang binibi lang nat inang mga grasyang natanggap natin,ang atin pong mga kapighatian namanay at ing i s antabi . Pero h indinangangahul ugan na ang mgakasawi an o h indi magagandangkaranasan o pangyayari sa nakalipasna taon ay at in nang ka l imu tan ofpabayaan na lamang. Ano po angdapat nat ing gawin? Tayo po ayhumayo at harapin natin ang mganaiwan at darating na problema. Nitong nakaraang taon, bagama’t tayoay nas aktan , bagama ’t t ayo aynakasak i t , bagama’ t t ayo aynakapinsala, hindi natin iniwan angmga i to nang ganun -ganon nalamang na h indi i s inasaayos oinihanap ng kaukulang solusyon okalu tasan.

Isaayos po natin ang lahat, paramaint i ndihan ng bawa’t i sa sa at in,baw a’t kaba rangay kung ano angdapat, kung ano ang tama, kung anoang katotohanan, kung paano nat inisasaayos, kung paano natin dadalhinsa sus unod na tao n, i tong 2012.Mangyayar i lamang i t o mgakabarangay, mga kasama nat ingkawani sa ating barangay kung tayopo ay magkakaisa at magtutulungan.Hindi kaya ng inyong l ingkod, hindikaya ng pitong kagawad, hindi kayang atin pang ibang mga kasamahankung hindi tayo magtulong- tulongupang la lo nat ing mai sulong atmapaganda ang at ing mga gawainat mai saayos naman ang mganakaraan.

Ngayong 2012, marami potayong dapat gawin, mas marami pokaysa sa 2011. Noong nakaraang taon,tayo po ay pinarangalan, tayo po aykin ilala ng i lang ahensya ng atinggobierno at iba pang prestihyosongorganisasyon gaya ng Pamahalaanng Lungsod Quezon, ang DILG atYWCA-Quezon City. Ang pagkilala at

parangal na at ing natanggap ayhindi lamang para sa mga kawani ngbarangay, hindi po lamang para saating mga kagawad, hindi po paralamang sa ak in. Ang mga i to ayiniaalay po natin sa lahat na ating mgakabarangay. At itong taon na i to,mga kasama, dapat lamang lalonating palaguin ang pagkilalang itosa at in Inaasahan ko po na sapagtut u lungan nat i n, mgakabarangay, mga kas ama at mgakawani ng at ing barangay, ay la lonat ing makakamt an ang la l ongpagki lala sa at ing barangay. Anginyong lingkod, kasama po ang atingmga kagawad, at kasama kayonglah at ay w alang nasa i s ip kundimai taas ang antas ng pagki la l a ngmga tao sa labas ng ating kumunidadsa ating Barangay Greater Lagro.

Inaasah an ko r in po napagdating ng panahon na tayo aymu l ing du dulo g sa at ing mgakabarangay ay makikilala nila angating mga gawain at maitataas natinang antas ng pagpi l i ng mgasusunod pang mamumuno di to saating barangay. Kaya’ t sa panahonng ating panunungkulan, naniniwalapo ako na naitaas natin ang antas ngpagki la la, pagp i l i sa mga darat ingpang mga panahon upang ang mgatao ng nais mag l ingkod sa at i ngbayan ay mapi l i s i l a ayon sakanilang kakayanan, hindi po doon sakung sino ang mas kilala sa pangalan.Sa atin pong mga kawani, ang atinpong mga BPSO, Traffic Enforcers FireOfficers, maraming salamat sa inyosapagkat nagawa po nat in angdapat nating gawin. Pag-ibayuhinnatin ang ating pagli l ingkod dahilkayo ay isa sa mga frontliners kungkaya nakaatang sa inyong bal ikatang imahe, ang image ng atingbarangay. Hinahangad at hinihingiko sa inyo ang la lo pangmagandang paglil ingkod, ang isangmagal ang at mapagpakumbabangpaglilingkod dito sa ating barangayGreate r Lagro u pang kayo aymakilala ang ating sambayanan saisang serbisyong mapagpakumbabatunay na naglil ingkod sa kapakananng ating kumunidad.

Hindi l ingid sa akin, marami sainyo ang may hinanakit sa kapwa.Naoobserbahan ko yan. Kalimutan posana na t in ‘yan . N guni t sa at i ngpaglimot sa mga inyong hinanakit, anghi n ih i l ing ko lamang kung meronkayong nakiki ta sa inyong hanay nahindi magandang gaw ain at kayonaman ay ayaw n iyong masakt an,ipaalam sa akin sapagkat ako ay maygamot dyan. Ako ay may solusyon kungsa inyong sar i l ing pamamaraan ayhindi ninyo kayang bigyan ng solusyonang mga ito.

Sa atin pong mga miyembro ngLupon Tagapamaya ng at i ngbarangay, ako po ay nagpapasalamatsa inyo. Nai taguyod nat in, naipakitanat in ang katal inuh an, angkagandahan ng at ing mga gawa in;tayo po ay nagkamit ng mga pagkilaladahi l d in po sa inyong pagtutu lung-tulungan. Hinihil ing ko din sa inyo nasana sa inyong hanay ay magkaisakayo magkau nawan, wala po ngmamagi tang h inanak i tan . Ku ngmayroon mang h i dwaan sa inyonghanay, dapat pag-usapan, at a t inggagamitin ang tunay na diwa nginyong position -- isang Lupon, isangtagapagkasu ndo, i sangtagapamayapa. Sana sa inyo nghanay, kung mayroon mang hidwaanay magawan ninyo ng paraan nakayo mismo ay mabigyan ninyo nglunas o solusyon sapagkat kayo angimahe ng katarungan, angnagbibigay, ayon sa sal itang Eng-lish ng “ just, fair and equitable solu-tion” sa mga problemang idinudulogsa inyo ng mga naninirahan dito sasambayang Greater Lagro.

Sa atin pong mga Waste Man-agemen t pe rsonnel , ma rami ngmaraming salamat sa inyo sapagkatna ipak i ta nat i n na ang at i ngsambayanang Greater Lagro ay isa,kung hindi man ang nangunguna,sa mga barangay sa buong QuezonCi ty na mapinakama l in i s , ang maypi nakamaayos na repu tasyon sapangangasiwa ng ating kal ikasan,ng ating mga garbage management.Maraming salamat sa inyo. At gayundin po, ang aking habilin sa inyosa taong ito na kung ano man poang inyong nakikita na pagkakamali

3ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORTS Jan. - Mar. 2015

ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT OF THELOCAL GOVERNMENT OF BARANGAY GREATER LAGRO

DISTRICT 5, QUEZON CITY COVERING THE PERIOD JULY TO DECEMBER 2014

(cont’ on page 6)

4 O P I N I O NJan. - Mar. 2015

Editorial

I t seems that the indomitable quality ofthe Filipino people as a survivor is beingtried to the limit. For during the past de-

cade or two, this distinctive character of this nation ofover 90 million people has been continuously and se-verely put to test.

When an inter-island vessel sank in 1986 and with it over4,000 passengers perished, a shocked and alarmed nation cried inoutrage over the perceived inadequacies of government authori-ties to enforce marine laws and regulations and the reluctance ofshipping operators to abide by them. That was a major nationaldisaster, and no matter that other similar tragic seafaring incidentsoccured in the ensuing years, particularly the one which sank thisyear in Cebu City, the Filipino people as a whole survived the trag-edy and came out of the experience with something positive for theshipping industry.

When a killer earthquake in 1990 rocked a great portionof Luzon, it left in its wake a whole nation numb with grief and painover the death of thousands of its countrymen who were eithercrushed or buried alive under the rubbles of crumbling buildings,houses and other similar structures, not to mention the destruc-tion of an enormous amount of livestock and property. It was decid-edly another major national calamity, but the Filipino people sur-vived that one too, and from it evolved something positive for theconstruction and other allied industries.

And when in 1991, Mt. Pinatubo in Central Luzon ended itshundreds of years of dormancy and performed what had beenconsidered then as the world’s fiercest, most devastating and long-est running natural disaster spectacle of the decade, literally eras-ing whole communities with its millions and millions of tons ofburning lava and lahar, in the process claiming the lives of hun-dreds and hundreds of residents, it devastated and broke the heartsof the Filipino people as a whole. But the Filipino people was ableto muster enough courage and strength to survive this tragic expe-rience and keep moving on in search of its rightful destiny.

When a killer flood emanating from a denuded watershedarea descended in a flash into Ormoc City in the Visayas in theearly 90s and claimed the lives of thousands of residents andbrought untold suffering to the survivors; and then when the sametragic scenario was replicated some three or four years ago in thesouthern part of Luzon, particularly in the provinces of Quezonand Aurora and adjoining communities; and then a year or so there-after, when torrential rains caused a mountain landslide ofenormous proportion to descend and bury a whole barangayincluding its hundreds of inhabitants in the province of Leyte, anutterly shocked and outraged nation suffered as much from thesetragedies. And who could ever overlook or forget the great havocand davastation and agony that “Super-Typhoon Ondoy” hadbrought to our people the previous year?

But the Filipino people survived these harrowing experi-ences and from the collective cries of outrage, the major cause offlooding -- illegal logging, or illegal loggers, for that matter -- got asecond hard look from the concerned government agencies.

And then, there was “Typhoon Yolanda”.Code-named globally as “Typhoon Haiyan”, “Typhoon

Yolanda” was a powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portionsof Southeast Asia -- most particularly in Tacloban City in thePhilippines -- on November 8, 2013. It was the deadliest Philippinetyphoon on record, killing at least 6,268 people in the country alone.The typhoon was also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, andunofficially the strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of windspeed the world over. As of March 2014, bodies were reported stillbeing found. The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in theVisayas, particularly on Samar and Leyte. According to UN officials,about 11 million people have been affected and many have been lefthomeless.

To say that “Typhoon Yolanda” devastated and broke thehearts of the Filipino people -- and that of the whole world for thatmatter -- is an understatement.

And yes, such were but some of the blows that hit the na-tion the past couple of decades or so -- unrelenting, vicious, deathly.In fact, the list is long and menacing.

The string of natural and man-made or induced calamities,which left the people badly battered and in a state of disarray, wouldordinarily lead any nation on the verge of despair and collapse.

But the Filipino people, though mortal beings with ordinaryflesh and blood, have gone through similar trying times decadesand even centuries before. If there is anything adversity had giventhem, it had only made them stronger and wiser, attributes whichenabled them to face and prevail over life’s future adversities.

After the last drop of floodwater has flowed back into thesea, and the last particle of burning lava or lahar has settled downthe slopes of Mt. Pinatubo, and the last body of the victims of“Typhoon Yolanda” is found, the Filipino people may find them-selves badly battered and bruised, but they will remain standingwith heads unbowed -- proud and undaunted, their reputation asultimate survivors intact and untarnished!

The Filipino peopleas ultimate survivors

Words that cheerand inspire

As we enter our 8th year of publication

ith this issue. the GREATER LAGRO GAZETTE begins another year of publica-

tion. And like in the past similar oc-casions, there will be no celebra-tions or testimonial rites to mark thissignificant milestone in the exist-ence of the publication. Neither isthere any commemorative issue ofthe GAZETTE to mark the event.

What we offer our readers is still the same com-munity/public news-magazine, with balanced, reliableand well-researched materials, including authorita-tive and timely articles from our equally authorita-tive, astute and well-informed writers and contribu-tors.

But, yes, the GAZETTE enters its 8th yearof publication with this issue. And for sevencontinuous years now, it has been coming offthe press to flow into the mainstream of ac-tivit ies of the inhabi tants of the communityto whom this publication is committed to servein the first place. Throughout this relativelyshort span that i t has exi sted, the GAZETTEhas, time and again, found itself in dire straits-- in a manner of speaking, struggling to keepits head above waters and bravely standingon its own feet even during its critical forma-tive years.

Come to think of it, it seemed it was onlyyesterday that we started working and coming out

with the maiden issue of this community news-maga-zine. And during the relatively short span of sevenyears, we at the GAZETTE never gave much thoughtand attention about counting the years. We weretoo preoccupied about working hard to make surethat these days, weeks, months or years would reallycount.

A s th e recogn ized one and onl ybarangay/community publication of its kindin Quezon City -- if not in the whole metropo-lis -- which comes out regularly, the GAZETTEhas been receiving feedback -- countless tes-timonials and endorsements not only from theresidents of the community but also from thegeneral public in Quezon City and elsewherein the metropolis.

And although the feedback that we at the GA-ZETTE have been receiving have not always been flat-tering to us, these have been eliciting the best re-sponse from us. The good words have cheered andinspired us to continue doing what we consider a goodjob. But the critical feedback have goaded andspurred us to work even harder for excellence in theperformance of our task.

But all things considered, we believe thatwe have done a good job and that for this,we have so many reasons to celebrate andbe proud of.

But if we have good reasons to celebrate,we feel we have even more special reasons tobe grateful of and so many people to be thankfulto. And we, at the GAZETTE, certainly do notwant to pass this opportunity to let those whohave helped and supported us, in one way oranother, know that we deeply appreciate whatthey have done and are still doing for us.

To our Barangay officials headed byour Chairman, Atty. Renato U. Galimba (nowon the second year of his unprecedented thirdthree-year term of office) and the previousand new sets of Sangguniang Barangay mem-bers, for thei r full and unqual if ied support,wi thout which th is publ ication would neverhave seen print.

To the editors and staff members, including ourconsulting and contributing editors and writers andthe rest of the officers and employees of the LocalGovernment of Barangay Greater Lagro, for provid-ing their services for free and for spending their time,effort and sometimes their personal resources tohelp advance the cause of the GAZETTE.

W

FELICIANO U. GALIMBA, JR.*

Editor-in-Chief

Barangay Hall, Lagro Plaza, Ascension Road,Br gy. Greater Lagr o, Novaliches, Quezon City, 1118

Philippines -- E-Mail - brgy.greaterlagr o@yahoo. com.phTel. Nos. (632)930-88-15 (connecting all departments)

* (632)508-5389 * (632)217-1850 * ( 632)417-2587

Consulting Editors

Prof. DOMINGO G. LANDICHO, Ph.D.

ROCO N. CAPARROSO * TERESITA M. LAHIPAtty. RIZ E. QUIAOIT * ROMY V. LOFAMIA

GERALDO B. JUMAWAN * ROBERTO F. SALAS

LORENZO GIBADA

HIYASMIN YASONA * RAMON JAVIER

Atty. RENATO U. GALIMBABarangay Chairman

ROMEO S. BUENAFE, JR.

LEO B. GARRA, JR.

BENJAMIN C. PANGILINAN

Ma. LUCKY ROLYNNE ELISSE

M. TIANGCO

Dr. ABELARD T. LANGCAY

CRISENTE ALBERT B. PEDRO

JAN EDWARD TOLENTINO

(Sangguniang Barangay Members)

TERESITA MENDOZA-LAHIPBarangay Secretary

BRIGIDA P. ANIBANBarangay Treasurer

FELICIANO U. GALIMBA, JR.Administrative Officer

BARANGAY OFFICIALS

The GREATER LAGRO GAZETTE is a quarterly news-magazine published by the Local Government of BarangayGreater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City.

As a community news-magazine engaged in public journalism and anchored on the theme “Fair andResponsible Journalism for Community Progress and Development” The GAZETTE is basically a non-profit, non-sectarian undertaking. Being so, its production/publication is being financed largely out of barangay funds inaddition to those that are being sourced out of contributions, donations, grants, endorsements and other formsof assistance from patrons, donors, contributors and other well-meaning friends, individuals and organizationsor groups.

In the spirit of volunteerism, all officers and staff members, including editors, columnists, correspondentsand contributors serve this publication for free.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors/writers and do not necessarily reflect those of thepublisher, editors and the duly elected barangay officials and other proponents of this news-magazine.

All rights reserved.

(EDITORIAL BOARD OF ADVISERS)

Prof. EDNA MAY OBIEN LANDICHO, Ph.D.

Contributing Editors

Production Assistant

Account Executives

ROMEO A. DEZA * GRETA M. MANLAPIG CATHERINE P. DEZA * Ma. LOVELY JANE GALIMBA-LELIS

ALEXIS NADINE B. GALIMBA * CESAR DELVOANGELINA ATIENZA * GRACITA M. TUMBAGA

Staff Writers/Reporters

Contributing Writers/Reporters

BRIGIDA P. ANIBAN Account Manager

Managing EditorAVERY P. CRUZ

FEDERICO G. MALVAR, JR.Photographer/Graphic Artist

Prof. JOHN C. CASTRO, MPM/MCrim (DSC)

*

Prof. ABERCIO V. ROTOR, Ph.D.

By FELICIANO U. GALIMBA, JR.

RSPEAKEDIT

PhotographerROBERT C. MARCELINO

Pulso

5O P I N I O N

Ni Prof. Domingo G. Landicho, Ph.D.

(cont’d on page 12)

The Other SideBy Avery P. Cruz

“Unfaithfully yours...”

(cont’ on page 6)

Jan. - Mar. 2015

Ang kagitingan ng lahing Pilipino

From My WindowBy Riz E. Quiaoit, Jr.

Lagro in focus

Public Forum/Letters

O

(cont’ on page 6

““Ang diwa ng pamayanan ay kaayusan, katahimikan atpagtutulungan.” - Dr. Domingo G. Landicho, Ph.D, UP Profes-

sor Emeritus

N ow that we are inthat age where information technol-

ogy is at its peak, your heartand mind is carried away bytoo much information avail-able online that sometimescause temporary blindness inour state of mind. This situa-tion can greatly affect rela-tionships specifically loyaltyor faithfulness to your better-half and could pose as a bigchallenge to couples aroundthe world regardless of age,culture or financial status. In the past, television plays a big fac-tor in influencing people whether its the truthor fantasy but the moment we entered theinformation age where internet is part ofeveryday life, social media outpaced othertypes of medium including television. Infidelity and other types ofadultery are being committed withthe advent of smartphones where youcan communicate on a touch of abutton thru "skype" or "viber" or "fbmessenger" someone of interest tous. One can easily commit emotionalinfidelity to the spouse without evennoticing that it can also fall to a fullblown adultery where physical con-tact can consummate. Here are possible indicators that

emotional affair is discretely eating its wayinto your system in a woman's point of viewbased on an onl ine article onwww.yourtango.com by Dr. Judith Tutin,Charlotte A. Michie, and Dr. StephenSnyder. They are:

+ - Dressing up to impress himto see how at tract ive you look onthat dress because men are physi-cally attracted to the opposite sex;

+ - Lying to your husband about see-ing him even if its just a simple coffee date;

+ - Doing special things for himthat you do not do for others l ikesinging for him during a phone con-versation;

+ - Spending less time with your sig-nificant other and more on your person ofinterest;

+ - Your elect ronic communi-cations are increasingly devoted toyour non-significant other;

+ - You laugh and smile more withhim;

+ - You think of him all the timeand daydreaming how life would bewith him;

+ - Always comparing him to yourpartner;

+ - Antic ipat ing the next en-counter;

+ - You felt more understood by himrather than your partner;

+ - Tell ing others that "we arejust friends" specially when there isintimacy seen on both of you;

LD HOME REVISITED:Long settled in theUni ted S tates , a

former Lagro resident camehome for a visit and familyreunion. He was amazed tosee the community’s robustgrowth and development.Lagro has become vibrant,peaceful and progressive –a far cry from what it wassome years back.

He learned that Lagro now leadsamong the 142 barangays in Quezon City,reaping honor and luster for peace andorder, cleanliness and dispensation ofbarangay justice under an upright, com-mitted and competent leadership.

An otherwise good impressionsomehow turned sour when he talkedabout the attitude of some residents.He spec i f ica l l y c i t ed th ei r bei ng“mapagpanggap, makasar i l i ,mapagmataas a t mapan i ra sakapwa”, quoting his exact words.

Imagined or perceived, if true, thisis a damaging comment to Lagro’s image.

-o-0-o-ON RELATIONSHIPS: In li fe, build-

ing positive relationships is important.Th is holds true, especially, in con-necting and dealing with others inthe family, community, workplace ora sports team. Relationships are theglue that holds people together. Asolid relationship is the core of co-hesiveness and teamwork.

John Maxwell, author and recog-nized leadership expert, mentions the in-gredients of building solid relationships. Hesaid that “in relationships everything be-gins with respect with the desire to placevalue on other people.”

Shared experiences follow assecond element, for you cannot berelat ional wi th someone you don’tknow. When you respect people andspend enough time with them shar-ing experiences you develop trust.Trust is essential in all good relation-ships.

aon-taon, tuwingikasiyam ng Abril,ipinagdir iwang ng

lahing Pilipino ang “Araw ngKagi t ingan” . Di to ayginugunita ang kagitinganng mga Pilipino, kasama ngmga Ameri kano — nanagpakita ng kapatiran sangalan ng giting at nagbuwisng buhay sa ngalan ngkalayaan at demokrasyanoong Ikalawang DigmaangPandaigdig.

Sa pananaw sa kasaysayan, angAraw ng ito ng Kagitingan ay araw ngpagkilala ng lahi sa pagpapakasakit ngmga sundalong Pilipino at Amerikano sapagpapakahirap na kanilang tinamo sakamay ng mga Hapones. Sa ganitongpagtingin, ito ang sagradong sandali ngAraw ng Kagitingang ating ginugunita saaraw na ito — isang ritwal na atingginagawa bawat taon.

Ku ng tu tuu sin , ang di wa ngkagitingan ng ating lahi ay higit namatanda sa sukatan ng gi t ing atpagpapakasaki t ng mga P i l i pi nonoong I kal awang D i gmaangPandaigdig.

Ang diwang ito ng kagitingan saaking pagtingin ay likas na diwa ng atinglahi.

D iwa ng kagi t ingan ang

nagtulak na apoy kay Lapulapu ngMak t an sa Cebu sa kani yangpagharap at paglaban kay FernandoMagallanes noong 1521. Hindi patinatawag na lahing Pilipino ang mgaP i l i pi no noon, pe ro na roon s iLapulapu, humarap sa dayuhangl akas ng Imperyo ng Espanya,nakipaglaban at nagtagumpay sapag l aban. Sa kamay ng mgaPilipinong ninuno natin naipakita ngating lahi ang pagtayo, paglabanat pagpatay ng sinumang dayo nalulupig sa atin — gaya ng ipinakitangpaglaban at pagpatay ng magigitingnat i ng ni nuno ng Mak t an kayFernando Magallanes.

Ang ipinunlang giting ni Lapulapu aynabuhay na pamana sa lahing Pilipino salob ng daan-daang taon.

Napakahaba ang talaan ngating magigiting. Nariyan ang mgapangalang lagi’t laging iginagalangng a t i ng l ah i a t h i yas ng a t ingkasaysayan.

Sino ang hindi magpupugay sa diwang magkabiyak na Diego at GabrielaSilang? Sino ang hindi hahanga sa gitingng batang Heneral na Gregorio del Pilar?

Sino ang hindi magbubunyi sakagitingan nina Melchora Aquino oTandang Sora na Ina ng Katipunanat ipinagdiriwang ng buong bayansa taong ito ang kanyang ika-200taon ng pagsilang? Sino ang hindi

T

(Please turn to pages 1 and 20 for related story and photographs on the educa-tional tour undertaken by the delegatio from Northern Samar. -- Editor)

A

AWAY-BATINi Roco N. Caparroso

6

The Happy Heart of a Lion

Editorspeak(cont’d from page 4)

OPINION * FEATURES

“Pag-usapan natin...”Ni Roberto F. Salas

Umulan ng Biyayasa ating kumunidad

H

Jan. - Mar. 2015

And to our numerous Specia lFr iends - -- well-meaning individuals , as-sociations, companies and institutions -- who have supported and stood by ussince the companies and institut ions - -who have supported and stood by ussince the onset of this undertaking. Theirinvaluable support came in many waysand forms.

But what we appreciate and cherishmost are their good and encouraging words -- and their critical, constructive advice, com-ments and recommendations. If we were tomention all the names of these “Special Friends”here, it would probably need a whole page of thispublication to accommodate the complete list.

We are sure however, that whoever and whereverthey are and if they are reading this piece now,deep in their hearts, they will know they belong tothis special group.

We, at the helm of the GREATERLAGRO GAZETTE, would like to think that bythis unprecedented show of generosity andsupport, these “special friends” have mani-fested the ir “extra specia l” and uncondi-t ional trust and conf idence on our capa-bility and competence to really come outwith a fair ly respectable publication suchas the “GAZETTE”.

It was a most humbling but encouragingthought and we give our word that we shall do ourbest to live up to their expectations. But for now,we could only take our hats off and express ourappreciation and gratitude to them in the mostsimple of terms:

“Thank you! Thank you!”

March is “Rabies...”(cont’d from page 8)

Last March 2, 2015 DA-BAI started itsRabies Awareness Month Kick-off Activity withthe theme: “Bakunadong Pusa’t Aso sa RabisProtektado”, coinciding with the agency’s 85thFoundation Anniversary. Rabies AwarenessMonth, celebrated annually every March, aimsto increase public awareness on the risks ofrabies and the importance of having dogs andcats vaccinated regularly against this fataldisease.

The activity is in line with the BAI’s goalof accelerating the achievement of a rabies-free Philippines by 2016. One of its aims is tovaccinate at least 70% of the estimated dogpopulation in the country or about seven milliondogs yearly for the next two years.

This year’s campaign benefits from

increased resources of Php 40 million for rabiesprevention and control being implemented bythe Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) with supportfrom the Department of Health (DOH) andforeign-assistance from the World Organisationfor Animal Health (OIE) and the AustralianGovernment. The OIE project aims to vaccinate300,000 dogs annually in the Bicol Region andcontribute to national rabies eradication efforts.

Local Government Units (LGUs) havebeen very active in conducting mass rabiesvaccination and awareness campaignsnationwide. Barangay Greater Lagro thru itsChairman Atty Renato U. Galimba and Councilspecially Kagawad Romeo Buenafe chairmanof the Committee on Health and Sanitation andCouncilors of the 5th district of QC frequentlyconducts Free Anti-Rabies vaccinations to allpet dogs and cats of Barangay Greater Lagro.

pleasant day to allof you, our dearreaders!

On March 4, 2015, the City AwardsCommittee composed of its ChairmanDir.Juan Jovian E. Ingeniero, CESO V,City Director, DILG-QC, Member Atty.Voltaire Socrates V. Verbo, LegislativeStaff Officer, Liga Ng Mga Barangay – QCChapter and another Member PS. CarlitoC. Samala, Associate Pastor, GreaterHeights Christian Worship Center, QC-CSR(CSO/NGO/PO) released the result ofthe Department of Interior and LocalGovernment-Lupong TagapamayapaIncentive Awards (DILG-LTIA) as follows:

1. Barangay San Barto lome -98.7; 2. Barangay Greater Lagro -97.8, 3; Barangay U.P.Campus; and4. Barangay Pasong Tamo.

As clearly described above, ourBarangay was defeated by Barangay SanBartolome by a mere 0.9 point andconsidering the slim margins in betweenranks. This would tend to show that all theaforestated barangays are almost co-equal in terms of performance periodcovered.

Moreover, i f we consider theh igh ra t i ngs recei ved by th eaforestated awardees, this ref lectsan i mpress ion t ha t the D ILG-LT IAContest has been serving its purposeof achieving excellence in publ icservi ce , mos t pa r t i cu la r l y i n th e

In the face of defeat

imp lemen tat ion of the barangayjus t ice sy st em or “Ka ta rungangPamparangay”..

Our LUPON may have faceddefeat becau se o th e rs areexcel l ent ly i mproving, albeit withassistance from us by way of advice and/or transfer of technological know-how,establishing ourselves as a mentor anda very strong foundation to reckonwith yet serving as their inspiration.

A s a mat t e r o f opi n ion , Icons ide red our Lu pongTagapamayapa under the leadershipo f our Pu nong Ba rangay andconcurrent Lupon Chai rman At ty.Renato U. Galimba as an Institutionof “Humili ty”.

With this, let us jointly congratulateall the Lupong Tagapamayapa of theconcerned barangays who had shown theirexcellence and pray that all of the 142barangays of Quezon City would take theextra-mile in achieving excellence inpublic service.

In honor of my late father, Mr.R omeo Esp i ña Capar roso , Iencourage a l l my dear reader st oge th er wi t h h i s f r iends andrelatives to pray along with me forhis 1st death anniversary on April 14,2015 for his soul to be beside ourAlmighty God. Amen!

igit na mapaladtayong mga tagaBarangay Greater

Lagro dahi l sa mgabiyayang natanggap natinn i tong nakaraang i langtaon, na laging napipil ingbi lang number 1 nabarangay sa buong QuezonCity na pinakamal in is ,pinakatahimik atpinakamagaling na LuponTagapamayapa na noong2013 ay nag number 1 pasa buong N.C.R.

Itong susunod na mga buwanay may gagawin na dalawang 3-sto-rey building na handog at bigay saatin ng ating mahal na Mayor HerbertBau t i s t a at ng at ing maba i t a tmagaling na ka-barangay Congress-man Al f red Vargas. Di to sa mgagusaling na i to i lalagay ang mgaopisina ng mga NGOs, Senior Citi-zen, Homeowners (LAHA) Public L i-brary at ang matagal na pangarapng ating mahal ng Barangay Chair-man R enat o U. Gal imba namagkaroon ng i sang mal in i s ,maluwag at maayos na paglalagyanpansamantala ng ating mga yumaona mahal sa buhay na tinawag na

“Bahay Saklolo”.Ang pagkakaroon ng nasabing

“Bakay Saklolo” ay magbibigay ngmalaking tulong at kalinga sa atingmga kapu spal ad na mgakabarangay at kababayan dahil itoay walang bayad sa paggamit atmada l i ng kau sapi n ang mgamamamahala dito.

Bu kod pa sa mga naunangnabagg i t na proyek to , ay mul anaman sa a t i ng mah al nakabarangay, Councilor Godie Liban,s iya ay nangako r in namagpapagawa ng 2-storey buildingna daycare center na laan para saating mga cute na anak at apo, librepo ito at kasama pati mga gamit saeskwela.

Ang akin pong kasamang Luponna s i Sonny S imon na presidentengayon ng “SOLTEC” o Southern LagroTennis Lawn Tennis Club) ay nag-aanyaya sa lahat na mga mahilig atbagu han na gus tong mat ut o ngpaglalaro ng tennis. Magpalista langpo sa kanilang opisina o dito sa atingbarangay (c/o Mr. Sonny Simon) angmga i nt eresadong su mal i saprogramang ito. Magagaling po angmga kanilang tennis trainer.

Keep u p th e goodwork .Patnubayan sana tayong lahat ngPanginoong Maykapal.

+ - You feel uncomfortable when yourpartner says something about him;

+ - You tell him things about your-self that you have not told your partner;

+ - You tell "little white lies" to your part-ner;

+ - You find it difficult to concen-trate when he is around;

+ - You show off for him. You smile morebrightly. Your voice is more musical, more husky,

The Lighter Side(cont’d from page 5)

more inviting;+ - You feel more alive than ever.

The indications were laid above and it isup to you to assess/reflect if you will still con-tinue to be secretly emotionally involved withsomeone else. You can always claim that youare always on the safe side by laying out allprecautions but accidents do happen whenyou least expect it, caught unaware and thiscould mean the end of one or worst both rela-tionships.

So if you persist with this state ofaffair, then just be ready to accept theconsequences that await s you in theend.

Likewise, one-sided relationships don’tlast. The relationship will eventually disinte-grate if one is always the giver and the otheris always the receiver. For people to improverelationally, there has to be reciprocity or give-and-take that everyone benefits as well asgives.

Finally, when re lationsh ips growand start to get solid everyone involvedbegins to enjoy. With mutual enjoymentdeveloped just being together can turneven unpleasant tasks into posit ive ex-per iences.

-o-0 -o-MISTAKES AND FAITH: We are all hu-

mans and prone to commit mistakes or errors.As English poet Alexander Pope said, “To err ishuman; to forgive divine.”

Indeed, we are not perfect. Partof our being is committ ing mistakes orerrors. Even as we do, we deserve un-ders tanding or forgiveness ; not con-

demnat ion hoping that in the end wewil l learn.

The capacity to forgive lies in our faithin the inherent goodness of man. Basically,and by nature, man is really good.

And how abo ut the pol i t ic ianswh o pi l f ered b i l l i on s , t he c ut th ro atbu s i ne ss men, i l l egal l ogge rs andsmugglers , do they deserve forgive-ness?

True, mistakes may have costs in termsof human lives and sufferings. If God can offerrefuge to sinners and criminals, who are we,His followers, not to forgive.

Amen?-o-0 -o-

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: No one is sopoor as there is nothing to give. Giving afterall is not just about material things.

You can give someone a helpinghand, a l is tening ear, share a sweetsmile, and say a word of sincere ap-preciation. With that you give hope, joyand inspiration sowing seeds of everysort – words, smiles and deeds.

From My Window(cont’d from page 5)

7

Here and ElsewhereBy Romy V. Lofamia

Of new barangay ordinances,police abuse of authority and

deaths in the family

OPINION * FEATURES Jan. - Mar. 2015

An issue of great import

nder the currentleadership of ourdebonair and hard-

working Barangay Chairman,Atty. Rene U. Galimba, theSanggun iang Barangay’which i s headed by At ty.Galimba himself and com-posed of equally dedicatedbarangay kagawads, hasjus t passed three newbarangay o rdinances a l laimed at promoting and/orenhancing the general well-being of the inhabitants ofour beloved community.

The new barangay ordinances arethe following:

+ - An ordinance institutional-i z ing th e crea t i on o f “BarangayNeighborhood Crime Watch” and“encouraging residents of the com-mun i t y to col labo ra te w i t h th eBarangay LGU in crime prevent ionand in the promotion of peace andorder thru volunteerism.”.

+ - An ordinance requiring the “reg-istration with the Barangay LGU of securityguards who are based and/or detailedwithin the area of responsibility of BarangayGreater Lagro”.

+ - An ordinance regulating the“use of audio devices that disturbpublic peace within the barangay’sarea o f responsib i l i ty f rom 11:00o’clock PM to 8:00 o’clock AM”.

As we have mentioned above, thesethree new ordinances have been aimedat promoting and/or enhancing the gen-eral well-being of the inhabitants of ourbeloved community. Along this line, well-meaning Lagronians are hereby encour-aged to collaborate with the local

barangay in their humble way with alert,sharp and active radar in its divergenceand parallelism in pursuit to satisfactorilyachieve its main aims and objectives tothe fullest and even beyond ordinary ex-pectations. In passing these ordinances,our barangay officials have in mind thebest interest of God-fearing and peace-loving Lagronians especially those perma-nently residing within the perimeter of ourfast-modernizing residential-commercialcommunity and its immediate environs nes-tling on the northern tip of our beautifulQuezon City which area is five times big-ger than Manila proper.

The members of the BarangayCouncil of Greater Lagro, headedby Atty. Renato U. Galimba are --Kgwds. Romeo S. Buenafe Jr., Leo B.Garra, Benjamin C. Pangilinan, Ma.Lu cky M. T iangco, D r. Abel ard T.Langcay, Cresente A lber t B. Pedroand Jan Eduardo V. Tolentino. TheCouncil is being ably supported bythe barangay’s executive staff com-posed of Ms. Teres i t a M. Lah ip ,barangay secretary; Ms. Brigida M.Aniban, barangay treasurer; and Mr.Feliciano U. Galimba Jr., barangayadministrative officer and concur-rent ly t he edi to r- in -ch i ef o f th eGREATER LAGRO GAZETTE.

-o-0-o-Eveytime an accredited member of

the fourth estate is gunned down as whathappened to former Inquirer news corre-spondent Ms. Melinda “Mei” Magsino, the32nd journalist killed under P’Noy’s admin-istration and the 173rd journalist murderedsince 1986, I can’t help but to recall whathad also happened to me in the course ofmy media-journalism practice in my early20s as a crusading self-made news accred-ited correspondent of the pre-marital lawManila Chronicle.

(cont’ on page 9)

UThe above title is in grateful appre-

ciation of the thoughtfulness unselfish car-ing attitude of those who exerted supradiligence and dedication in research ofa local code valuable to all concerned-credit once more be accorded to theentire Council of Barangay Greater Lagro,Novaliches, Quezon City. Of course dig-ging deeper in search of a very relevantpiece of document, albeit somewhat con-sidered “vintage or antiquated”, howeveris of timely service to you, me and all ofus nowadays and hereafter.

Referred once again for our infor-mation and compliance is the re-publishedORDINANCE NO. SP_1465 SERIES OF 2000 –AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING ANY PERSON,NATURAL OR JURIDICAL FROM RESERVING APORTION OF PUBLIC STREETS, AVENUES,SIDEWALKS, ALLEYS AND OTHER PUBLIC OPENSPACES FOR HIS/HER/ITS EXCLUSIVE USE ORPARKING SPACE AND PROVIDING PENALTIESFOR VIOLATION THEREOF”. The pertinentparticular penalties or violation thereof areverbatimlyquoted hereunder to wit, “

1st Offense – fine of not less than two thou-sand pesos ( P2,000.00);2nd Offense – fine of not less than threethousand pesos (P3,000.00)3rd Offense – fine of not less than five thou-sand pesos (P5,000.00) or imprisonment ofnot more than six (6) months or both atthe discretion of the court.

The exact intent/ spirit and primarygoal of the above-cited local code is laud-

able. However, certain specific places inour midst are designated as terminal siteof transport groups to the inconvenienceof the public, not to the undoing/error ofjudgment of our local authorities, but ac-cordingly due to the intercession and ap-proval of higher powers of our bureauc-racy, once again to the detriment of our-selves in general. These are some legalimpediments to the effective and efficientenjoyment of accepted local legislation:to have a convenient smooth safe fasttraffic inside our barangay.

In conjunction thereof, it is likewiserespectfully suggested and requested ifpossible to give due notices or better stillto enact a barangay ordinance addressto all concern car owners not to park theirrespective vehicle right in front of garage/pathway of any residential lot so as not toblock/impede INGRESS AND EGRESS . Incases of emergency, impeded garage orpathway certainly creates inconvenienceand misunderstanding among friends andneighbors.

We: You and I must actually and re-ligiously observe the GOLDEN RULE always.

A JOYOUS AND MEANINGFUL EASTERSEASON TO ALL!

“A faded flower blooms once more”

common saying among sol-diers on occasions of fallencomrades/friends caused either

by a bullet, accident or natural death.

By Romeo A. Deza

The Author

A

ADVOCACY AND CITIZENS’ACTION

1. Use water wisely, l imitconsumption.

2. Plant trees, support theGreening Movement.

3. Report il legal activities inthe reservoir and watershed suchas kaingin.

4. Support the move to closepermanently the Payatas landfill .

5. Strongly recommend re-duction of water bill through Con-gress, local government, civic andchurch organizations.

6. Reduce pollution, do notburn plastic. Plastic emits DIOXIN,

the most poisonous man-madesubstance that can be carried bywind and rain, which may find itsway to our water supply.

7. For those near and aroundthe watersheds of the system,make your backyard and “exten-sion of the watershed.”and a wild-l ife sactuary, too.

8. Strongly support the “Savethe Angat Dam” before anythingcatastrophic happens.

9. Love Nature, take time outfrom office school and work. De-velop Reverence for life a personalphilosophy.

10. Enjoin the family, church,and community in ensuring everycitizen the right for clean availableand affordable water, as embodiedin the Declaration of Human Rightsby the United Nations.

The La Mesa Dam(cont’d from page 14)

“The La Mesa Dam has grown old through the yearsof faithful service. It is like a heart that is alreadytired and weak, exacerbated by the poor condi-tion of the very system it is a part of and which itserves...”

People * Places * Events

Photographs show Barangay Chairman, Atty. Renato U. Galimba and Barangay officialsof Bagbagatot, Banayoyo, Ilocos Sur posing for posterity after the barangay officialspaid a courtesy call and condoled with Atty. Renato U. Galimba and his family duringthe wake of Atty. Galimba.s mother who passed away last February 20, 2015. Thosewith Atty. Galimba are (left to right) Barangay Kagawads Nestor A.Cudiamat, Robert S.Blanche, Jessie P. Cudiamat and Juan B.Escaño; Mrs. Josephine S. Galimba (Atty.Galimba’s better-half), Atty. Galimba; Barangay Captain Florentino B. Garriga; BarangaySecretary Wilma F. Castro; and Barangay Kagawads Felicitas G. Gagno, Antonio GBaniaga Jr. and Editha J. Gambala.

Barangay Greater Lagro --after a decade of constant development

8 NEWS * FEATURE

March is “RabiesAwareness Month”

Jan. - Mar. 2015

(cont’ on page 13)

Happiness economics suggests thatmeasures of publ ic happines s shou ld beused to supplement more t rad i t ionaleconomic measures when evaluat ing thesuccess of public policy.

Happiness is a fuzzy concept and canmean many things to many people. Part of thechallenge of a science of happiness is to identifydifferent concepts of happiness, and whereapplicable, split them into their components.

In the 2nd Edit ion of the Handbookof Emot ions (2000) , evo lu t ionarypsychologis t s Leda Cosmides and JohnTooby say that happines s comes f rom"encounter ing unexpected pos i t iveevent s " .

In the 3rd Edition of the Handbook ofEmotions (2008), Michael Lewis says "happiness canbe elicited by seeing a significant other".

Accord ing to Mark Lear y, asrepor ted in a November 1995 i s sue ofPsychology Today, "we are happiest whenbask ing in the acceptance and praise ofothers " .

In a March 2009 edition of The Journal ofPositive Psychology, Sara Algoe and JonathanHaidt say that "happiness" may be the label for afamily of related emotional states, such as joy,amusement, satisfaction, gratification, euphoria,and triumph.

Accord ing to a rev iew inBos ton.com on Augus t 23, 2009, moneydoesn't buy much happiness unless it 's usedin certain ways. "Beyond the point at whichpeople have enough to comfortably feed,c lothe, and house themselves , havingmore money -- even a lot more money --makes them only a l i t t le b i t happier. "However we can somet imes get morehappiness bang for our buck by spendingi t in prosocia l ways . A Harvard Bus ines sSchool study found that "spending moneyon others actually makes us happier thanspending it on ourselves".

There are various factors that have been

correlated with happiness, but no validated methodhas been found to substantially improve long-termhappiness in a meaningful way for most people.

(Reference/Source: Wikipedia, the freeencyclopedia)

- o - 0 - o -THE HAPP I EST PEOPLE/COUNTRI ES IN THEWOR LD

The following is a very interesting report ona study made regarding the happiest people andcountries the world over. It was posted on theInternet on March 20, 2013 by Mary Forgione, a LosAngeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger.

"The Happiness Rank ings of Peoplein the World"By Mary Forg ione

The United Nations created the InternationalDay of Happiness, which is celebrated Wednesday(today), to recognize "the relevance of happinessand well-being as universal goals and aspirations inthe lives of human beings around the world..."

I t ' s a d i f fe rent way of evaluat ingnations apart from their economic wealth.With that in mind, I thought about a reportlast year from the London-based think tankLegatum Group that ranked 142 countriesand came up w i th a P rosper i t y I ndex. I tweighed factors l i ke heal th , educat ion,governance, personal f reedom, etc.

The overall happiness rankings came outlike this:

1. Norway2. Denmark3. Sweden4. Aus tral ia5. New Zealand6. Canada7. Finland8. The Netherlands9. Sw itzerland10. I relandThe numbers change when you filter by

various criteria. For example, New Zealand ranksNo. 1 for education; Luxembourg, No. 1 for health;and Canada, No. 1 for personal freedom. (Go tothe Prosperity Index map and create your ownrankings by category.)

Lowes t , o r mos t "unhappies t "countr ies , were:

1. Central African Republic2. Democratic Republic of the Congo3. Afghanistan

4. Chad5. Haiti6. Burundi7. Togo8. Zimbabwe9. Yemen10. EthiopiaA separate Gal lup World Po ll taken

between 2005 and 2011 came up with thesame top 10 happiest nations as Legatum,though in a slightly different order (Denmarkwas No. 1). The World Happiness Report lastyear provides more data and tables on thetop ic.

- o - 0 - o -Update on the "The Happiness Rankings ofPeople in the World"

The happiest and saddest countries in theEuropean Union are revealed in t ime for theInternational Day of Happiness 2015.

The Scandinavian nat ions ofDenmark, Finland and Sweden al l toppedthe lis t in the overall happiness stakes with8.0 out o f 10 – Euros tat f igures from 2013that were re leased yes terday show.

High GDP, progressive tax, good healthcareand education, beautiful landscapes as well as theNordic model of a free market economy with agenerous welfare state have long been thought ofas bedrocks of stability and satisfaction in thosecountries.

Netherlands and Aus t ria fo l low nottoo far behind them wi th 7.8.

The United Kingdom enjoys an above-average happiness rating of 7.3, which is on parwith Germany and Poland.

The average for the whole of the EUis 7.0.

What does this all mean? Some countrieshave a ways to go to boost their happiness quotient-- combating obstacles such as poverty, illiteracy,disease, etc. -- and the world as a whole has aresponsibility to see that changes are made.

How nice to set aside a day to fosterexact ly that .

- o - 0 - o -HOW TO TAKE CARE OF OUR WELL-BEING

+ - EXERCISE.We've all heard it a thousand times, but it's

true that keeping active is really important for yourwellbeing - both physically and mentally. A recentstudy by the University of Columbia assessed over

7,500 adults on the relationship between theirexercise regime and their state of mind. The verdict:working-out for between two and four hours eachweek is the optimal exercise routine for your brain.Mind in Croydon are holding a 15km charity walkaround Lloyds Park on May 25th and welcomeanyone who wants to join them to exercise,socialise and raise money for a good cause.

+ - BE NICE.Scientists have proven that doing something

nice for another person stimulates the same partof the brain as having something nice done foryou. Anything from making tea for your flatmateto giving blood or volunteering for a charity willgive you a chemical buzz that will improve yourstate of mind. For information on local charitiessee our guide, or click here.

+ - EAT SWEETS!Okay, that's not exactly what the research

says, but it's part of it. Treats, such as small amountsof confectionary, can boost your mood. Andthey've been used in research to prove that beingchirpy helps your brain to work better; which, inturn, improves your happiness.

+ - LEARN.Research shows that doing an evening

course or learning a new skill can improve your lifesatisfaction as much as a pay rise. Statistically, thosewho take on adult learning courses are less likelyto be depressed and are in better health. You canfind out more about adult learning in Hackney,Croydon, Tower Hamlets and Lewisham at localcolleges or here.

+ - TALK.According to research from the Brit ish

Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, onein five people have consulted a therapist at somepoint in the past, and 91 per cent said they felt itwas becoming an increasingly acceptablemethod of dealing with issues. There are plenty ofservices in ELL boroughs that allow people to getthings off their chest, or talk things through with anexpert. These range from social networking andgroup sessions to one-to-one counselling andcognitive behavioural therapy. You can ask for areferral from your GP, or click on these links to seesome options in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham orTower Hamlets.

- o - 0 - o -

It’s a Busy World(cont’d from page 12)

he “Rabies Aware-ness Month” is anannual campaign

held every March to increasepubl ic awareness on thedanger and prevention ofthe disease as wel l asmeasures taken in case onehas been bi t ten by asuspected rabid animal.Other than free rabiesvaccination drive, programson responsible petownership are held duringthe month.

According to the Department ofHealth (DOH), the Philippines aims to berabies-free by the year 2016. The rabiesawareness month started when formerPresident Joseph Estrada signed anExecutive Order 84 s-1999 declaring themonth of March as Rabies AwarenessMonth

Rabies, which is one of the mostdangerous viral disease, infects the centralnervous system of animals and spread tohumans through bites, scratches, andexposure to infected saliva.

According to studies , all mammalsare susceptible to rabies but dogs areconsidered as main hosts and transmitterof rabies in most countries. Dogs accountfor 98 percent of all cases, 88 percent ofsuch are stray and 10 percent aredomestic pets. Cats and rodents accountfor the remaining two percent.

Rabies very dangerous becausedeath usually occurs within days on theonset of symptoms. Early symptoms of thedisease include fever, headache, andgeneral weakness or discomfort. As thedisease progresses, other symptoms may

appear including insomnia, anxiety,confusion, sl ight or partial paralysis,excitation, hallucinations, agitation,hypersalivation, difficulty in swallowing,hydrophobia (fear of water) andphotophobia (fear of lights).

If bitten or scratched, wash thewound thoroughly and apply pressure ifbleeding. The doctor will assess through abattery of tests if a person needs postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) shots or not. PEPshots typically consist of four dosesadministered in a fourteen day period.

About 55,000 people die from rabiesevery year according to the World HealthOrganization (WHO). Mostly affected arechildren under 15 years of age. Based onthe DOH Statistics, in the Philippines, rabiescauses 200 to 300 deaths every year.

Because of an alarming increase infatali t ies, former President Glor iaMacapagal-Arroyo s igned into lawRepublic Act 9482 or the Anti Rabies Lawof 2007 which was authored by Senator PiaCayetano. This law aims to provide fundsfor disease control and prevention; setresponsibilities and appropriate penaltiesfor pet owners; and impounding andeuthanasia clauses.

Sadly, according to data of theBureau of Animal Industry (BAI), NationalCapital Region has the most number ofrabies incidents both in animals and humanand Quezon City has the first place in mostcases of rabies with a total of 21 cases ofrabies or 26% of the total incidence ofrabies in NCR. In 2013, the VeterinaryServices Division of the QC HealthDepartment recorded animal rabies casesin Barangays Paltok. Holy Spirit, Payatas,Quirino 2A, Loyola Heights, Old Capitol Site,Tatalon, Talipapa, Fairview, Sta. Monica,Gulod, Nagkaisang Nayon, NovalichesProper, San Bartolome and Greater Lagro.

By Ronaldo A. QuinioReporter: DZRV846AM/People’s Balita

Director: Quezon City Press Club

(cont’ on page 7)

Ten years of constantdevelopment hasled the subdivision

of Greater Lagro to a betterfascade. With establishmentspopping up from left to right,foodies, techies, entrepre-neurs and merchants areslowly pouring in to providethe budding community withtheir own respective flavorsand distinctive characteris-tics.

With the constant efforts of theBarangay Local Government Unit to pro-mote and build a sustainable communitywith safe and enjoyable facilities, the no-ticeable changes have been drasticallyvisible throughout the course of the cam-paign. Back roads are now cemented,street signs much more visible, and thegates that lead to key access points arenow guarded to improve visible safety.

These changes play a key role in thecommunity as to which ranking amongother Barangays have fallen short in-termsof development. With security being feltubiquitously, even pedestrians, of which areconsisted mostly of school kids are a lotsafer and more secure to wade in the af-ter-school hours of the streets. Majority ofwhich the task force built to maintainpeace and order are to be credited for,the community leaders are also to be heldresponsible for this magnificent change.Activities which promote tourism in the saidBarangay are visible and the air is calmercompared to what it was about a decadeago.

“It is a lot safer than how it used tobe.” Julie said, one local inhabitant whogrew and saw the changes made by theoccupants of the Barangay. “Each hadtheir own contributions, instilling what theyhad either learned in school, business, and

in life.”Many of the locals who saw how the

slow development led to a budding com-munity are very positive with the changesthat are taking place in the society.

Many noticeable additions to theBarangay’s marketable features are theshops that offer distinctive services acces-sible only to more prominent areas in thepast. This indicates a sign that the timesare catching up with the progress goingon for the Greater barangay.

Similarly, reports of crime are lesser;cases of violence compare no-match towhat it used to be and the image of thedeveloping areas are cleaner and morefamily friendly according to local officials.For after all, during the past consecutivethree years or so, Barangay Greater Lagrodid won 1st place for having the BestPeace and Order Committee, Best in Gen-der Practice and Responsive Governanceand have the Best Lupong Tagapamayapaas seen in the Quezon City Local Govern-ment Website. * -- ht tp://www.quezoncity.gov.ph is an excellentwebsite for Local Government Reports

Cool ChangeBy Delbert Badon

T

BARANGAY GREATER LAGRO -AT A GLANCE

HOUSING UNIT S/LAND AREA+ - LAGRO SUBDIVISION Area: 100 hectares No. of Housing Units: 3,923+ - CASA MILAN SUBDIVISION Area: 45 hectares No. of Housing Units: 100+ - LA MESA HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION Area: 316 No. of Housing Units: 173+ - HILLTOP SUBDIVISION Area: 10 hectares No. of Housing Units: 130+ - La Mesa Heights No. of Housing Units: 70

BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTSas of March 2014 - 4,303

9NEWS * FEATURE Jan. - Mar. 2015

That t ime, I was also a victim of atroc-ity committed by a PC Provincial Commanderof Catanduanes wherein the supposedly rolemodel peace-keeping of f icer o f the lawturned “ trouble maker” mauled me wi thoutprovocat ion. I t was an unprovoked act o fbrutality against a helpless cit izen, speciallywhen one cons iders that he at tacked mewith the help of an ai rpor t personnel. Al -though he denied or never admit ted, theattack on my person by the said PC Provin-cial Commander was in reaction to a seriesof ar t ic les wh ich I w rote and publi shed/ re-ported in print-and-broadcast media disclos-ing rampant jueteng in the province.

To cut the story short, the subject provincialPC chief was recalled and investigated by his superi-ors at Camp Crame. He was relieved from his postand subsequently dismissed from the service. Thisexperience had become my badge of honor andmade me more determined to pursue my personalcrusade against recalcitrants in uniform. This episodehad afforded me to learn more safeguards as a cru-sading newsman as in the exercise of the actual tradeof media-journalism on how to be safe from abusivemen in uniform and from libel suits.

- o - 0 - o -The pas t year 2014 was a year of

mourning to th i s wr iter ’ s fami ly clan, as i twas dur ing the year when my youngerbrother, Mitchell “Mike”Vargas Lofamia - for-merly OFW, died in February, and my elders i s ter, V ic tor ia “ V icky ”Lofamia-A lber to, re-t i red public school principal - the ledest inthe fami ly clan of G regorio L. Lofamia, na-tive of Daraga, Albay and wife, MagdalenaVargas -Lofamia - o f V i rac, Catanduanes -(Vicky) died in the same year of August. Mikewas buried at the Marikina Loyola MemorialPark in Rizal, while Vicky was at the AntipoloMemorial Park, R iza l.

The surviving immediate children of the clanare: this writer; ret. AFP Chief Chaplain B/Gen. Rev. Fr.Joel Vargas-Lofamia; Mrs. Adelwisa “Lily”Lofamia-Tejada; Mrs. Rosalinda “Linda”Lofamia-Bañas; Engr.Shelly Lofamia-Evangelista; Eduardo “Eddie” Vargas-Lofamia; and Mrs. Charity “Chary”Lofamia-Cocjin.

May the ir sou ls res t in peace inheav en.

- o - 0 - o -Despite claims of a soaring economy,

according to some surveys and Malacañang’sloud barkings, still millions of Filipinos go to bedhungry everyday, others even without bed to thepoint of serving the “street homes”as their abodewith aching ribs. Hunger in this supposed time ofeconomic growth, if really true, is the paradox ofloud political cheering leaders submerged inabsurd own political circus strategy’s hallucina-tion aimed at to gain mileage publicity.

Amids t the loud vo ices c la im ingsuf f ic iency of product ion, abundanceand excesses, yet a great many house-holds cont inue to want and suf fer,though, they bel ieved not fu l ly the i rfaults. Is our country a great producer ofgreat loud voice-l iars, allegedly lying inthe i r ha l lowed force-make-bel ievedeconomic progress whom some decr iedis only a creation of hallucination. What-ever, truth w ill prevail.

Some factors on why a great many Fili-pino families are hungry and in need of employ-ment are because no ready foods on the tableto eat for survival, to have shelter-protection fromthe cold rains, from the scourging heat of thesun, and for lack of usual sleeping night rest, allfor health protection from getting with unwantedsickness. Thus, it is imperative that the govern-ment should refrain from holding frivolous pro-grams in order to address the empty stomachsof the poor.

That, our good graftbuster leader,President Noynoy Aquino I I I, should leaveno s tones unturned under h is no laugh-ing crusade agains t high prof i le scan-dals exemplif ied by the high ranking pub-lic off icials, including pity corruptions bysome recalcitrants, as kotong cops, syn-dicated h igh profile f ixers like some un-touchable ones a llegedly protected bythe powers - that -be or whatever, longt ime publ ic ly known s ince t ime imme-mor ia l .

Support P’Noy’s cleansing drive versus thecorrupts, the arrogants, the abusives, thehyperwomanizers and what-have-you.

Here and Elsewhere(cont’d from page 7)

Mercy, compassionand faith prevail

By Romeo A. Deza

CHAMPION GOLD MEDALIST PUPIL IN FIRST GRADE LEVEL of teh jean Baptiste of Reins College North Olympus,Quezon City of this school year is Rhensis Benedict T. Lofamia, 8 years old, 2nd from right, posing with the school’s top officials, from left,Administrator Gr egorio R. Ponce, Dir ector Adoracion C. Ponce, adviser-teacher Carmela Jane R. Santos, curriculum-academic affairsdirectress Donna Mae P. Batnag, and parents Janneth T. Lofamia and Engr. James Roger B. Lofamia. Gold medalist awardee RhensisBenedict received two gold medals as “Champion in Math and Science Quiz Bee” and Champion in the Annual Quiz Bee;” and with threedistinguished medals for “Most Inquisitive,” “3rd Place Singing Contest,”and “Perfect Attendance.”The parents were also recipient ofcitation award in recognition of their “Active Family Tandem on Family Fun Run 2015.” The outstanding overall gold medalist awardeeis the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Cayetano B. Toriano (nee Dolores Dunuan, and the youngest grandson Engr James Roger of QC’s LagroGazette columnist Rumolo “Romy” Vargas Lofamia (nee Meriam Bolivar, ret. SLH chief nurse) ret DPWH public relations-info officerand an accomplished writer, essayist, fictionist and once an active crusading newsman during his prime.

Pamela Julianne O. Lofamia, 14 years old, shown in photo above, was the recipient of the “7th Place Award Medal” from the IntegratedSchool fo Montessori in Igolot, Bocaue, Bulacan during the recognition rites of this year’s school graduation ceremony. She is the onlydaughter and youngest child of Engr. Gregory Pliny B. Lofamia (wife Engr. Victoria Owera-Lofamia). Pamela Julianne is the grand-daughter of the Gazette columnist Rumolo “Romy”V. Lofamia, (nee: former Meriam Bolivar, ret SLH chief nurse).

Pamela Julianne O. Lofamia

People * Places * Events

Vividly looking back at myslowly aging memory, about themiddle of the 1980’s the three ofus in our family: my late dearlybeloved better-half Larrie as Ifondly address her, my unica sib-ling Catherine (Kate) and thiswriter casually visited the Grotto(Our Lady of Lourdes) Shrine lo-cated at San Jose del Monte(SJDM) Bulacan to hear and of-fer Thanksgiving for the endlessblessings the Almighty Fatherbestowed upon the three of us.

During those days thetravel time from Lagro to theShrine was about 10 to 15 min-utes, there were few vehicles go-ing to and fro thereat.

The area of grotto is large-- it’s spacious grass-cover level

tv screens, according to the holy scrip-tures, where Jesus Christ was brutally tor-tured, ruthlessly manhandled, scoffed offand put to death by crucifixion to savemankind from sins.

Every station is almost equally dis-tant and from one another with man sizedstatutes of biblical characters, e.g. JesusChrist surrounded by roman centurions/soldiers, Virgin Mary et al.

The first half of the 1990’s at the timeof erstwhile the late Cardinal Sin, theformer thousands and thousands of devo-tees to the grotto both on ordinary andholidays appreciably dwindled. As one ofthe devotees of that place it distinctlycaught my innermost thoughts.

This grey observation continued toflourish onwards then to my great unex-pected moment, only recently on March22, 2015 while attending mass in grotto the inde-

n life there is whatwe call ups anddowns; joy and sad-

ness, rainy and sunny daysin the past present and per-haps ahead of all of us ei-ther young or old and so forthand so on.

I

(cont’ on page 15)

The author is shown in top photo above with Rev. Fr. Cirilo Palaca as the pose infront of the Altar, Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine Grotto in San Jose del Monte(SJDM), Bulacan; lower photo shows the author at the Grotto compound.

frontage, two parallel pathways leadingfrom the gate to the church, part of thesepathways at the sides near the portal ofthe shrine gradually elevating upwards andcurving forming half circle that meets atthe middle part of the tall towers, thus,there is a half circle shaped profile, a lookalike of the imposing Basilica of Our Ladyof Lourdes at Lourdes, France.

At the back of the Shrine is a “huge”cave. Underneath it is a space wheremasses were held. An open space of thecave could be seen several crutches leftbehind by devotees from different partsof our country who visited, prayed andhealed of their various ailments. Next por-tion is a picnic ground for everyone whovisited or heard mass therein.

Going further backwards is theseemingly sprawling with moderately hillyspace that cradles the fourteen stationsof the Cross/ Calvary or Kalbaryo in thevernacular. It is almost a simulation of thescenes of the calvary usually depicted on

The Chairman speaks(cont’d from page 2)

ng inyong kapwa, kayo mismo, sa sarilin inyo, ay pags ikapan ninyong lu tas inang mga ito. Pero kung di ninyo kayanglutasin, ipaalam sa akin at ako anghahanap at gagawa ng paraan upangmai saayos at maihanap ng kalutasanang mga ito.

Gaya ng nauna kung sinabi sa inyo,ako ay may solusyon, ako ay may gamotdiyan. Pero kung hindi ninyo ipaaalamsa akin, sayang ang gamot na akingmaib ib igay upang maiwasan ang mgaproblema, upang maiwasan ang mgahidwaan sa inyong hanay.

Sa a tin po namang mga PurokLeaders, kayo po ang ak ing unangunang b in ib igyan ng mabigat nakatungkulan. Sa inyong mga balikatnakaatang ang imahe ng at ingbarangay sapagkat kayo, araw -araway umiikot sa inyong sari-sariling area.

Sana ay pagsikapang ipaliwanagsa mga kabarangay nat in ang mgamagagandang gawain ng a t ingpamahalaang pambarangay. H ind i ponatin maiaal is , mga kasama, na angibang kabarangay nat ing walang alamna gawin kundi mani ra o maghanap ngkamal ian sa at ing mga gawaingpambarangay. Ano man ang gawin natin,ano man ang kabut ihang ipakikita natin,mayroon pa r ing mga tao na gus tongmani ra sapagkat ang kani lang nasakais ipan, ang nasa kanilang puso ay ayawmakita na tayo ay magtagumpay sa atingmga adhikain na maiyangat at mapabutiang kalidad ng ating pamumuhay ditosa ating kumunidad.

Kaugnay ng mga ito, ako po aynak ikiusap, ako po ay humih iling sainyo, na sana tayo ay magsikap namagkaroon ng isa pang mas mataas napagkilala sa gawain ng bawat isa saat in. Pags ikapan nat in angpagkakaroon ng lalong mataas na antasng pagtutu lungan upang ang at ingbarangay ay mabigyan ng mas mabilisna serb isyo, mas mabi l i s napagsasaayos , at mas mabi li s napagdaloy ng serbisyo para sa lahat.

Tatandaan po sana natin, ano manpo ang problema natin, tayo din po angmay hawak ng gamot , tayo d in po angmay hawak ng so lusyon.

Sa a tin pong mga non-govern-ment organization (POs), mga people’sorganization (POs ) , at iba pang mgagrupo o samahan d i to sa a t ingkumunidad, hinahangad ko po ang lalo

ninyong pakikipag-ugnayan, pakikiisa samga gawain ng ating barangay.

Ang atin pong Fire Department,nangunguna po sa pakikiisa, pakikipag-ugnayan sa at ing mga gawain d i to saating barangay. Maraming salamat sainyo at hanggang kahapon ay ginagawapa rin ninyo ang inyong mga gawain tungopo sa matahimik at maayos na bagongtaon. Muli, maraming salamat sa inyo.

Sa at in pong mga kasapi saKABAYAN Action Group - Greater LagroChapter, ipagpatuloy po natin ang atinggawain. Ako po, sampu po ng atingmga barangay kagawad ay nag-rerelyng malak i sa inyo. Ang mga extracurricular na serb isyo po natin, ayipagpatuloy po natin. Dito, kayo po aynakiki lala, bagama’t di kayo nabibigyanng parangal ng ating barangay, hindipa panahon s iguro although a lam kona marami na kayong nagawa. Sana,ay ipagpatuloy pa po natin ang atingmga gawaing ito.

Sa iba’ t ibang organizat ion, satransport, sa sports, sa atin pong mga sen-io r c i t i zens h inahangad po namin angpakikiisa, hinahangad po namin ang lalonating madalas na pag-uugnayan upangmabigyan ng so lusyon, mabigyan nggamot ang h ind i pagkakaunawaan.

Alam po namin, mga kasama, mgakabarangay, na ang inyong l ingkod,kasama po ang mga kagawad ay hindimagagawa ang lahat ng mgapangangai langan ng bawat i sa sa at in.Gusto namin, at hinahangad namin naano man ang problema na inyongnararanasan, nak ik i ta sa inyongkapaligi ran ay idulog lamang po saating barangay.

Hindi kami nangangako na anglahat ng problema ay mabigyan ngsolusyon, ang impor tante alam naminsaan ang mga problema, alam naminkung saan ang may kapansanan upangsa aming pag-uusap-usap, sa amingmga pagpupulong pulong ay magawannamin ng paraan upang maibsan kundiman mabigyan ng tunay na so lusyonang mga problemang ito.

So, i to lamang po ang ak inghangad, ang aking mensahe sa bawat isasa at in, sa at in pong kasama dito saat ing barangay, nagt rat rabaho sa at ingbarangay na nagtutu lung-tu lungan,nagkakaunawaan, at nak iki i sa sa mgahangarin tungo po sa maayos na serbisyodito sa ating barangay.

Magandang umaga, maramingsalamat sa inyong lahat. PATNUBAYAN SANATAYO NG ATING PANGINOON SA LAHAT NAPANAHON.

PEOPLE * PLACES * EVENTS10

“ARAW NG KAGITINGAN” CELEBRATIONWednesday, April 9, 2014

Highlights and sidelights in photographs -- Special Barangay Activities

Jan. - Mar. 2015

The Civic/Community Parade The Flag-raising Ceremony

Photographs taken during the parade held in observance of “Araw ng Kagitingan” on April 9, 2014as the pariticipants pass thru one of the major streets in the community with Punong Barangay, Atty.Renato U. Galimba ( photo above, in red shirt, 2nd from left) leading the parade together withmembers of his Council and barangay staff.

The Honor Guards of the Knights of Columbus, Fr. Walter de Vilder Assembly (ACN 2895) are shownin photo above taken during flag-raising ceremony held in observance of “Araw ng Kagitingan” onApril 9, 2014 at the Dambana ng Kagitingan, Centennial Park, this barangay; while highlights andsidelights of the flag-raising ceremony/program are shown in photos below.

11PEOPLE * PLACES * EVENTS

“ARAW NG KALAYAAN” CELEBRATIONThursday, June 12, 2014

Highlights and sidelights in photographs -- Special Barangay Activities

The Commemorative Program

Highlights and sidelights in photographs -- Special Barangay Activities

Sunday, June 29, 201467th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF BRGY. CHAIRMAN ATTY. RENATO U. GALIMBA

Jan. - Mar. 2015

12 EDUCATION * ARTS * CULTURE

IT’S A BUSY WORLDBy Ma. Lovely Jane S. Galimba

World marks “InternationalDay of Happiness 2015”

Jan. - Mar. 2015

I n response to a callfrom the UN GeneralAssembly, people

and nations all over the worldtook time out to mark andpar t ic ipate in theobservance of the "Thi rdIn ternational Day ofHappiness" on Friday, March20, 2015.

It was the third officially recognizedworld-wide celebration of this special dayby virtue of a United Nations GeneralAssembly resolution (Res. No. A/RES/66/281)passed/adopted by the said body on June28, 2012 which declared the 20th day ofMarch every year as "International Day ofHappiness".

-o-0-o-OBJECTIVE OF THE SPECIAL DAY.

The United Nations has declaredMarch 20 the first International Day ofHappiness to underline the commitment ofits 193 member states to "better capturethe importance of the pursuit of happinessand well-being in development with a viewto guiding their public policies."

Th e day recogn izes t ha thappiness is a fundamental humangoal , and call s upon count ries toapproach publ ic pol ic ies in waysthat improve the well being of allpeoples.

By designating a special day forhappiness, the UN aims to focus worldattention on the idea that economicgrowth must be inclusive, equitable, andbalanced, such that i t promotessustainable development, and alleviatespoverty.

Addi t i onal ly t he U Nacknowledges that in order to attaing loba l happ iness, economi cdevelopment must be accompaniedby social and envi ronmental wel lbeing.

-o-0-o-BACKGROUND.

For a backgrounder, the initiative todeclare a day of happiness came fromBhutan - a country whose citizens areconsidered to be some of the happiestpeople in the world.

Thi s Himalayan Kingdom haschampioned an alternative measureof national and societal prosperity,called "the Gross National Happiness

Index" (GNH).The GNH rejects the sole use of

economic and material wealth as anindicator of development, and insteadadopts a more holistic outlook, wherespiri tual well being of cit izens andcommunities is given as much importanceas their material well being.

-o-0-o-WHY MARCH 20 EVERY YEAR.

In chosing and declaring the 20thday of March every year as the"International Day of Happiness", theGeneral Assembly of the United Nationstook cognizance of the fact that at aroundth is date each year, a universalphenomenon occurs -- the sun spendsalmost the same amount of time aboveand below the horizon at every locationon Earth, making night and day nearlyequal.

This theme of balance is onethat runs throughout the InternationalDay of Happi ness . Bo t t om l ineeconomic growth has long been themeasu re for p rogres s, but i t ' s aya rdst ick th at i gnores mou nt ingsoc ial and envi ronmental i ssu es.Gradually, material wealth is losingsome of its signi ficance as heal thand wellbeing is recognised as animport an t fact or i n su st ai nabl edevelopment.

-o-0-o-Message of UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon - March 20, 2015:

Happiness for the entire humanfamily is one of the main goals of the UnitedNations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moondeclared, as the Organization kicked-offits global celebrations marking the annualobservance of the International Day ofHappiness.

“Peace, p ro sper i t y, l i ves o fdignity for all – this is what we seek.We want all men, women and childrento enjoy all their human rights. Wewan t al l coun t r ie s to know th epleasure of peace,” the Secretary-General said in his message for theDay.

“We want people and planet aliketo be blessed with sustainabledevelopment, and to be spared thecatastrophic impacts of climate change.”Peace, prosperity, lives of dignity for all –this is what we seek. We want all men,women and children to enjoy all theirhuman rights. We want all countries to knowthe pleasure of peace.

In Apri l 2012, the UN held ahigh-level meeting on “Happinessand Wel l -Be ing: Def in ing a NewEconomic Paradigm” at the initiativeo f Bh ut an , a coun t r y wh ichrecogn ized t he sup remacy o fnat ional happiness over nat ionalincome since the early 1970s andfamously adopted the goal of GrossNat i onal Happi ness ove r Gros s

National Product (GDP).In July of that year, the UN General

Assembly proclaimed 20 March theInternational Day of Happiness, recognizingthe relevance of happiness and well-beingas universal goals and aspirations inpeople's lives and the importance of theirrecognition in public policy objectives.

A s pa rt o f i t s ef fo r t t oemph as ize th e impo rt ance o fhappiness in daily life, the UN alongwith global music streaming serviceMi xR ad io h as l au nched th e#HappySou ndsL ike campai gn ,appealing to the global citizenry “tonominate a song that brings a smileto your face.”

The campaign seeks to seize thepower of music and “inspire hope for abetter tomorrow” as it encourages peopleto suggest songs that best represent thefeeling of happiness.

Mr. Ban nomi na ted h i sMessenger of Peace Stevie Wonder'ssong “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” tot he p layl i s t , add ing th at t o h i m#HappySoundsLike a new cl imatedeal and an agreed set o fsustainable development goals, bothon the agenda of world leaders forlater this year.

Celebrity advocates includingCharlize Theron, Lang Lang, MichaelDouglas, Angelique Kidjo, along withinternationally-acclaimed artists such asJames Blunt, Idris Elba, David Guetta, JohnLegend, Cody Simpson and PharrellWilliams, will also contribute to create theworld's happiest playlist, which will belaunched today.

“Let us give thanks for whatmakes us happy,” Mr. Ban stated.“And let us dedicate our effor ts tofi lling our world with happiness

-o-0-o-HAPPINESS DEFINED

Happiness is a mental or emotionalstate of well-being characterized bypositive or pleasant emotions ranging fromcontentment to intense joy.

A var ie ty o f bi o l og ical ,psycho logi ca l , re l ig ious , andph i l osophi ca l approach es h avest r i ven to def ine happ iness andidentify its sources. Various researchgroups, i nc lu di ng pos i t ivepsychology, endeavor to apply thesc ient i f ic met hod to answe rquestions about what "happiness" is,and how it might be attained.

Philosophers and religious thinkersoften define happiness in terms of living agood life, or flourishing, rather than simplyas an emotion. Happiness in this sense wasused to translate the Greek "Eudaimonia",and is still used in virtue ethics.

"The (UN) General Assembly, […] Conscious that the pursuit of happinessis a fundamental human goal, […] Recognizing also the need for amore inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economicgrowth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication,happiness and the well-being of all peoples, decides to proclaim 20March the 'International Day of Happiness', invites all Member States,organizations of the United Nations system and other international andregional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to observe the'International Day of Happiness' in an appropriate manner, includingthrough education and public awareness-raising activities." -- UNGeneral Assembly Res. No. A/RES/66/281 passed on 28 June 2012.

(cont’ on page 8)

hahanga sa babaing mandi r igmangs i Teres a M agbanu a ng Panay nanangangabayo sa pangu nguna sapasa lakay at pag laban? S ino anghi nd i magbubuny i sa g i t ing niGregoria de Jesus, ang Lakambini ngKatipunan na h indi nas iraan ng loobkahit na naulila ng asawa?

Sino ang hindi uusal ng pagdakila kayAndres Bonifaci? Sino ang hindi dadakila kayMakario Sakay at Antonio Luna? Sino anghindi magpupugay kay Heneral MiguelMalvar?

Ang ak ing mga nau nangbi nanggi t ay a t i ng mga bayan ingmand i r igma sa l arangan ngpakikibaka. Lumaban si la, karamihanay nasawi sa pakikipaglaban.

May diwa rin ng kagitingang unangipinunla sa ating literatura.

I t inut ur ing ko ng pangu nahi ngnagpun la ng g i t ing at kama layangpambayan ang Florante at Laura niFrancisco Balagtas.

Sa kanyang dakilang epiko, ipinakitani Balagtas ang diwa ng bayan, nabagaman at tungkol sa Albanya’ynagpapakita ng katotohanan noon ngPi lip inas. Aniya:

Sa loob at labas ng bayan kong

s aw iKali luha’y s iyang nangyayaring

ha r iKagalinga’t bai t ay nalu lugamiIn i i n i s sa h ukay ng du sa ’t

p ighat i . . .Itinuturing kong ang tulang epiko ni

Balagtas ang siyang pinaka-ina ng diwangmagiting na manunulat, kagaya ng Noli MeTangere at El Filibusterismo ni Dr. Jose Rizal atmga makabayang sanaysay ni Mercelo H.Del Pilar at Emilio Jacinto.

Ang totoo, mula sa mga s inulatna nobela ni Rizal nabuhay ang diwang git ing at paghih imagsik n i AndresBo ni faci o na nag tayo ng Ka taas -taas ang Kaga lang -gal ang angKat ipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan oKa t ipunan, na i t inu tur ing na s iyangpi nkau nang k i l us ang bayan ngpagl aban s a mga dayu hangmananakop sa Asya at Apr ika.

Kaya ang diwa ng kagitingan aymaituturing na likas sa malay ng lahi.

Nang papatayi n ng mgaHapo nes sa M indanao s i Pu no ngMahistrado Jose Abad Santos ng KorteSu prema ng P i l ip inas noo ngIkal aw ang D igmaang Panda igdi g,lumuluh ang nakiu sap sa kanya angkanyang anak na lalaki. Ipinakikiusapng anak sa ama na para i l igtas angbuhay, wala siyang dapat gawin kundiipangako ang panana l i g sakapangyar ihan ng Hapones.

Ayon sa aklat na “Sulyap sa mga

Bayani” na sinulat namin ng aking kabiyakna si Dr. Edna May O. Landicho, na ilalabasng C and E Publishing, ganito ang nagingsagot ng ama sa anak.

“Huw ag kang u mi yak, anak.Daki la i to ng s andal i . Pambi h i rangpagkakataon ang mamatay sa ngalanng bayan.”

Huminto sa pagluha ang anak.Namatay si Jose Abad Santos na tunay nabayani.

Ang gani to ng pagpanaw nat inanglawan ng di wa ng gi t ing angkapa t i d ng pagpanaw ng a t i ngmagigi t ing na bayani na s ina R izal ,Emilio Jacinto, Makario Sakay at NinoyAqui no.

Ito ang kasaysayan ng magigiting nakamatayan.

Kaya sa ating Pambansang Awit,ang ating Inang Lupa ay tinatawag na“duyan ng magiting”. Kung susuriin saat ing Inang Bayan - na ro ro on angbukal ng kagi t ingan.

Ang buong Pilipinas ay kaloob ngDiyos na dambana ng kagitingan - sa dagatat bundok, sa langit na bughaw, ang pulsong laya at git ing ay tunay na buhay attumitibok.

Kaya maaari nating sabihin anggiting ng Pilipino ay mula sa dambanang Inang Lu pa , mu la at a lay n iBath ala.

Totoo, ang pagtatanggol sa laya atbayan na maaaring ipagbuwis na buhay aylandas ng kagitingan. Ngunit ang tunay na

kagitingan ay maipapamalas din natin, hindilamang sa pagbubuwis ng buhay sapagtatanggol at paglaban.

Ang ganap na pagmamahal saInang Bayan sa ating pang-araw-arawna buh ay ay i s ang la rawan ngkagi t i ngang dapa t di n na t i ngisabuhay. Ang pagmamahal sa bayanay t unay na pagdak i l a atpagpapaki lala ng pag-ibig sa PoongLumikha — at ito ang busilak na daanng kagi tingan sa lahat ng panahon.

Pulso(mula asa pahina 5)

“Huwag kangumiyak, anak. Dakila

itong sandali.Pambihirang

pagkakataon angmamatay sa ngalan

ng bayan.”

“Sulyap sa mga Bayani” -- Dr.Do mi ngo Go an Land ic ho /D r.Edna May Obien-Landicho

13LITERATURE

“Beloved Lands in Our Hearts”(Poetry of Memories)By Dr. Domingo G. Landicho, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Univ. of the Philippines

“An Ode to Lolo’s Dreams”

Jan. - Mar. 2015

(2nd of 3 parts)

Tanglaw sa Dilim

(cont’d from page 5)

Ni Lulu S. Atienza

Ang Author

The Author

EchoesBy Gracita M. Tumbaga

I n c los ing, le t me dedicate thefollowing song by Stevie Wonder which waspersonally chosen by UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon for thi s year’s celebration ofthe International Day of Happiness:

"SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED - I ’M YOURS” --by STEVIE WONDER

Like a fool I went and stayed too longNow I'm wondering if your love's still strongOo baby, here I am,Signed, sealed delivered, I'm yoursThen that time I went and said goodbyeNow I'm back and not ashamed to cryOo baby, here I am,Signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours

Here I am babyOh, you've got the future in your hand(signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)

Here I am baby,Oh, you've got the future in your hand(signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours)

I've done alot of foolish thingsThat I really didn't meanHey, hey, yea, yea, didn't I, oh baby

Seen alot of things in this old worldWhen I touched them they did nothing, girl

Oo baby, here I am, signed, sealed delivered,I'm yours, oh I'm yoursOo-wee babe you set my soul on fireThat's why I know you are my only desire

Oo baby, here I am, signed, sealed delivered,I'm yours Here I am babyOh, you've got the future in your hand(signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)

Here I am baby,Oh, you've got the future in your hand(signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours)

I've done alot of foolish thingsThat I really didn't meanI could be a broken man but here I am

With your future, got your future babe (here I ambaby)Here I am baby (signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)Here I am baby, (here I am baby)Here I am baby (signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)Here I am baby, (here I am baby)Here I am baby (signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours)

- o - 0 - o -AND FINALLY, MY DEAR READERS AND

FRIENDS, IT I S MY GREATEST PLEASURE ANDMOST FERVENT WISH FOR ALL OF US TO PLEASETAKE CARE, S TR IVE ALWAYS TO FACE EACHDAY OF OUR LIVES AS A BLESSING FROM THEGOOD LORD.

AND PLEASE... "DON'T EVER WORRY, ALWAYSBE HAPPY"!

. .. AND LET US MAKE EVERY DAY OFTHE YEAR "INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS"!-- Ma. Lovely Jane S. Gal imba-Lel is

- o - 0 - o -

References/Acknowledgments:+ - The UN Website+ - Wikipedia, the Free

encyclopedia+ - PoemHunter.com+ - Mary Forgione, Los Angeles TimesDaily Travel & Deal blogger

It’s a Busy World(cont’d from page 8)

ALONE ON MY BIRTHDAYBy: Diosdado F. Fragata

The crowd stood by in silenceAs I gathered a breath of storm

To blow the flame from tiny candlesThen they all broke into laughterLike the sound of shattered glass.

The song was joyful and merry;The greetings were hearty and warm

But none was warmer than your promiseOf an everlasting love.

It ’s the eighth of April once moreBut the song is sad and lonely

Teardrops fall over old love lettersAnd a faded photograph.

I gather breath of cigarette smokeWhile the memories of you

Burn across my broken heart.But wine is warm and soothing

Like an old man’s sighWhen the weary day expires.

14 NEWS * FEATURESJan. - Mar. 2015

The La Mesa Dam(cont’d from page 1)

tourists. It's all of the above answer to queries aboutthe complex because water, other than beingbasic to life, makes the living world awesome andbeautiful. It is water that connects the land, air andsea, into a biosphere, the only known living planetin the whole universe.

The La Mesa dam complex gives respitefrom urban living, a feeling of freedom from sky-scrapers and congested traffic, a change fromcacophony of sounds to nature's music in the treesand on the lake shore. Take a deep breath of theclean air, relax and believe in the power of silenceand meditation. Take your family to the La MesaEco Park on a weekend. It's perfect for biking, hik-ing, rappelling, hook-and-line fishing, boating, andgames of many kinds.There are scheduled edu-cational and cultural shows. It provides in situ andhands-on study of Nature. It is a wildlife sanctuary,the only kind in Metro Manila and suburbs.

As practicum, I would take my students tothe La Mesa Eco Park for a whole day field lectureand demonstration. There we would identify thebest we can -- plants, animals and other organismsof their common and scientific names and theirtaxonomic classification. We would bring along amicroscope and study the plankton and other mi-croorganisms that comprise the living minutiae ofthe lake and ponds, then photograph them mag-nified, a technique called photomicrography.

There's another field of photography LaMesa Dam offers - Nature Photography. It is notonly recording the things and events occurring innature but capturing the ephemeral wonders ofcreation like a honeybee pollinating flowers, Mi-mosa or makahiya drooping at the slightest touch,a skink darting across a footpath, a big carp sud-denly appearing, and many happenings beyondour expectation. Then there are things of humaninterests as we commune with nature. Fishing withbamboo pole, kite flying, picking fruits, nappingunder a tree, watching birds in the trees and sky,camping under the stars, and many things we don'tusually experience in city living.

To the artist the park is a perfect place foron-the-spot painting, writing poetry and essays,composing songs and prayers. It offers a naturalstage for drama with backdrop of trees, water, sky,in dynamic fashion and design which no stage orscreen can truly copy. La Mesa is indeed the heartand soul of a Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained,"the essence of the genius John Milton's master-pieces of the same epic titles.

-o-0-o-The La Mesa Dam is a 700-hectare water

reservoir built to supply water to Metro Manila andits suburbs. It is part of a 2,000-hectare watershedlocated in Novaliches, Quezon City; San Jose delMonte City in Bulacan; and Rodriguez in Rizal. Thereservoir is elevated at 100 meters above sea level.

The La Mesa reservoir occupies 27 squarekilometers and can hold up to 50.5 million cubicmeters of water. Barangay Greater Lagro andadjoining Fairview, both middle class communitieshug the lower limits of the reservoir proper. The LaMesa Eco Park is situated along the spillway of thedam. (please refer to the map)

But aerial view and imagery may be de-ceiving even on a clear day. The water systemcomplex is facing serious problems today, someperilous at that. Authorities and scientists, in spite ofprotective measures and rehabilitation programsof the government, private sector and citizens, arenot comfortable with the condition of the system,raising vital questions and expressing sentiments asto the sustainability of the system to keep up withthe ever increasing demand of water, consideringthe following developments:

First, the watersheds of the three reservoirsare shrinking and thinning as a result of encroach-ment by illegal loggers and settlers, with kaingin orslash-and-burn planting rampant in certain places,in fact in the heart of the watersheds. The carryingcapacity and longevity of the reservoir dependsmainly on the integrity of its watershed. A contro-versial subdivision has been built inside La MesaDam. The issue has not been resolved in spite of itsclear violation to law.

Second, pollution coming from land, air andfeeder streams is destroying the system and the

health of people. Take the case of the PayatasDumpsite, Quezon City's version of Manila's SmokeyMountain. Because of the closeness of the opendump site, tons and tons of carbon and ash, poi-sonous and obnoxious gases, and leachate findtheir way into the reservoirs. A petition initiated bythe QC government and residents has been filledwith the Supreme Court to close Payatas landfillpermanently. (PDI March 2015)

Third, Global Warming has reduced rainfallover the watershed complex in the last two dec-ades or so, necessitating cloud seeding to aug-ment receding water level. Other than deprivingthe needed rainfall, dry air sucks moisture fromboth reservoirs and watersheds predisposing thewatershed to forest fire, more so during an El Niñoyear. .

Fourth, the cyclical El Niño which now oc-curs on closer interval since industrial times, is caus-ing the water level to plunge to critical level. Unfor-tunately Metro Manila is virtually dependent whollyon the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa system. Even under-ground water also falls to critical level during ElNiño. By the way, 2015 is mild El Nino year which isnow being felt nationwide.

Fifth, The price of water is one of the highestin the world. Internet research showed that the mini-mum consumption per family of 6 in MM is 10 cu-bic meters per month. At P56.48 per cubic meter,monthly bill is P568.80. This is not all; there are othercharges added amounting to P200, which thentotal to P768.80. Over and above this figure areproposed price adjustments.

Historically from P4.97 in 1997 to P56.48 percubic meter today, the increase in charges is anexorbitant 1,036.69 percent. Water prices rose by45 percent to 61 percent per year for 17 years. Inaddition, the government extended the water con-tracts to Maynilad and Manila Water by another 15years. What went wrong?

Water privatization in Metro Manila beganwhen President Fidel Ramos instructed the govern-ment in 1994 to solve what he called the watercrisis in Manila by engaging with the private sector.

Sixth, Angat dam which supplies 81.4 per-cent of the total output of the system is structurallyin danger (Angat Dam: Another tragedy in waiting- Boo Chanco, The Philippine Star, September 10,2014)

Philvocs warned of a catastrophic disasterunless we move fast to reinforce the structural in-tegrity of Angat Dam. To quote Dr Renato Solidum,Philvocs Executive Director, "Angat dam is an olddam and must be fortified as soon as possible. It isold and still sitting along the West Valley fault line....A magnitude of 7.2 or an intensity 8 earthquakecould spell disaster of unimaginable proportions."

As a background two super typhoons Emma(Welming1867) and Rita (Kading 1978) took the livesof several people and destroyed millions of pesosworth of properties as a result of sudden and unco-ordinated release of flood water from the dam.We can imagine a worse scenario, as Philvocswarned, had the dam given way to the tremen-dous force. It reminds us of the movie Evan Al-mighty, a modern day Noah who was com-manded by God to save the people from floodcaused by the collapse of a poorly constructeddam. Unlike the bible which had a tragic endingthe movie exposed corruption of some politicians.

La Mesa Dam has grown old through theyears of faithful service. It is like a heart that is al-ready tired and weak, exacerbated by the poorcondition of the very system it is a part of andwhich it serves. Which too, has passed its prime.Time, incessant use. misuse and abuse have alto-gether taken their toll, and will be taking more tothe brink of disaster. The system has long been di-agnosed and the finding is clear with a stern warn-ing.

In physiology the heart is forced to workharder as the system declines. while the body be-comes idle, overweight, and indulgent to the GoodLife characteristic of our postmodern times whereaffluence has virtually no end. Its demand far ex-ceeds supply violating reciprocity which is gov-erned by a simple rule: what is taken must be re-turned - the basis of the principle of sustainability.The bounty and beauty of nature must be pre-served and conserved. This is the greatest heritagewe can bequeath to our children and children'schildren.~

(cont’d on page 7)

Barangay Greater Lagro and adjoin ing Fairview, both m iddle class communit ies, hugthe lower limits of the La Mesa Reservoir proper. The La Mesa ECO Park is s ituated alongthe spillway of the dam, as indicated in the map above.

Located in Novaliches , QuezonCi ty, La Mesa Dam was bu ilt in1929 to supply water to Met roManila and suburbs. It is part ofa 2,000-hectare watershed lo-cated in Fairview, Quezon City,San Jose del Monte C i ty inBulacan and Rodr iguez in R izal.The reservoi r is elevated at 100meters above sea level. The LaMesa reservo i r occupies 27square kilometers and can holdup to 50.5 mi llion cubic metersof water.

The La Mesa Ecopark is famous for its naturalbeauty and terrain, a favorite spot for familypicnic, educational and enter tainment pro-grams, hiking and and biking.

The La Mesa Water Treatment Plant s ituatedjust across the boundary of Lagro Subdivi-s ion, Barangay Greater Lagro, D is t r ic t 5,Quezon C ity.

La Mesa i s home of th i s ra re osprey(Pandion haliaetus). Now and then youmay see th i s regal b ird pat ro l ling thelake. I have seen it a number of t imesclosely flying over Lagro. In my researchit is a large raptor, reaching more than60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71in) acros s it s w ings . I t i s b rown on theupperpart s and predominant ly grey ishon the head and underpar ts . I t is alsocalled fish eagle, sea hawk, river hawk,or f ish hawk, a diurnal, f ish-eating b irdof prey.

15NEWS * FEATURES

“Malayo man,malapit din...”By Catherine P. Deza

Jan. - Mar. 2015

I maybe milesaway across theocean, but truly,

kahi ’t saan magpunta,Knights of Columbus aynasa damdamin atmapalad po ako kasi diako nahi rapan sapaghanap ng KC dito sakinalalagyan ko ngayon.

Given the first opportunity, hindiako nag-atubili sa pagpunta in theirchamber, rendered salute, presentedmy traveler (KC) card and introducedmyself as a brother knight from Coun-cil 8235 of Quezon City, Philippines.Mainit ang pagtanggap nila sa akin,sing-init ng Dunkin Donuts large cof-fee dito.

In their chamber, nakita ko angmaraming STAR AWARDS and otherPLAQUES of APPRECIATION hanging onthe wall, meron ding mga QUOTES atnakakatuwang basahin, some of themI’d like to share with youbrothers and our envi-rons;

“FAITH is the goalof our way, the joy ofthose who seek, the re-ward of those who FIND”

“THE POWER of fireovercomes all thingsand is not itself subdued.IT renews everythingthat comes near it, anddoes not decrease as itspread ITSELF”

“BY your pa-tience, you will win yourSOUL”

“IN THE EVENING,weeping shall be ourguest; but with the morn-ing – REJOICING” Their council is very visible in terms offinancial support para sa simbahan at veryactive sa mga outreach program nito ,kaya naman ang Knights of Columbus angnangunguna lagi sa ibang mandated reli-gious groups ng St. Anthony de Padua Par-ish.

-o-0-o-Last December, we had a day in

what is called “CITY THAT NEVER SLEEP”,explored the wonders of Ripley’s BELIEVE ITOR NOT, strolled the streets of Manhattanarea, nakipagsiksikan sa madaming taosa mga sidewalk at kalsada ng TimesSquare (meron ding padyak o traysikaddoon, ibang disenyo nga lang at angbayad ay presyong turista).

Walking along several Squares in thearea is enjoyable on foot, siguruhin langna apat o lima ang suot na baro atpanlamig with hat, scarf, gloves and win-ter boots dahil nga po sa sobrang lamig,and by just watching those gigantic bill-boards and laser shows is already enter-

taining.To complete our 1st tour is looking-

up the traditional Rockefeller ChristmasTree – enchanting and spectacular- on its85 ft. height with more than 50,000 led lightsof assorted yuletide colors, e di na ponamin napansin ang oras dahil sa nakaka-aliw na paligid.

Finally, we had a relieving NOVENAinside the artistic and famous St PatrickCathedral (under renovation) just acrossthe street, nagmuni-muni at nagpasalamatsa MAHAL na DIYOS for that amusing ex-perience plus a 30 minute falling in linebefore getting a table for 4 in thatcrowded popular DALLAS BBQ and Restofor a rewarding meal of steak and unlim-ited mixed fresh green salad.

For closing again, - LET YOUR FAITHBE NO SECRET – thanks & regards to all,Manong FIL Galimba.

Photographs above show the author and his wife having fun in the snowin New York, NY, USA where they are on an extended vacation.

scribable feeling somewhat enveloped the wholeof my body, like the refreshing air on a hot sum-mer day softly caressing, captivating scene of abalsam air filled the atmosphere thereat.The good news from a very humble Parish PriestRev. Fr. CIRILO PALACA cheerfully said in a mellowvoice in his homily “may nakakarating nabalita saakin hindi raw katoliko ang simbahan na ito,ipinagbili na raw sa Aglipay. Hindi po totoo ito. Itopo ay Roman Catholic Church” in vernacular.”

Shortly, thereafter on April 2, 2015 he fur-ther confirmed his statement this writer conductedan ambush interview to Fr. Palaca just after cel-ebrating the mass which he politely obliged tomy request. He truthfully confirmed to the verac-ity of his statement. His humility was seen inspitesaying ten (10) masses on a sunday when he wasmost of the time alone. From the brief interview, Fr.Palaca is from Digos, Davao, 52 y/o, middle of 12siblings, ordained as priest on July 8, 1992 (whichhappens to coincide with his birthday).

Accordingly, the gossips apparentlyspread like disastrous unfriendly fire categoricallyobliterating the physical pieces of evidence mani-fested by the many left behind crutches of thedevotees/pilgrims with strongly healing miraclesborne out of their ingrained faith in God. Then all

of a sudden due to the rumors, the number ofpeople lessened ; it only showed the weakness ofour faith in Him. People shunned away from visit-ing and praying therein perhaps caused by envy,greed for money or to gain influence. If this willnot be cured right away then it will drag us tohopelessness, stress, depression and ultimately fall-ing away from Him.

In case we simply brushed aside the GrottoChurch based on unfounded conjectures, we arein effect desecrating or being blasphemous ofthe miracles that actually took place therein. Thosemiracles obviously from God through the inter-cession of Our Lady of Lourdes.For Fr. Palacaplease hang on to serve your parishioners, God isalways with all of us.

According to Fr. Palaca many of theformer magnanimous sponsor/donors for themaintenance, repair and improvement of theShrine and its surroundings from far and near heldback their helping hands, but for Him, He remainsgrateful to whoever and whatsoever blessingcould be spared most specially to DZMMAnchorman Mr. Jun Banaag in his radio program“Mr. Love”, 11:00pm to 2am everyday.Years back there were already concrete showingof the genuine truth behind the grotto as a catho-lic church. Prior to the revelation conveyed by Fr.Palaca of the true catholic status of the Grottoand to be more precise, on February 11, 2013,Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, my daughterKate actually witnessed one of the Catholic Priest,a distinct Director of a Seminary concelebratedHoly Mass therein.

Through this manuscript, to all faithful fol-

Mercy, compassion...(cont’d from page 9)

First, the action of Pontious Pilate,when he knew all along that Jesus was in-nocent. However, he refused to leave hiscomfort zone. But instead, what is conven-ient to Him, the support of the majority,not to be ousted from his position. The ac-tion of Pilate can be summed up in a cliché__WHAT IS POPULAR IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHTAND WHAT IS RIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS POPU-LAR. Oftentimes, we refuse the path ofrighteousness and truth as it brings us somuch hassles. Sometimes it takes only oneright act to make a significant difference.

Second, the people spitting andbuffeting the face of Jesus. They are re-buking and ridiculing Him. The Bible stated“Forgive your brothers 77 x 7”. In the movie,the Mathematical equation of 77 x 7 turnedout to be accurate. Considering thenumber of people then scoffing and lam-basting him. The Lord would like His chil-dren to be extremely patient with broth-ers who wronged us. Most of all, open ourhearts for forgiveness.

Third, Mama Mary’s role in the Pas-sion of Christ. If there is one person whowas devastated at that time was Jesus’Mother __ Mama Mary. The emotional andheartbreaking pain She endured just toshow Her obedience to the will of God.Witnessing with her two eyes, the baby Shecuddled in Her arms and nurtured for ninemonths was beaten up to death. A life of-fered for a friend__ the sinner you and I.

Fourth, the wounded and bloodiedbody of Christ. No adjective is precise todescribe the excruciating pain that runsin the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Im-agine, the heavy weight of the cross onhis shoulder carried to Calvary under theextreme heat of the sun. The RomanCenturions mercilessly beating His back.Never contended and satisfied nail his leftand right palm but to aggravate it morealso nailed bothHis left and right back handeven turning the cross upside down. Thennailed his 2 feet together and for the finaltouches pierced His side. Not to mentionthe thorns on His head. What else was leftwith Our Lord? No more but only a forgiv-ing heart.

This was probably how Pope Francisanchor in his message with the people ofTacloban when he said:

“In his Passion he assumed all our

pain. Therefore he is capable of under-standing us, as we heard in the first read-ing.

“I’d like to tell you something closeto my heart. When I saw from Rome thatcatastrophe I had to be here. And on thosevery days I decided to come here. I amhere to be with you – a little bit late, butI’m here.

“I have come to tell you that Jesusis Lord. And he never lets us down. Father– you might say to me – I was let downbecause I have lost so many things, myhouse, my livelihood. It’s true if you saythat and I respect those sentiments. ButJesus is there, nailed to the cross, and fromthere he does not let us down. He wasconsecrated as Lord on that throne andthere he experienced all the calamitiesthat we experience. Jesus is Lord. And theLord from the cross is there for you. In eve-rything the same as us. That is why we havea Lord who cries with us and walks with usin the most difficult moments of life.”

That night before I went to bed I saida prayer to the Lord which substantiallystates:

“Thank you Lord for giving your lifefor me, a sinner. I will not say now I under-stand your pain because I never will for Idid not experience it. Alam ko lang podahil napanood at narining ko. Forgive mefor the times I am complaining, throwingtantrums to you or even angry with you.Times when my faith is weak or asking ifthere is really God. Please forgive me forall my sins pero alam ko mamaya, bukaso sa susunod araw magkakasala uli ako.Muli humihingi ako ng tawad. Lord, anghinihiling ko na lang po ngayon ay bigyannyo ako ng strength and courage nakayanin ang mga pagsubok na pinagdadaanan namin ni daddy. Para tumatagang pananampalataya namin sa inyo atmaging mabuti kaming Kristiano. Amen”

A Blessed Easter everyone!

A Lenten Reflection

t was then a Maundy Thursday, our family madean effor t to watch the

“Passion Of Christ” movie on tel-evision.

There were scenes that caught my atten-tion that is worth pondering as my Lenten reflec-tion.

The Author

I

lower of Jesus Christ, let us all once again joinhands extend whatever blessings to our Grotto.For us, who could not afford the luxury and con-venience of touring the famous and far away OurLady of Lourdes Shrine in France, right here in ourdoor step is our very own Grotto.

For the doubting Thomases (Thomas is oneof the twelve (12) disciples who at first refused toacknowledged the risen Jesus Christ unless shownactual physical evidence as proof: nail holes rightat the middle of both palms, feet, speared upperright side) and to unbelieving nitizens to conducta thorough parallel search for the truth.

May I quote of the recent historic pro-nouncement of His Holiness Pope Francis “Whoam I to Judge” what matters most is that we pos-sess and exercise “mercy and compassion” tothe needy and helpless.

“God turns youfrom one feel ingto another andteaches by meansof opposites, sothat you will havetwo wings to f ly,not one.” ~ Rumi

16 OPINION * FEATURESJan. - Mar. 2015

Enjoying where you are

By Greta M. Manlapig

“This is the moment...”

By Gen. John C. Castro, (PNP), RetAB, BSCr, (PCCr); BS DIPLOMACY, (UM); LLB, (UE);

MPM, ADMU, Graduate SchoolLifetime Member, IACP, Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Editor in Chief, The Chief Focus, ACPPIContributing Edtor, The Greater Lagro Gazette

Association of Chiefs of Police

The AuthorA The Author

Mugust Volmer oncesaid that the aver-age citizen expects

the policemen to have thewisdom of Solomon, the cour-age of David, the strength ofSAMSON, the patience ofJob, the leader of Moses, thefaith of Daniel, the diplo-macy of LIncoln, the toler-ance of the carpenter ofNazareth, the kindness of thegood Samaritan, and finallyan in timate knowledge ofeven branch of a naturalbiological and social sci-ence. I f he possesses al lthese qual i t ie s, then hemight be a good policemen.

Volmer may be right, and we do allhave our own opinion and meter sticks onwhat and how a policeman should be.

A police officer who is not given anassignment is like depriving him to pursuehis profession and provide service to thepeople. More than a decade ago, therewere concerns and issues needing imme-diate solutions, including the rights of po-licemen. In those days when police offic-ers were in floating status, they were taggedas police “navy”.

Such was then the case of formerChief, PNP, the late Police Director Gen-eral Leandro Mendoza, former Secretaryof the Department of Transportation andCommunication during the Arroyo Admin-istration, P/Director General HermogenesEbdane, jr. (also a former Chief, PNP) in-cumbent Governor of the province ofZambales, former Chief Supt Amado EspinoJr., now governor of Pangasinan, retiredPolice Chief Superintendents ClydeFernandez, Hector Marcelo, CecilioPenilla, Victor Tiangco, Salvador Mangga,Alexander Belen, Cristeto Gonzolado, andmany others.

These were good officers who werethen in floating status so they founded theAssociation of Grounded and Floating Of-ficers (AGFO). This later developed intowhat is now called - the Association ofChiefs of Police of the Philippines, Inc.(ACPPI).

There were also friends like RomeoPeña who died as a two-star (Director)general, Avelino REazon, Jr. who becameChief, PNP; at present under deterntion atthe PNP Custodial Center, and AngelSunglao, already retired from the policeservice, who shared their principles andprovided support.

The Association of Chiefs of Policeof the Philippines is presently spear-headedby a two star (Police Director) General (Re-tired) Van Domingo Luspo, a contempo-rary of yours truly, Prof. John C. Castro, inthe Directorate for Operations (late 80’s)of the then PC/INP Camp Crame, QuezonCity.

It was on the 14th of December lastyear when this prestigious organization ofpolice executives and selected and well-screened NGO’s held its 16th National Con-vention at the PNP Multi-Purpose Center,Camp Crame, Quezon City with the Hon.Senator Grace L. Poe, chairperson of theSenate Committee on Public Safety, Peaceand Security, as Guest of Honor and

Speaker.The theme of the Convention was:

“Pulisya at Mamamamayan MagkabalikatTungo sa Layuning Matruwid at Karapat-dapat.”

Following are the baord of Trustees

oments mean a lotto an individual.Don’t go away, stay

for that precious moment.Even for a while, stay and feeland enjoy that moment. Soprecious a moment, youcan’t be whole with out THISMOMENT.

Our purpose of the time on earth isnot primarily about acquiring possession,attaining status, achieving success oreven experiencing happiness. These aresecondary issues. Life is all about love anddeveloping relationships... with God andwith other people. Learning to love is life’smost important lesson. Nothing else is im-portant.

God created us in His image. Hewants us to be more like Him. His deepand unconditional love wants us to loveHim back. Let us follow His example. Let usnot be spiritual infants. Let us be spiritualmatured and let our lives to be poured outas an offering to God. Maturity is a graduallife-long process based on a series of de-cisions and commitments we make.

Are we too focused on our miseries,misfortunes and keep bewailing on them.Can’t we not rise and be a better personand can we accept without question thatwe believe and keep believing, that thereis hope for a better, fresh start, new begin-nings and new decision and new direction.

There are miseries in a moment inour lives. There are “Tombs” empty andunfree... The good news is these are notpermanent, no unsolved “Tomb”while weare alive.

We just celebrated the Resurrectionof our Lord... let not our “Tombs” nor miser-ies stay with us.

I was diagnosed lately to have amalignant, 2nd stage cervical cancer. Ican’t believe it because I have no pains,no unusual emotional or abnormal feelings.I am very careful with my health, with regu-lar check-ups, healthy and nutritional food,regular workout, having been a former goldmedalist in gymnastics, representing thePhilippines in the South East Asian Gamesheld in Japan. The doctor said I have toundergo surgery, radiation or cobalt treat-ment at the same time. I am in the proc-ess of Herbal Treatment and still consider-ing a 2nd to 6th opinion before I’m goingto surgery, radiation or cobalt.

I got no pains, no unusual emotionalor bad attitude and doing my normal rou-tine at home. I have no complaints and Iam very normal.

I am considering the Lord’s resurrec-tion to give me a powerful message that Iwill not lose hope, strengthen more of myfaith. There are possibilities, there arechanges and there are second chances.I want to stand firm in all the will of Godand fully assured!

Please pray for me.This is the Moment.Happy Easter !!!

fetes Gen. John Castro

At the 16th National Convention of the Association of Chiefs ofPolice of the Philippines held on December 14, 2014 at the PNP

Multi-Purpose Center, Camp Crame, Quezon City, MM

Prof. John C. Castro, President/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Law and Order Nres Maga-zine, was the lone awardee during the 16thNational Convention of the Association ofChiefs of Police of the Philippines held lastDecember 14, 2014 at the PNP Multi-PurposeCenter, Camp Crame with Hon. SENATORGRACE POE, as the Guest of Honor and Speaker.

He received the award in grateful ap-preciation for imparting words of inspirationinto the hearts and minds of members of ACPPIand for enhancing the PNP as a credible andprofessional police institution through the pro-grams and policies of the present government.

Prof. Castro was one time Adjutant Gen-eral Court Martial for more than a decade. Heattended the IACP Conference in 1989 atLouisville, Kentucky, USA when he was still at Lt.Colonel assigned and was designated asActing Deputy Director for Operations at C3,PNP/INP; the IACP Conference in 2002 atMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA; 21st IACP Euro-pean Policing Conference held at Belfast,Northern Ireland on April 18-20, 2004: 11th IACPConference held at the LA Covention Center,Los Angeles, California in November 2004: andthe 113th IACP Conference held at MiamiBeach, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. on October 12-16, 2005.

General Castro was a former Police Re-gional Instruction Officer/Chief Training Officerof the National Police Commission; formerDeputy Director for Plans in 1988-89 of the de-funct PC/INP; former Deputy Director for Opera-tions of the Police Community Relations Com-mand (Group); and concurrent Chief MediaAffairs and Production Division; and formerChief, Plans and Program Division and con-current Acting Executive Officer of the Directo-rate for Police Community Relations until hiscompulsory retirement on January 23, 1999.He is at present the Editor-in-Chief of the Chief’sFocus, official publication of the Associationof the Chief of Police of the Philippines (ACPPI).

of ACPPI: Chief of Van D. Luspo, Chairman,Chief Rodolfo P. Sebastian, Vice Chairman,Chief Valentino J. Dio, Vice-Presidxent,Chief Reynaldo Z. Medina Jr., Secretary,Chief Johnny I. Capalopm, Treasurer, ChiefDanilo A. Malab, Jr., Asst. Treasurer, Atty.Dangal P. Masigla, Auditor, Chief DaniloM. Tarun, Asst. Auditor, (IMAM) Chief Ebra

M. Moxir, Trustee, Chief Juan B. Añonuevo,Trustee, Chief Celia O. Dela Cruz, Trustee,Chief Jovito L. Rasco, Trustee, Liza L.Hernandez, Executive Director.

Photos above show P /D i r. Gu i l le rmoDomondon, ACPPI longes t serv ing chai r -man - 2002 - 2010 (at left); and Dr. EmilioT. Yap, ACPP I L ife time Honorary Chairman(He died in 2004).

P rof. John C. Cas t ro , the loneawardee dur ing the 16th Nat ionalConvention of ACPPI held on Decem-ber 14, 2014, is shown in photo above(at center, in white) being congratu-la ted byChai rman Jan DomingoLuspo af ter receiving the p laque ofappreciation. The lady in the photo(2nd f rom lef t ) i s Ms . L i za L.Hernandez, ACPPI Executive Director.

Photos above ( from top, tef t, clockwise) :P/Dir. Gen. Leandro R. Mendoza; P/Dir. Gen.Hermogenes Ebdane; P /D i r. Gen. A r tu roLomibao; and P/Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon.

17Jan. - Mar. 2015ORDINANCES * ISSUANCESAN ORDINANCE RESTRICTING PET OWNERS FROM ALLOWING THEIR PETS WHETHER LEASHED OR

UNLEASHED TO SOIL, DEFILE, OR DEFECATE ON ANY PUBLIC PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CONGREGATEOR WALK UPON, OR ANY PRIVATE PEROPERTY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE PROPERTY OWNER

18 ORDINANCES * ISSUANCES

AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE ALTERATION OF A MOTORCYCLE ORIGINAL EXHAUST SYSTEM BYMEANS OF INSTALLING A MODIFIED MUFFLER/EXHAUST PIPE/OPEN PIPE/LOUD MUSIC/DRAG PIPE AND

OTHER SOUND INCREASING DEVICES, RESULTING TO NUISANCE /DISTURBANCE OF PUBLIC PEACE

Jan. - Mar. 2015

19Jan. - Mar. 2015ORDINANCES * ISSUANCESAN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING OF GRABAGE AND OTHER WASTE

MATERIALS IN OPEN OR PUBLIC PLACES; URINATING, DEFECATING AND SPITTING AND REQUIRINGOWNERS,/LESSEES /OCCUPANTS OF ALL RESIDENCES/ESTABLISHMENTS TO CLEAN THEIR PREMISES

20 NEWS * FEATURESJan. - Mar. 2015

(cont’d from page 1)

Photo below shows the participants to the parade held in observance of“Araw ng Kagitingan” on April 9, 2014 as they pass thru one of the majorstreets in the community. Inset photo shows Punong Barangay, Atty. RenatoU. Galimba (in red shirt, 2nd from left) leading the parade together withmembers of his Council and barangay staff.

Late-breaking news...

Lagro hosts 54Northern Samar

Barangay Captains

In a letter dated March 9, 2015 ad-dressed to Barangay Captain, Atty. RenatoU. Galimba, the Department of Interior andLocal Government (DILG) thru its DILG Of-ficer based in Lavezares, Northern Samar,Christine L. dela Rosa, endorsed the deci-sion of the members of the “Liga ng MgaBarangay -- Lavezares and Gamay Chap-ters to visit and hold an educational tourto Barangay Greater Lagro.

According to the DILG official, themain purpose of the tour was to providethe said barangay chief executives actualon-site exposure and the opportunity tolearn and adopt the “outstanding innova-tions and practices in KatarungangPambarangay, peace and order and qual-ity legislation” among other practices bythe Local Government of Barangay GreaterLagro.

During their day-long stay, the visi-tors were briefed and treated to a com-prehensive video presentation of the vari-ous operations, activities and other inno-vative practices being implemented bythe barangay LGU.

The municipalities of Lavezares andGamay, where the barangay officialscame from, belong to the “4th IncomeClass” LGUs of the 1st and 2nd Congres-sional Districts of the province of NorthernSamar, respectively.

The delegation from the Municipal-ity of Lavezares was accompanied by DILG-Lavezares MLGOO Christine L. dela Rosaand MLGOO Staff Nelia Bordeos and RandyDuarte. The group from the Municipalituof Gamay was headed by DILG-GamayMLGOO Diana C. Liguid-liguid and LIGAStaff Flor A. Quilicol and Gil B. Capoquian.