COMMUNITY

Subic students sell

paintings to raise

funds for Japan 4

Mango Festival kicks offZambales summer treat

COMMUNITY

Omar Ebdane bats

for protection of

marine resources 5

TOURISM

Masinloc rules

Mango Festival

streetdance tilt 8

I

H Evelocitymedia

v

v

Make a difference.

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 2011

8 Pages

P8.00EADLINZambales

<headlinezambales@ymail.com>

BFAR: RED TIDE

ALERT STILL UP

IN MASINLOC

Gov. Jun Ebdane, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, and Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II open the Mango Festival at the Capitol

SUMMER FRUIT Green mangoes are sold at the products fair during the Zambales Mango Festival held at the Capitol grounds. The fruits will fully ripen in a few days’ time.

PHOTOS BY HENRY EMPEÑO

BA, Zambales — The annualZambales Mango Festivalkicked off last Thursday for afour-day revelry this year,

with Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.,Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II andguest of honor Senator KikoPangilinan opening the agro-tradefair at the Capitol grounds.

The festival, which seeks to promotewhat is considered as the sweetest mangofruit in the world, began with a blare ofdrums and gongs as festival participantsdecked in mango-themed outfits joined acolorful parade that wended its way in thestreets of this capital town before ending

Turn to Page 5

IBA, Zambales — The Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Resources(BFAR) has warned the public not toconsumeshel l f i shtaken fromMasinlocBay, as theparalyt icshe l l f i shpoisoning(PSP) levelr e m a i n shigh.

“Rightnow, shellfish taken from MasinlocBay still showed toxicity level of 80-1,200 microgram saxitoxin equivalentper 100 grams,” said ReynaldoReoligio, Aquaculturist III at the BFARoffice here.

“At this level, we urge the publicnot to gather, sell or eat shellfish fromMasinloc Bay,” Reoligio said.

“In fact, we recommend that people

One specie of microscopic

alga that causes red tide

Turn to Page 4

H EEADLINZambales

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 20112 Opinion / CommentaryEditorial

Fighting Poverty

Published byVELOCITY MEDIA COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

Boardwalk Inn, 664 Waterfront Road, Subic Bay Freeportemail: <headlinezambales@ymail.com>

Executive Editor: HENRY EMPEÑO / Managing Editor:

CARRIE T. ASPA / Associate Editors: JUN DUMAGUING,ROBERT GONZAGA, ANSBERT JOAQUIN, REY DUNGOG,

ALEX GALANG, JONAS REYES / Web Master: AZKJA KARLOEMPEÑO / Reporter: KARL DUMAGUING

EADLINZambales EH

A

‘Greener Pasture’ is Everywhere (Pt. 4)

A

X-PAT FILES

Jess E. Edejer

SURE guarantee of successamong immigrants to the UnitedStates and Canada is education.Once one has that at his or her

command, he or she is ready to competewith anybody anywhere he goes. Onceone has it, the succeeding generationwould most likely follow suit.

In the US. numerous educationalfoundations offer scholarship grantsespecially to deserving ethnic minoritystudents like Fil-Ams. Further, studentloans payable upon graduation maybeavailed of to further education.Educational heritage is the key tosuccess. Survival of the fittest governsany greener pasture. The reader musthave taken notice of this fact — that thereis a need for educational preparation tobe competitive as immigrants — from theunfolding story.

Spouses Genaro Edejer, Sr. (+)and Maxima E. Hermoso were one ofthe earliest adventurous parents fromCandelaria who brought most of theirfamily to start in Scarborough, Ontario,Canada. Their daughter Beatriz “Beth”Hermoso Edejer, a BS Architecturegraduate of UST, holds a very uniqueoccupation — as Product Designer,Premium Liquor Bottles — in New York

City. Off from work, she also enjoys hervolunteer service as a catechist at theCatholic church she goes to.

Beth’s brother, Delfin HermosoEdejer is an architect in Toronto, CN;Delfin’s wife, Erma Echaluse-Edejer,is a registered nurse in Toronto, CN.

Watch for their children’s bright future— their names are Christian AlbertEdejer and Catherine Blair Edejer —they have started to shine in theircollege work in Toronto. Beth’s sister,Delia Hermoso Edejer-Muenz is a BSElectronics Engineering graduate fromUST and presently works as ApplicationSystems Engineer at Wells Fargo Bankin Phoenix, AZ; her son Alexander J.Auayang, born in Toronto, CN, finishedCosmetology from Vidal Sassoon andis now Senior Designer, Color DesignSaloon Yosh For Hair in San Francisco,

CA; daughter Aurora Auayang, alsoborn in Toronto and finished BS Biologyat UST Faculty of Medicine & Surgeryis self-employed in New York, NY; whilesecond nuptial son Shawn FrederickMuenz, born in Fremont, CA, is still astudent taking up Biomedical Engi-

neering, Class 2014, ArizonaState University in Phoenix,AZ. Beth’s brother, GenaroEdejer, Jr., and wifeVirginia Vito-Edejer’s onlydaughter, Cherryne Kay ismarried to Geary Grahamof North Carolina.

The family of HonorioEdejer (+) from Candelaria

started their migration in Guam, moved tothe San Francisco Bay area where sonsAnthony and Larry still live, whileEdwin Eclevia Edejer and wife Gail andsister Rosemary Edejer-Barrettomoved to live in Las Vegas, NV.

The migrating children of SpousesIgnacio E. Edejer, Sr. (+) & JuanitaElamparo Edejer of Candelaria are —son Ignacio Elamparo Edejer, Jr., aretired US Navy serviceman, whoresides with his wife Veronica DelaTorre-Edejer and children Yvette &Vernon in Maryland; Simplicio

Turn to Page 6

AIN namastang kungko noanongkot Komedya yay titulo ninansulaton ko. Bala na kanokapakaka-li, kot hin basawon na

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Komedya?

M

KOMEDYA

Daniel C. Eclevia

kot ambo namaot.Hin anak kami ha Candelaria (kai ot

namaot nabuyot ta nabuyot anan humina Hapon), tupo pista nin babali anabangan mi yati asay palwa ha plazaanhawayon lan Komedya. No kakoangkalingo kot main ot atin mahiban ahiganti a angkalimuwan lan aw-anak.Bilang lawas luwa o tulo’y pistam bungata na-lato kon Komedya. Humunol kothumin ana.

Bilang yan drama kot tula lananhalitaon a parti lah. Kai ko pa ang-kaintidwan no anya man a anhalitaon lahta hin anak ako, kai ko tanda manambalita itaw la ko pinahi-ban matuah ko haOlongapo. Tagalog kami ha bali. Haeskuela anotaw namaot.

Kot bilang pan main gayuma kungkoytula a Sambali ta yay Tatay ko na-min kotmailig yan tumula kumi. Main yan antulaonkumi hin anak kami a tupo mayari nantulaon kot maluwa-luwa ya ot. Tagalogbalo ati. Hi Mrs. Monje nin Masinloc kanoynamituro kuna nin yataw tula. Sigurobana ta mahindog ha puso nay tema nintula kaya medyo malulu yah. Tungkol ati

ha asay hundalo a nako naki-laban haHapon, kot kai yay na nakabalik. Yaynanay na kot antangih nin ampana-gankuna. Yay problima, kai na imbati kumiyataw tula — inawit na hin nibwat ya.Kaya siguro a-sa ya tanan pa-

pamanomtuman. Yati yay dinalanan lanpamilya nin Tatay ko.

Impabilbi na siempre nin Tatay kokungko a an-ipagmalako nan tiyo, hi PapoItong Eclevia. Kai koy na matandaan nona-kit ko yah. Kot pirmi na yan an-istoryawon nin Tatay ko. Minghan anlalakoyam bungat kano hi Papo Itong naka-kityan baton mahiban, tinumuklo, nakasulatyay nan tula. Kapipimata na kano, tinu-mangal yam bungat ha puon mangga,nakagwa yay nan kanta.

No labay mon tutulon kot iti ha pusomo, wana kano ni Papo Itong, maskingabok bungat arin magin inspirasyon ta

pigaw makasulat ka.Yay tula bilang yan kanta arin —

malayam mo no maptog talagan anhalitaonnin a-say tawo yay anlumwa ha buboyna (balungoh, wanlan lalumah) ta banaangkaibat ha puso na. Kaya siguro tula a

Komedya nin Candelaria tapigaw main drama, mainpuso a palwa.

Humin anay Komedya, kotpara kongko no main mandapat ipagmalako a Can-delaria kot yay tradisyon lanKomedya. Hi kami anakhinyadtaw kot anta-taganonmi yati tupo pista. Magandan

bilyon, makolor, laluma. Ha panaon ninIpad, cellphone, notebook, tan mp4, bilanghumin anan kuenta yay tradisyon. Kot yaytradisyon para kongko yay ampagsilbinyubil tamo ha pinangibatan. Pu-tuhontamoy yubil, kai tamoy na tanda no aytitamo ibat.

Tama a main nin aw-ugali tamo atradisyon a siguro dapat tamoy nanalihon, kot main baw-bagay a dapattamon payabungon, alagaan, biyanpataba, ta pigaw ma-pakinabangan. Kayano ma-pabiyay lam bungat Candelaria yayKomedya, a-sa yarin ah magin tatak lah.

Turn to Page 7

LMOST immediately following the recent visitof DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Solimanto Bataan, Olongapo City, and Zambales toenjoin civil society organizations in stampingout poverty, the result of the most recent

survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations(SWS) March 4-7, 2011 was published.

By this survey result, we learned that the incidenceof hunger in the country went up to 20.5 %, affectingapproximately 4.1 million families, while 51 %, or about10.4 families, consider themselves poor. These fig-ures reportedly rose from the hunger rate of 18.1%and 48% poverty rate prevailing in November 2010. This report means that the poor living condition ofFilipinos, in general, have worsened during the ad-ministration of P-Noy, thus far, contrary to ourpresident’s belief.

This survey result appeared as Page 1 stories inseveral newspapers. But thereafter, another headlinestory earned banners: “Aquino ‘shocked’ by risingpoverty.” In his version, P-Noy refuted the SWS sur-vey result as having been skewed since respondentswere mostly from Manila and suburbs, and “did notcapture the 400,000 poorest families in less-developedareas of the central and southern Philippines whohad benefited from a Brazilian-style government con-ditional cash transfer program for the poor institutedearlier this year.”

Assuming that he is partly right in his rebuttal, P-Noy must also consider the impact of the more recenteconomy-aggravating development — the massivecompulsory return of OFWs — which will certainlyworsen the unemployment rate until jobs are createdfor them to stay productive. From our view, there isan uncertain future looming in the national scene.

To overcome the unforeseen challenges that maybe forthcoming, let us brace ourselves for any even-tuality rather than be too optimistic of the future, likeour sitting president.

We, in Zambales and Olongapo City, are urged tojoin hands in continuing our quest for better lifethrough industry and hard work. Let us continue maxi-mizing the development of every livelihood and ex-port production resource we are blessed to have thanjust leaving everything to God. Afterall, God helpsthose who help themselves. - JEE

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 2011 H EEADLINZambales 3Frontline

Mango Festival kicks offZambales summer treatat the Capitol grounds where theopening rites were held.

Aside from the trade fair thatshowcased the best mango prod-ucts in the province, the festivalalso featured dance and sportscontests, fun games, an art ex-hibit, and the finals for the Ginooat Binibining Zambales pageant.

COMPETE WITH THE BEST

Both Ebdane and Pangilinancited the potential of the localmango industry in the export sec-tor and urged local growers tofurther develop competitivemango products that the countrycould be proud of.

“We should no longer com-pete with other provinces (in pro-ducing the sweetest mango), butwith the best producers and ex-porters in the world,” Ebdanesaid. “What we should develop,among others, is a way to in-crease the shelf life of our man-goes so that we can sell themeven to distant places like Eu-rope.”

Pangilinan, on the other hand,noted that Zambales mangoes arethe sweetest in the world and that

Product booths at the mango Festival show off the best of Zambales

global demand for these productscontinues to surge.

“In the same way, the Zam-bales Mango Festival could alsobe a national landmark festivalbecause of the popularity of yournative mangoes,” he added.

WORLD’S SWEETEST

The locally-grown carabaomango (Magnifera indica) hasbeen listed in the 1995 Guinness

Book of World Records as thesweetest in the world, on top ofother tropical mangoes grown inother countries.

In particular, the Sweet Elenavariety from Sta. Cruz town wascited as the “sweetest of thesweetest” among the 10 Philip-pine strains registered and rec-ommended by the National SeedIndustry Council.

TOURISM MAGNET

Ebdane said that by holdingthe annual mango festival, theZambales government steps upits promotion of the local mangoindustry, as well as other localproducts and tourism destina-tions.

According to Central Luzontourism director Ronaldo Tio-tuico, who also graced the festi-val opening, the ZambalesMango Festival is now among thePhilippine festivals listed in thenational calendar of events.

Tiotuico also cited Ebdane forcontinuing with the vision of theMango Festival to promote thepopular mango fruit and boosttourism in Zambales. — Carrie

Aspa with Karl Dumaguing

From Page 1

Some of the biggest mangoes are also

found in Zambales

CARRIE T. ASPA

HENRY EMPEÑO

IBA, Zambales — Senator Francis“Kiko” Pangilinan made therounds among students andfarmers here in a series ofconsultations the whole day lastThursday, starting off with aspeaking engagement at theRamon Magsaysay Techno-logical University’s graduationrites and capping the day with theopening ceremony of the Zam-bales Mango Festival 2011.

Together with Vice GovernorRamon Lacbain II, Pangilinan,who is chairman of the Senatecommittee on agriculture andfood, also had informal consulta-tion with agricultural stakeholdersin the province to hear out theirissues, problems, and concerns inproduction, especially in fishing.

In his message at RMTUgraduation rites, Pangilinan urgedstudents to have “a clear visionand (work) towards its realiza-tion.”

He also told some 120 studentsfrom different RMTU campusesin the province who were recipi-ents of the Pangilinan-LacbainEducational Assistance Programto “dream more, work more, andpersevere more than the others.”

ACADEME’S ECONOMIC ROLE

Throughout his rounds, theSenator emphasized the role of theacademe in the development ofcrops and in marine culture.

He said that “the schools couldprovide the research and extensionservices necessary to boost pro-duction.”

He added that among the agri-culture sector, there are still a lotof things to be researched andstudied regarding production thatwould not merely ensure food se-curity, but also “to provide for thefarmers.”

“Fish farming is the trend, soif we want to be as developed asour neighbor countries, we mustbe progressive in devising and us-ing modern faming especially inmariculture,” he said.

He emphasized focus on fish-ing, saying “from being fish hunt-ers, we should be able to be fishfarmers.”

He then urged the farm groups

to make their position papers forhis office to find ways to addresstheir concerns, and informedthem that the Department of Ag-riculture is already studying thepossibility of providing subsidyfor farmers and fishermen.

PRIVATE SECTOR LEADING

“It is so encouraging, thatwith a meager budget of P38 bil-lion, boosting production is pos-sible, especially if the privatesector can be encouraged (toparticipate),” Pangilinan said.“In 2010 alone, productionyields amounted to P215 billionfor fish,P117 billion for pork,and P140 billion for poultry, onwhich the bulk of produce werefrom the private big businessgroups.”

“Kaya kailangan talagang satulong ng LGUs (local govern-ment units) ay masiguro na maysapat na suporta ang atingmangingisda at magsasaka (It istherefore a must that with thehelp of LGUs, we should ensuresupport for our farmers and fish-ermen),” he added.

Pangilinan also said thatfarming and fishing must begiven top priority now that theDepartment of Agriculture hasshaped up and already hurdledits “notorious” image. — Allen M.

Villa / Philippine Information Agency

Sen. Kiko consults with

RMTU grads, farmers

Sen. Kiko Pangilinan

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H EEADLINZambales

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 20114 Community

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Gradeschool students in this free porthad pooled their paintingstogether in an arts exhibit here inan effort to raise funds for victimsof the recent earthquake andtsunami in Japan.

Subic Bay Metropoli-tan Authority (SBMA)administrator ArmandArreza said that studentsof the Casa Kalayaan In-ternational School (CKIS)in Subic had taken the ini-tiative to raise funds intheir own way.

“They put up theirown first exhibit, not toprofit from the sale of theirartworks, but to help intheir own little way thevictims of disasters in Ja-pan,” said Subic Bay Met-ropolitan Authority(SBMA) administratorArmand Arreza.

“Their parents shouldbe proud of them, like howI am proud of these kids,”added Arreza, whose chil-dren, fifth grader LorenzoGabriel and fourth grader DanielleBianca, both students of CKIS,participated in the exhibit.

BIGGER AUDIENCE

CKIS principal Joanne Prietosaid that the arts exhibit was con-ceptualized a couple of monthsago after seeing several beauti-ful art works the students hadmade at the Subic LighthouseMarina.

“I thought the paintingsshould be put on exhibit for awider audience,” she said.

Two students of Casa Kalayaan International School in the Subic Bay Freeport display a poster they

created to help raise funds for the victims of earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — VicePresident Jejomar Binay led anall-star cast of guests at theopening of the 13th nationalconvention of the Integrated Barof the Philippines (IBP) at theSubic Bay Exhibition and Con-vention Center here on April 7.

Aside from Binay, the guestsincluded Sen. Francis Escudero,former Pamantasan ng Lungsodng Maynila president AdelTamano, and Public Attorney’sOffice chief Persida Acosta.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Au-thority administrator ArmandArreza, Zambales governor Her-mogenes Ebdane, Jr., Zambales1st District representative MitosMagsaysay, and Olongapo Citymayor James Gordon, Jr. wel-comed the convention-goers.

VPres. Jojo Binay opens

13th IBP confab in SubicIn his speech, Binay, who is

concurrent presidential adviseron Overseas Filipino WorkersAffairs and chairman of the in-ter-agency campaign against hu-man trafficking, urged lawyers tobe in the frontline of the waragainst illegal recruiters, stress-ing that if the evidence points totheir guilt, the illegal recruitersshould rot in jail.

“We can nip in the bud illegalrecruitment and human traffick-ing by making laws that makethem answer before the law,”Binay stressed.

Binay also emphasized that il-legal recruiters should not be letoff the hook, and that the fullforce of law should be imposedupon international drug traffick-ers. �

Vice President Jejomar Binay (right) receives the symbolic key to Zambales from Gov.

Jun Ebdane during the opening ceremony for the 13th national conference of the

Integrated Bar of the Philippines at the Subic Bay Freeport

Subic students sell paintings

to help raise funds for JapanPrieto then made arrange-

ments with Lighthouse managerArgee Gomez, who excitedlyagreed on the proposal andnamed the project “Towers,” anart exhibit at the Lighthouse to

save life in Japan.“The destructive earthquake

and devastating tsunami had in-spired several students to makeposters on Japan, representinghope for their recovery,” CKISStudent Council presidentMichelle Prieto said.

“The Casa Kalayaan Interna-tional School Student Councilwas so moved by these effortsand wanted to organize a fund-raiser for this country (Japan) inits time of need,” Michelle said.

The young artist said thatthere are about 20 paintings ex-hibited, each selling betweenP2,500 and P8,000.

“Fifty percent of the sales willgo towards helping Japan,”

Michelle added.SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT

Aside from the fundraisingefforts of CKIS students, theSubic Bay Freeport communityalso responded immediately to adonation drive initiated by theSubic authority in the aftermathof the Japanese earthquake di-saster.

The SBMA also sent its fireand rescue team to Japan to helpin search and recovery opera-tions. �

JUN DUMAGUING

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JONAS REYES

BFAR: RED TIDE ALERT STILL UP IN MASINLOCavoid shellfish from other placesin the province, just to be sure,”he added.

Reoligio said that BFAR gath-ers samples every Sunday after-noon and sends them to Manilafor weekly monitoring of toxicity,as the local office does not yethave the equipment to determinelevels of toxicity.

From page 1

“But now, we haven’t receivedany report of red tide poisoningamong residents,” he said.

Experts said the red tide phe-nomenon is caused by the higher-than-normal concentration of mi-croscopic alga, which are plant-like organisms. These produce

toxins that affect the central ner-vous system of fish, and can alsocause severe respiratory prob-lems in humans.

Reoligio said that cases of redtide contamination among hu-mans have symptoms like foodpoisoning, abdominal pains,

vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, numb-ness, dizziness, breathing diffi-culty and weakness.

He also clarified that seaweedsare not affected, and that fishescould still be eaten once the gillsand intestines are removed be-fore cooking.

Reoligio also noted that thered tide phenomenon has af-fected local fishermen who col-lected shellfish, but added thatBFAR is helping them find alter-native livelihood sources.

He stressed that the govern-ment is strictly enforcing theshellfish ban, and is imposing afine of P2,500 for violators. — Karl

Dumaguing

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 2011 H EEADLINZambalesCommunity 5

By ALLEN M. VILLA

| Iba, Zambales

THE Sangguniang Panlalawiganhere recently passed a resolutionauthorizing Gov. HermogenesEbdane Jr. to transact with asoftware solutions company forthe implementation of the secondphase, and the suggested thirdphase, of digitalizing office tasksand procedures.

Project DTRAX or DocumentTracking System is part of athree-series projects awarded toGeodata Solutions Incorporation.The company is the sole dis-tributor of such software.

The project is programmed tohelp in the easy retrieval and dis-tribution of documents, allowingfor a faster flow of informationamong offices.

This system provides a docu-ment bar codification system,which would give identity to adocument and also rendering itseasy retrieval. It also safe-keepsrecords and archives since thesoftware could produce soft cop-ies of documents.

The three-million peso project,with the first phase covering RealProperty Tax, is already beingused by the provincial govern-ment. It was supposed to be atwo-series project with DTRAXas Phase 2.

However, in the recent presen-tation by the solutions companywhere it discussed the Legisla-ture Management InformationSystem (LEGMIS), Vice-Gover-nor Ramon Lacbain II and theother Sangguniang Panlalawiganmembers saw that the softwarewould be very beneficial andwould considerably add to the ef-fectiveness of the legislativefunctions of the government.

The LEGMIS was thus sug-gested to be included under theprogram, and as such was in-cluded in the resolution that gaveGov. Ebdane a free hand to enterinto contracts with Geodata forall three phases. �

Zambales

gov’t steps up

IT program

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Provincial Administrator bats for

marine resources conservationSUBIC, Zambales — ProvincialAdministrator Jun Omar Ebdanehas called on the Department ofEnvironment and Natural Re-sources (DENR), as well asmunicipal governments in theprovince, to step up the programto protect coastal marine re-sources in Zambales.

In his message during the sec-ond launching of motorboats forthe DENR’s Integrated CoastalResource Management Programon April 12, Ebdane said the re-source protection program mustbe further strengthened to de-velop the local fishery sector andboost the local economy.

“I consider the task of pro-tecting the environment a nobleenterprise that is critical to our

survival as a people,” Ebdanesaid. “So, first, I give you mythanks for inviting me here todayand giving me this most welcomeopportunity to say my piece.And, second, I congratulate youall for your success in this en-deavor – for coming up with acredible program for the protec-tion of our marine resources.”

According to Ebdane, the re-lease by DENR of motorboats tolocal government units “is an im-portant step in protecting the en-vironment and helping ensurethe sustainability of local marineresources.”

“This is one important stepbecause monitoring and law en-forcement are critical responsesto the problems of pollution, deg-

radation and the use of harmfulfishing methods that put so muchstress on the marine environ-ment,” he added.

He also said that because ofthese environmental stressors,coral reefs that took so manyyears to develop have shownsigns of degradation, and as aresult local fishermen have foundit harder to get a good catch.

“This should also affect notonly the Nature-loving residentsof Zambales, but every one of usbecause the destruction of anyone thing in Nature affects everyother thing in one way or an-other,” he added.

In the same occasion, Ebdanepledged the provincial govern-ment’s support to the coastalmanagement program.

“I hope that we would furtherstrengthen this program until weattain a higher level of coopera-tion from the community in envi-ronmental protection. On behalfof my father, Gov. Ebdane, I prom-ise the full support of the provin-cial government to the IntegratedCostal Resource ManagementProgram,” he added. �Administrator Jun Omar Ebdane

CARRIE T. ASPA

SAN MARCELINO, Zambales —About 200 members of theindigenous Aeta tribe joined theculminating activity for Women’sMonth organized here by theDepartment of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD) under thetheme “Katutubo, Kabahagi Kasa Pag-unlad ng Bayan.”

The event started with a pa-rade from the San Marcelino mu-nicipal hall, all the way to Brgy.Rabanes where the whole dayactivity was held.

Christiana Castro, the indig-enous people’s (IP) focal person,in partnership with the DSWDGender and Development (GAD)unit, conducted a lecture/forumon the rights of women using in-digenous materials designed es-pecially for the IPs.

In the same occasion, a num-ber of nurses deployed in thearea under the Registered Nursesfor Health Enhancement and So-cial Services (RNHEALS) pro-gram of the Department of Health(DOH) discussed best healthpractices, proper nutrition, andhygiene.

Aetas join Women’s Month celebrationA talent competition dubbed

“Talentadong Katutubo” wasalso held to showcase the differ-ent native Zambal songs and ver-sions of the talipi, a native danceof the Aetas.

Groups from Brgy. Sta Fe (1stgroup) and Brgy. San Rafael (2ndgroup) bagged the first and sec-ond prizes respectively, with cashprizes coming from the DSWDGAD program.

Another highlight of the event

was the “Palaro ng Lahi” parlorgames, which were designed forthe IPs. Here, the participantstook home prizes courtesy of theSan Marcelino municipal govern-ment and various civic-orientedindividuals.

PANTAWID PAMILYA

Meanwhile, Sahra Soria,DSWD Municipal Link (ML) as-signed in the area, discussed theconditionality of the program inorder to sustain the beneficiaries’

compliance with the PantawidPamilya program.

“Sa pamamagitan po ng Pan-tawid Pamilya ay naramdamannamin ang aming halaga sagobyerno,” said Mary Pamil-yang, a mother grantee from Brgy.San Rafael.

Mary is the wife of a farmerwith whom she was blessed withsix children. Her family has beenreceiving around P15,000 cashassistance yearly from the pro-gram since 2009.

Pantawid Pamilya is a strategyemployed by government in or-der to uplift the living conditionof the extremely poor families.Under the program, a householdwith three qualified children upto 14 years old is entitled to re-ceive a P1,400 subsidy per monthduring school months, and P500during non-school months for amaximum of five years.

Local officials of San Mar-celino headed by vice mayorIrene Canlas, councilor CeciliaRodriguez, and municipal socialwelfare officer Fe Gallardo gracedthe event. Also present weremembers of the DSWD Field Of-fice III staff led by FlorentinaCalalang, who is operations divi-sion chief. — Allen M. Villa / PIA

Another Women’s Month forum, this time at the Subic Bay Freeport, has Akbayan

national spokesperson Risa Hontiveros (middle) as guest speaker

H EEADLINZambales

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 20116 Features

X-PAT FILES | Jess E. Edejer

From Page 2

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Elamparo Edejer and his wife,Emelita Suguitan-Edejer and theirdaughters Shella and Stephanie,who reside in South San Francisco,CA; and their sisters, Gloria E.Edejer, Alma Mater Edejer-Cabrera, Maria Cecilia Edejer-Galicia, Estrellita Edejer-Ingua(+) & family, Elizabeth Edejer-Flores, who all live in California.

The children of the late JuanMaravilla Edejer (+) and AgataValverde (+) of Lucapon, SantaCruz, who migrated to the SanFrancisco Bay Area — (1) inRichmond, CA, Leonido V. Edejer,a civil engineer married to VirginiaAgan, with whom they have sevenchildren: Eva Marie, Judy Ann,Leona Lynn, John Lee, RemyAdela, Raymond Jay, andAngelina Maria; (2) in Hayward,CA, Napoleon V. & Linda Edejerwith their children Erna Edejer-Lacebal and Reuben Edejer; (3)

in Concord, CA, Joel Ecaruan (+)& Teofila V. Edejer-Ecaruan andtheir children Elizabeth Tan,Jocelyn Gajo, Joel, Jr., LeahMacDonald, Johnny, and Regino;(4) in Pittsburg, CA, Naval V. (+)and Lydia Edejer, with theirchildren Donnel, Nona and Jun.

Dr. Nicolas M. Edejer, DDM,son of the late Plutarco M. Edejer(+) of Lucapon, Sta Cruz, had alucrative dental practice inOlongapo City before migrating toNew York. With his wife, the formerResurreccion Hermosilla Hebronof Masinloc, they have two sons —Donald John and Brian Oliver —and are now happily living inJamaica, New York.

The Manila-raised scions of Iba-born Atty. Geronimo Delos ReyesEdejer (+), the first from our clanto become a lawyer, and wifeBernarda Ruiz Mendoza-Edejer(+) with experience abroad includeGerry M. Edejer, now retiring in Ibaafter over three decades of stay in

California; Lurline M. Edejer-Peralta (+) her daughters Carmen“Menchie” & Nieva EdejerPeralta and son Jun EdejerPeralta in Vancouver, Canada;Ruben Arevalo Edejer (son ofArcadio M. Edejer and AuroraArevalo-Edejer [+]), wife Dr.Tessa Tan Torres-Edejer, andchildren, who live in Geneva,Switzerland; Agnes Edejer-Key(daughter of Corazon M. Edejer-Key [+]) in Los Angeles; Maya E.Vera-Buan, daughter of Atty. JoseVera (+) and Atty. Angelita M.Edejer-Vera (+), in New Jersey;and Maya’s sister who presentlyworks in Los Angeles, CA.

SUCCESS INDICATOR

The foregoing list of immigrantsor Overseas Filipino Workers haveone thing in common — sufficientpersonal preparation to be com-petitive at work — that’s why theyare successful — successful in thesense that they have everyopportunity before them. All it takesis for one to be capable of bene-fiting from the opportunity. Speakingof success, we consider as more

successful those who run busi-nesses of their own than those whorely on salaries and wages forincome.

Tourism is a flourishing industrythroughout the United States, inCanada in the north, and evensouth of the border in Mexico.Every state of the Union, and everyprovince in Canada, have touristattractions visitors enjoy.

In Southern California alone, wehave plenty: the Seaworld in SanDiego, the San Diego Zoo,Disneyland in Anaheim, KnottsberryFarm in Buena Park, UniversalStudios in Los Angeles, Six Flags inSanta Clarita, and Indian tribescasinos almost everywhere that rivalthose in Las Vegas five hours driveaway.

Over-indulgence in casinos isanother risk that Pinoy greenerpasture seekers must remember toavoid. Several compulsive gam-blers I came to know ended upregretting their unguarded past.Tourist spots are usually listed inthe telephone directory servingevery city.

By this time, readers must havenoticed the concentration of Pinoyimmigrants close to Naval Bases,indicating the great number joiningmilitary service, as well as to placesclose to airports where direct flightsto Manila originate. Such placesinclude San Diego, Los Angeles, andSan Francisco in California; Lacey,Olympia, and Seattle in Washington; Reno and Las Vegas, in Nevada;Chicago, IL; New York, NY; AtlanticCity, NJ; Virginia Beach, VA;Orlando, FL; and Houston, TX in theUnited States. In Canada, the popularPinoy destinations are Vancouver,British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta;and Toronto, Ontario.

Readers must have also notedthe prevalence of surnamesbeginning with letter “E” amongmigrants from Zambales, lendingcredence to valid claims thatCandelaria and Masinloc — towhom the “E” surnames wereassigned by a 19th centurySpanish decree — suffer heaviestin the population movement ofrecent decades.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

The new graduates of Sibol School (left). Despite its simple one-room schoolhouse, the

school provides a holistic approach to community-based pre-school education program.

SBMA-Hanjin-GK village kids get first diplomaSUBIC, Zambales – Clad in their white capsand togas, 37 nursery and pre-elementarygraduates marched alongside theirbeaming parents recently to receive theirvery first diplomas that signal their entryto a higher level of education.

These are children of fisherfolk familieswho have made their homes at theNagyantok relocation site in BarangayCawag, this town, after their old villagebecame the site of the Korean-ownedHanjin shipyard, now one of the world’slargest shipbuilding facilities.

The children are now among the proudgraduates of the SBMA-Hanjin-GK SibolSchool, which held its fourth commence-ment exercises on March 26.

The school was jointly built by volun-teers from the Subic Bay MetropolitanAuthority (SBMA) and Gawad Kalinga-Zambales chapter, and residents ofNagyantok. Prior to its completion, classeswere conducted in one of the houses ofthe residents.

With the assistance of four volunteerinstructors and teachers and constant

monitoring from the SBMA and GK, 19nursery students aged 3-4 and 18 pre-el-ementary students aged 5-6 have success-fully passed their respective levels thisschool year.

EDUCATION AS A GIFT

In his message for the occasion, SBMAadministrator Armand Arreza congratu-lated the graduates and expressed theSBMA’s continuing support to educate thechildren of Nagyantok.

“There is nothing more worthwhile thanthe gift of education. The SBMA will al-

ways be here to support the school’s pro-grams and endeavor towards achieving aneducated populace,” he added.

Sibol School is a community-based pre-school education program that prepareschildren for their entry into the formalschool system. It adopts a holistic ap-proach to education by teaching basicsubjects such as math, science, environ-ment, art and religion while espousing posi-tive Filipino values, such as love of God,country, neighbors and family.

The SBMA, as part of its corporate so-cial responsibility thrust, has been con-ducting medical and dental missions andlivelihood seminars for the residents of thevillage. �

PHOTOS: ANTHONY BAYARONG

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 2011 H EEADLINZambales 7Hometown Biz

Pamilbian ha babali. Bilang ha Masinloc mainkamin Binabayani.

Kai koy na ampi-wan ha Candelaria.Nabuyot akoy na ha Masinloc. Kot bana ta ibatah uyat ko ha Candelaria, nipalabi yay nanamaot yati babali kumi.

Kaya hin hinagyat lakon Headline Zambalesnin manulat, Komedya yay ginamit kon pamagat.Ta maskin umnoy Komedyam bungat a na-kit,nagin parte yay na nin pagigin tawo mi hinanak kami nin kaw-kababata ko.

Bilang siempren hay irap ta hilay tawonampakabasa nin yadtin an-isulat, piha-halita laha mairap yan basawon. No mairap yan basa-won, pa-no man kari no isulat? Anhayngutanakon biring bala muyo, kot siguro dapat tamongaw-on ati. Tama yah hi Ka Henry. HeadlineZambales, kot humin Sambali? Ambo dapathumuma a panalita nin Sambal kuntamo. Kayano manalita o manulat kan Sambal kot lalumaka. Dapat bungat magin regular kuntamo yaypanalita tan pa-nulat nin Sambal.

Lako siempre antumaguyod nin halita tamo.Ison ya hi Joven Monsalud, Randy Echon, tanhi Dr. Escala. Lako hilay nan ginwa kantanSambali. Hin ginwa mi yay Dugong Binabayaniha Facebook, itaw kom bungat na-paptoganah hay gandan lungon tan basayon nin Sambali.Lako a tula ah impa-wit lan kaw-kalamo tanampi-uubatan ot. Labay kon i-atag kumuyo yaya-sa. Insulat na ti ni Jojo Ebalobo tungkol hapinaka-inaro min barbero ha Masinloc.

Kuentong BarberoNi Jojo Ebalobo +

bana ta iti nanlamang a kwentuwangumwa anan magandan pi-huntawanpigaw kai ma-lingwanannakalabah anan karanasan

yadti angkahalita a inaro a barberolako anay nilumabah kunan ulomain siguron matiboy, maduna,tan nu anya-anya ot pihado

kot ha kapara kon matiboy a uloambo pakatlib a habol komaskin ambo ot kailangantio ambong anay ampasyalan

ha kanto nin makun Kinabwanganangka-labahan nu makun sinewanitaw a puesto nan ampangatlibantio ambong a popular nan ngalan

hin panaon maskin maantor ot a habotbasta maka-pakikway nan balonmakuy na kuni tio ambongta promo nay samantalawun

babasawun a labay-labaymaski mag-anya mang kulaylaluma-laluman titlename it, tio ambong has it...

maski bawal ta wanla for adultsanya man a gaw-on nu ampana-gan kan turnmairap pamiliwuntaganan mayari hilan katliban

pwera ha for adults a babasawunmain ot bonus kuni tio ambongistoryan kai maparayay ha-way la kwentun barbero tana �

KOMEDYA | Daniel

C. Eclevia Zambales police

office launches

cooperative store

Gov. Jun Ebdane (center) inaugurates the PNP cooperative store project in Iba with PSupt. Rafael Santiago,

Zambales provincial police office director (left), and PChief Supt. Alan Purisima, PNP Region III director.

REY SORIANO

From Page 2

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By KARL DUMAGUINg | Iba, Zambales

THE Zambales Provincial Police Office(ZPPO) recently unveiled a conveniencestore that was conceived to help localpolicemen augment their income.

P/Supt. Rafael Santiago Jr., ZPPO direc-tor, said the store will be run by a coopera-tive formed by local policemen and will beopen to the public.

The store will sell grocery, food andsouvenir items, as well as unofficial PNPuniforms and airsoft equipment.

“This will benefit all of the police per-sonnel all over Zambales because they canbuy items here on the cheap. Also, we shallbe offering a lending facility, because, asyou know, policemen don’t have high sala-ries,” Santiago said.

“I encourage all the 500 plus policemenin Zambales to be part of this cooperativeso that they can somewhat increase theirincome,” he added.

The ZPPO under Santiago has alsorenovated the building that houses thePNP’s investigation office.

Both the buildings for the conveniencestore and investigation office were repairedthrough donations from Santiago’s friends

in Manila and Zambales Gov. HermogenesEbdane Jr.

Both the buildings were inauguratedlast month by Gov. Ebdane, who served asPNP chief before becoming Public High-ways Secretary and running for governor,and Central Luzon PNP director Chief Supt.Alan Purisima.

USED MATERIALS

“We didn’t spend much for the build-ings because we just renovated an old aban-doned building for the convenience storeand repaired the existing investigationbuilding using scrap materials,” he said.

“As you can see, the cooperative build-

ing was made from used materials from oldbridges, fallen electric posts, and otherused materials. But I assure you that thestructure is very sound and handcrafted,”he added.

Santiago also said the ZPPO repairedthe investigation office to improve the ef-ficiency of police personnel.

“It’s hard to conduct an investigationif the office is dilapidated and cluttered, sowe renovated it to hasten the investiga-tion process. We also improved the deten-tion cells for both men and women, theevidence room, and the interrogationroom,” he added. �

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic BayMetropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Fridayclarified that it has mothballed itsmanpower subsidiary Freeport ServiceCorp. (FSC) because the latter can nolonger financially sustain its operationsand keep its employees.

Lawyer Ramon O. Agregado, who isSBMA senior deputy administrator for in-ternal services, said in a statement that theSBMA put the FSC “into a state of dor-mancy” to preserve what remained of thefirm’s assets and to prevent it from incur-ring more losses.

“This was the saner option for theSBMA,” Agregado said. “Allowing theFSC to continue operating was tantamountto fiscal irresponsibility.”

He added the SBMA chose to mothballits wholly-owned subsidiary “because theFSC was bankrupt,” pointing out that ithad a total of P78.5 million liabilities, com-pared to total assets of just P74 million.

SBMA clarifies FSC closure issueHe also stressed that the FSC did not

have any means to pay its outstandingobligations, and that it suffered a negativecash flow of about P2 million monthly.

The SBMA issued the statement on theFSC issue in reaction to a news report quot-ing one former FSC employee as sayingthat the FSC was closed down not becauseof financial losses, but due to an arbitrarydecision by SBMA administrator ArmandArreza.

Agregado, however, made it clear thatit was solely a financial decision and dis-puted the report describing the mothbal-ling as an anomalous transaction.

He said that in August 2010, the SBMAdecided to place the FSC into a state ofdormancy, with cessation of commercialoperations, because it was deemed that thecompany no longer had regular and suffi-cient revenue streams, and would thus beunable to sustain its operations and pro-vide security of tenure to its employees.

According to SBMA records, the FSC,which was classified as a Subic BayFreeport enterprise, was created sometimein 1995 to support the manpower require-ments of the SBMA and provide securityservices on an exclusive basis to free portlocators.

Initially, it signed a Facilities Manage-ment Agreement with the SBMA to man-age, operate and maintain certain SBMA-owned tourism facilities.

Then in 1998, the FSC’s articles of in-corporation was amended to allow it toengage in other businesses like the opera-tion of gas stations, distribution of beerand soft drinks, management of cafeteriaand catering services, operation of an an-nual Christmas bazaar, and leasing of busi-ness space.

However, mismanagement and a bloatedmanpower soon reduced its viability, theSBMA said. As of July 2009, the FSC hasoutstanding obligations to the SBMA inthe amount of P56.81 million, as well asdebts of P13.2 million to PTT PhilippinesCorp., and P6 million in loans payable tothe Land Bank of the Philippines. �

H EEADLINZambales

Volume II No. 5

April 1-7, 20118 Tourism

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metro-politan Authority (SBMA) will open tourist in-formation booths around the free port on theHoly Week (April 20-24) to provide assistanceto Subic visitors and motorists.

The SBMA Law Enforcement Departmentalso advised motorists that the free port’s MainGate leading to Magsaysay Drive in OlongapoCity is still closed to all types of vehicles, andthat only pedestrians are allowed to use it.

In lieu of this, vehicles may enter/exit at theRizal Gate or 14th St. Gate, both of which willremain open 24 hours daily. Meanwhile, theKalaklan Bridge going to Zambales will be re-opened temporarily to light vehicles only fromApril 16 to 24.

LENTEN RITES & SPORTS EVENTS

The week-long Lenten program at Subiccomes back-to-back with various sportsevents to appeal to all kinds of audience.

The traditional Lenten rites include the“Pabasa”, processions on Holy Wednesdayand Good Friday; Last Supper Mass onMaundy Thursday; Stations of the Cross onGood Friday; Easter vigil and “healing concert”on Black Saturday; and the “Salubong” onEaster Sunday.

Meanwhile, sports competitions will includethe Kick Sand Tournament; the ITU TriathlonAsian Cup and the Subic Bay InternationalMarathon from April 30 to May 1; the SubicMountain Bike Festival on May 1; the LaborDay “Freeport Games and Sports” on May 1;the 1st Pinoy Cup Level 3 PPSA-SanctionedPistol Competition on May 26-29; and GravityGames Asia’s Subic Bay Downhill Freeride onMay 28. �

Subic gets ready

for heavy visitor

turnout this Lent

GEARING UP FOR THE BIG NIGHT: Ginoo at Binibining Zambales 2011 candidatesa wow the audience during the opening parade of the Mango Festival, three days before the finals on April 10.

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PHOTOS: HENRY EMPEÑO

CARRIE T. ASPA

Masinloc rules streetdance tilt

IBA, Zambales — Dancers from Masinlocadded two more feathers to their cap whenthey bagged the trophy and cash prize forthe champion in the Zambales MangoFestival’s streetdance competition, andalso earned the Best Costume award.

And why did they win?“There was this extra energy that could

entice you to dance with them,” a photo-journalist from a national newspaper noted.Another spectator said that it was the drum-mers who brought extra beat to the dancewith their very animated performance.

The group of Masinloc Street Dancerswas the defending champion in the

streetdacing competition that has becomeone of the most awaited highlights in the12-year old Zambales Mango Festival.

In this year’s contest, Masinloc againbested competitors from other towns, likethe Colegio ng Subic and the San GuillermoHigh School in San Marcelino, which wonthe second and third prizes, respectively.

As champions, Masinloc received acash prize of P70,000, plus another P30,000for the costume award.The first runner-upgot P50,000 while the second runner-upwent home with P30,000.

The rest of the nine performing groupsreceived P10,000 each as consolation prize.

Tel Mora, head of the Provinical Tour-ism and Investment Promotion Office, toldHeadline Zambales that the performancesthis year “seemed grander, with moreprops, better costumes and more difficultsteps and stunts.”

With this trend, better performancescould surely be expected in the festivalnext year, she added.

The Zambales Mango Festival is anannual event organized by the provincialgovernment to promote tourism in the prov-ince through the promotion of its most fa-mous product – the internationally known“carabao” mango of Zambales. �

Members of the Masinloc Street Dancers practice their moves during a lull in the competition at the Iba Capitol grounds