“Our people have been shackled for so long not only by violence, but also by the insecurity, cynicism, and paralysis that arise from violence. Together, we shall defeat the enemy by wielding the tools of justice, social reform and equitable governance and by strengthening our security agencies. We will not allow those mistakes to happen ever again,” the President said in a speech during the conferment ceremonies for this year’s masters graduates of the National Defense College of the Philippines on Friday afternoon.

On Friday morning, Mr. Aquino took full responsibility for the hostage fiasco at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila and that he again temporarily assumed control of the Philippine National Police so Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo could focus on other pressing concerns of his department. Before Robredo was appointed, the President was interim DILG secretary.

Aquino said he went to the National Capital Regional Police Office in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City “in an effort to investigate certain leads that have been given our way.”

“We are now in the process of documenting the findings that we have and getting the supporting documentation with regard to supporting our findings there,” Aquino said.

Aquino said he had ordered PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa “to make sure that certain people who are engaged in questionable practices be prevented from inflicting any more of such actions on the people.”

“They have been suspended in holding capacities, their previous capacities – those who are still in service. Hopefully by Monday, we will be able to show you what we have unearthed,” the President said.

He said he would await the findings of the investigating body and then proceed with the reforms.

“We have afforded the process or due process to everybody who has been, shall we say, implicated. We will know precisely all of the areas or most of the areas that need to be addressed to prevent such a recurrence. By next week also, I hope to be able to demonstrate the capacities of our security forces in securing our people, but this might require some travel on your part to be able to demonstrate all of their capabilities or a lot of their capabilities,” Aquino said.

Aquino said he was not able to observe the police seminar in handling a hostage crisis in Bicutan because it was “a rush” and he had to attend to other engagements.

The President also said he would not allow disgruntled officers to threaten the government and the people as he encouraged them to go through the process in airing their grievances. A member of the Philippine Army was reportedly threatening to take hostages too if his concerns would not be addressed.

“I don’t know if what he’s doing is serious threat or grave threat. That is extremely wrong, you should desist from it, then he should go through the process. Otherwise, if a wrong was committed to him, doing another wrong will not rectify the situation,” Aquino said.

In his speech before the graduates, the President said as a nation, “we have a duty to defend the state and to insulate it from both national and international security threats. To achieve this, we need leaders who possess the skills and abilities to make the right decisions in tough and unexpected situations.”

“Unfortunately, what we witnessed recently demonstrated the exact opposite of the ideal we are aspiring for,” Aquino said.

“What happened last week was a wake-up call for our security agencies. The hostage situation revealed our deficiency in providing the tools and training needed by our police force to ensure the safety of our people, and that of foreign nationals who visit our country,” Aquino said.

In light of this, the President said NDCP, which was established to produce graduates that could respond quickly in times of crisis, has an important role in preventing a similar incident from happening again. — Philippine Star News Service

Kapuso star and environmental advocate Richard Gutierrez, the new host of “Survivor Philippines”, and celebrity castaways – model Jon Hall, Ang “Siga ng Isla”; feisty Sexbomb dancer Aira Bermudez, “Dancing Warrior”; sexy actress and hot mama Aubrey Miles, “Ang Pasimuno”; actress Michelle Madrigal, “The Outcast”; actor Ahron Villena, “Ang Bolero”; and model/ socialite/artist Solenn Heussaff, “Ang Diwata ng Isla” – will be on hand to celebrate with thousands of loyal Kapusong Cebuanos as “Survivor Philippines” gets off to an explosive start.

The much-awaited pilot episode of “Survivor Philippines” Celebrity Showdown got Twitter buzzing as it landed second place among worldwide trending topics on the popular social networking site, surpassing even the Emmy Awards which just aired that night! “Survivor Philippines” Celebrity Showdown was also a huge hit on Facebook, with fans posting their comments on the program’s fanpage update.

“Survivor Philippines” Celebrity Showdown is set at the heart of the Andaman Sea in Thailand, and features an intriguing and exciting mix of celebrity castaways who brave harsh living conditions, nature’s deadliest predators, and face their fears in their bid to win the P3 million prize – tax free! – and the bragging rights of being “Survivor Philippines” first celebrity Sole Survivor.

The other celebrity castaways are Brapanese model Akihiro Sato, “Mr. Nice Guy”; Parokya ni Edgar bassist Buhawi Meneses, “Tribe Leader”; track and field champ Elma Muros, “Strong Mama”; basketball player Ervic Vijandre, “Power Player”; and Born to Be Wild’s resident vet Doc Ferdz Recio, “The Boss.”

Joining them are Starstruck avenger Ian Batherson, “Pilyong Amboy”; actress Karen delos Reyes, “Taray Queen”; actor and host Mico Aytona, “Bibong Bunso”; real-life personal assistant Moi Bien, “Yayang Palaban”; Bubble Gang’s Myka Flores, “Bidang Extra”; Starstruck avenger Princess Snell, “Pasaway”; and stand-up comedian Pretty Trizsa, “Cheerleader.”

A Sunday afternoon of bonding with grandmother turned tragic for two children in sitio Kabuwan, barangay Cogon, Naga in southern Cebu.
One has been found dead while the other remain missing as of 6 p.m. yesterday.

Sisters Chris, 13, and Reniel, 8, and their brother Reynan, 9, all surnamed Paran were with their grandmother Agripina Paran, 58, on their way to her house to grill corn. While they were walking along the riverbank, they suddenly fell into the raging waters.

Agripina was able to hold on to some of the plants that grew on the banks and Reynan was able to hold on to her.  The two survived. But Chris and Reniel were carried by the raging waters. Chris was found an hour later, about 4 p.m., in sitio Kandatu, Guindaruhan, Minglanilla about a kilometer away from where she fell.  She was stuck in the boulders that were on the river.

She was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
Teams are still looking for Reniel. Agripina sustained bruises due to the accident while Reynan, though unhurt physically, still could not talk due to the traumatic incident.
The river was swollen after heavy rains fell last Sunday.
It was also reported that the reason why the grandmother and the kids were carried by the current was that there was a flashflood that swept them into the river.

Maria Reyna Paran, mother of the children, said that she did not approve at first of her kids going with their grandmother, but had to give in as they were insistent to go. The kids live with their parents in barangay West Poblacion, Naga.
Their father Crisanto was at work when the incident happened.

Luckily for the eldest child of the couple, he was not able to go as he played basketball with friends when their grandmother came to fetch his siblings.
Cogon barangay councilman Elmer Paran said that the incident happened near the crusher plants of two companies. He said that they will check the drainage system built by one of the companies if this might have caused the flashfloods.
The firm has, however, been operating in the area for 20 years.
Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong assured that the victims will get free medical assistance.

The local government will also check the site where the incident happened to identify measures that would be taken to prevent similar incidents.
Three years ago, two sisters also died in the Guindaruhan river when they were swept away by floods while trying to cross it. Capitol has also said that it will extend assistance to the victims. — Nylpha Costelo, PIT intern/NLQ

Applicants should be at least 21 years old and not more than 30 years old. Both male and female applicants are required to be at least five feet tall. They must bring with them an accomplished PHS (original) with a 2×2 ID picture, a tax identification number and community residence certificate.

They must also submit a recommendation from their group commander, duly accomplished application form (computerized), full-body picture in proper uniform, birth certificate from the local civil registrar or the National Census and Statistics Office, photocopy of college diploma and authenticated transcript of records, basic and advance ROTC certificate and certificate of grades (if not indicated in the TOR), and an original physical examination report (form 63-A) taken from any government or military hospital validated by an army surgeon.

Applicants are also required to submit a command clearance certificate (G2, PA). In order to secure a G2 clearance, the applicant must avail of a clearance from the barangay, police, Regional Trial Court, and the National Bureau of Investigation, as well as an active EP DLO (from ADJ, PA) and SOI (from MIPO, PA) PHS.

Additional requirements are affidavit (sworn statement-notarized) statement of military service (from ADJ PA), and a summary of information (SOI from IMO, PA) Active EP.

All photocopies materials must be authenticated by JAGO officer except the transcript of record and college diploma.

The documentary requirements must be submitted in two green folders with green tabbings. The G2 Clearance (one original and a photocopy) are required to be submitted in two separate green folders.

Accepted applicants are set to convene on September 10, 2010 at the headquarters of the Army Reserve Command in Tanza, Cavite. POTC Class 31-2010 will be under the leadership of Col. Norman Gomez, QMS (GSC) PA.

While on training, the accepted applicants will receive a basic salary of P20,708; clothing allowance of P200; and subsistence allowance of P2,800.

Interested applicants may approach the nearest CDC – 703 CDC-Camp Leon Kilat in Tanjay, Negros Oriental; 702 CDC-Camp Bernido, DAO District in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; 701 CDC-Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu and 704 CDC-Kaipilan in Siquijor. — Ellenie Irine Apuya, PIT Intern/JMO – The Freeman

The city council approved last Friday the P641,582 budget for the clearing operation which will cover the labor, rentals of the equipment and the cost of removing the cadavers and remains.

The Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor, which prepared the scope of works and estimates, says that the operation will immediately start after the bidding process. The bidding however is yet to be set.

The clearing operation, which is expected to last for one month, will affect at least 500 families and 329 illegal structures built within the cemetery. There are also 362 tombs that will be demolished. A bone chamber will be built within the area where the bones will be kept.

DWUP chief Danilo Gabiana said the clearing operation will be done by phase. He said, affected residents will not be relocated because they are among the intended beneficiaries of the housing project.

As soon as the clearing operation is done, the construction of the three-storey building with 180 residential units will start immediately. Former North District Rep. Raul Del Mar earlier donated P10 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund and another P2 million was donated by Action for Nurturing Children and Environment for the building construction.

This project is a joint undertaking of the city government, ANCE and Gawad Kalinga. The housing site will cover about 9,000 square meters of the Lorega cemetery but there is a plan to extend the project and construct another building that will accommodate more beneficiaries.

Once the project is finished, the city will prioritize those who are already living in the area to be the beneficiaries.

The city, however, during the time of then Mayor Tomas Osmeña, is against selling the units to the residents. Osmeña only wanted the beneficiaries to pay monthly rentals to the city. Former City Administrator Francisco Fernandez earlier said that P750 was initially discussed as the rental rate per month. It was not immediately learned if Mayor Michael Rama will adopt Osmeña’s position. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/FPL

The Freeman

Local cinema lovers, cinephiles, filmmakers, artists and writers are invited to the Cinephile Nights (Program No. 1) from August 12 to September 30 (all Thursdays) at the Tioseco-Bohinc Film Archive.

On August 12, world renowned Czech stop motion animator Jan Svankmajer unleashes his wicked surrealistic sensibilities through his unusual take on “Alice in Wonderland”. The color film released in 1988 runs 90 minutes.

Wong Kar Wai borrows a page out of Godard’s French New Wave how-to manual and comes up with a fresh un-Chinese modern film about disenchantment and aimless Chinese youth. Mao must be turning in his grave! The 94-min. color film set in Hong Kong in 1994 entitled “Days of Being Wild” is set for viewing on August 19.

On August 26, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” will be the featured film wherein Danish director Carl Dreyer used the actual Joan of Arc trial transcripts for the making of this Silent masterpiece. The sublime use of close-ups makes this film an emotional experience not to be missed. Filmed in 1928 in France, the movie is in black and white and has 92 minutes running time.

September 2 would be an Imeldific Thursday as Balikbayan director Ramona Diaz was given amazing access to Imelda Marcos for a revealing look at the woman and her beliefs. A surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the 110-min. “Imelda” could have been titled “What Makes Imelda Tick?.” Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos was reportedly pissed when she saw it. In color, the film was shot here and the USA in 2003.

Ever fancy a 16mm presentation? “Ivan the Terrible Part 1” (1944) in black in white is for you on September 9. Russian director Sergei Eisenstein made this 99-min. historical epic about the ruthless Russian czar Ivan the Terrible. He made this czar out to be a hero. The ruthless Soviet dictator Stalin saw it and gave Eisenstein the Stalin Prize. But not so for the Part 2 version.

On September 16, “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” will take its turn. Director/actor/auteur John Cassavettes is credited with being one of the original Indie self-financed filmmakers. This gem, starring Ben Gazzarra, takes us into the seedy underbelly of New York City. It’s no fun being in debt to mob bosses! Label reads: Color, 1976, USA, 135 min.

Vietnamese director Nguyen Minh tells the story of a boy and his two buffalos in search of fresh grass. Shot entirely during the flood season in Southern Vietnam and overflowing with family drama, the 102-min. movie “Buffalo Boy” (2004) is third world struggle at its extreme. It comes in visually stunning color. September 23 is playdate.

The 117-min. “The Eel” is set to cap the two-month free film screening on September 30. This Cannes Palm D’Or winning film by director Shohei Imamura chronicles the life of a husband who kills his wife, serves eight years in prison, and befriends an “Eel.” Unusual, strange, and a masterpiece of minimalist filmmaking, this was released in Japan in 1998 in color.

Tioseco-Bohinc is a film archive and library with the most complete foreign film collection in Cebu, and one of the top three archives in the Philippines. It is a resource for working filmmakers and film scholars. It is also open to professionals. The screening every 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays is free. However, there is a nominal fee for private screenings.

Further, curator Lito Tabay mentioned of a warning. The said film archive does not show Hollywood blockbusters or children’s films. “You can get a pirated DVD or go to the mall for that,” a feeler read.

How to get there? Take the GT Express van from SM City Cebu or Ayala Center/Mall to Lapu-Lapu City. Get off at the “crossing” inside the Camella Homes Phase One Subdivision in Barangay Pajac. Walk down half a block from there. It is at 55 Daisy Street.

If lost, call 09128390692. – Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

Aspiring and practicing local screenwriters gathered for a three-day writing seminar in early June which featured classes in screenwriting provided by ufo Workshops and mentored by acclaimed veteran writer of Filipino cinema Armando “Bing” Lao.

Denis Judilla, creative director of SineBuano (Cebu’s Independent Filmmaking Scene), who was one of six participants, narrated that “in his cadenced, soft-spoken manner of speaking, Sir Bing informed the workshop’s participants that Philippine cinema is coming to an interesting time – being internationally recognized and prized once more.”

Veteran screenwriter Armando “Bing” Lao explains, on one-on-one basis, a point to a participant. At the background is author/artist Maria Victoria “Bambi” Beltran who hosted the screenwriting workshop at her Turtles Nest Book Café and Gallery along Gorordo Avenue.

However, for Filipino filmmakers to match up or compete with global cinema, particularly the big-budgeted, CG-dependent (or computer-generated) Hollywood machine is a not-so-possible, impractical undertaking.

According to Lao, the only even playing field is where it matters the most for any film: the Story.

Thus, Judilla said, Lao further stressed that the writer has a most important role just as important as the Director. “The Auteur Writer creates all the foremost aspects of film production – from acting to production design to cinematography to editing – by writing RIGHT every word, every scene, every sequence in the script.”

Lao (second from left) discusses on the “Found Story” code in a Scriptwriting Workshop presented by ufo Workshops from June 4 to 6, 2010 here in Cebu City.

“And so with this mindset that the Writer has to be auteur,” Judilla said, “Sir Bing shares the basic and advanced concepts of his Found Story code. A former banking and insurance employee, Sir Bing thrives on process, on systematic approach.”

Participants further learned from Lao that writing for film can be two-fold. First, it’s “intuitive”– great for embarking and latching on ideas, concepts, themes for story. “However, intuition can only bring one so far, a “system” is required to channel the creative flow into something physical, something that can be shared,” Lao said.
“Your story in mind, into a document to be typed for reading – a script,” he added.

Furthermore, Judilla shared that “as Sir Bing expounds and explains more on his Found Story code, with his class grabbing on his every word and trapping these in their notes, I’ve come to grasp on a simple way to describe Armando Lao’s screenwriting system.”

Judilla said he started recalling the words of Michaelangelo: “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.”

With the Found Story code, Judilla finds Lao to have proclaimed a similar principle – that every thing or person or idea or object, be it actual or perhaps a figment of one’s imagination, has a story; and that it’s up to the Writer to find it to its very essential source or form that can be received by the audience as rational, real.

“For Sir Bing, the auteur writer creates Story in its essential form. Not much special effects. Just the raw stuff. Just like Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’,” Judilla went on.

Lao has a solid, award-winning career writing for TV and Film in the country. He also achieved international acclaim writing notable screenplays such as “Pila Balde”, “Tuhog” and “Kubrador” for Jeffrey Jeturian; “La Vida Rosa” for Chito Roño; as well as the recently renowned films “Serbis” and “Kinatay” for Brillante Mendoza, both of which were screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Lao also provided positive creative influence as consultant on Filipino independent films to “Tribu” (Jim Libiran, 2007), “Bakal Boys” (Royston Jover, 2008) and “Jay” (Francis Xavier Pasion, 2008). Each film earned acclaim and won awards.

On the third night of the workshop, Lao presented his directorial debut “Biyaheng Lupa” which won the Digital Lokal Grand Jury Prize at the 11th Cinemanila International Film Festival.
“So one might say that when it comes to Story, Sir Bing has the fabled Midas touch,” Judilla notes in his blog.

Currently, Lao is working on writing the Found Story manual which he hopes to be published by next year. At the same time, he’s working on his “Mga Pananaw (Perspectives)”, an anthology of nine films based on well-known festivals or occasions in the Philippines.

Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

Also, you get to witness what you don’t like to see but, in the process, learn from the mediators that complicated situations can be avoided if we learn to avoid picking on something so petty. Another is that regardless of the degree of the rift, there is an appropriate solution to every conflict provided we listen to what the law has to say through mediation and conciliation.

“Face to Face” moderated by TV/movie/radio personality Amy Perez takes the format which is a respite from the overload of gyrating women, cavalcade of commercials, and the “nakakaumay” dance production numbers on talent search shows occupying the late morning to noontime slots.

TVdom’s first “barangay hall on TV” presents cases referred at various barangay halls. A three-man panel forms part of the Trio Tagapayo – a priest for spiritual direction (Fr. Gerry Tapiador of the Good Shepherd Convent), a psychologist (Dr. Camille Garcia/Dr. Rose Llanes) to point out how human behavior is integral in either the settlement or the non-settlement of a particular case tackled in the show; and a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office (Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta or her substitute) to shed light on the legalities of human action/interaction.

Bouncers take cue in moments of emotional outbursts during the taping (major constraint in attempts to go live) while the “sawsawero/sawsawera” or the studio audience are issued the license to heckle the parties in row. From “sawsaw” (to dip) or to meddle in issues, sawsaweros and sawsaweras can also ask for clarifications from aggrieved parties (which, I find, are based on questions prepared by the writer/s of the show). Meddlers also get the chance to take a side to the issue – either “pula” or “puti” representing the two sides to a coin.

“Face to Face” is a welcome development for viewers like me who would want to be both informed and entertained at the same time, and not just watch a cavalcade of advertisements or half-men doing their death-defying splits on pre-noontime shows.

Mediocrity brings in a deluge of issues and TV which is also a culprit for propagating mediocrity (and a culture of mendicancy) should also bring back the confidence of its viewers to society, government and other institutions by emphasizing “sensibility TV”.

Sensible television would mean imparting to viewers things they didn’t know or didn’t care to know but very essential in encouraging people to participate, or interact, rather than merely act as couch potatoes.

In an episode for example on an unlicensed midwife who was not paid of her services, it was learned that she couldn’t just demand payment of P2,500. However, because her friend has prior knowledge that she has no license and yet still availed of her services, she could likewise be blamed for being in a situation hot to handle. It was the midwife who filed a complaint against her neighbor when after two years, she wasn’t being paid for “lying-in services” and yet she could see that the woman spent for illegal numbers game/gambling. When asked, the woman reasoned out she refused to pay as no birth certificate was issued. It reached the point that the “midwife” gave up on her and hit her face instead with a mug to get even. She sustained a deep wound near her eye that needed six stitches, so then the more she refused to settle the “debt” as the midwife didn’t bother to shoulder medications. The rift went deeper extending to their families, to their friends, till the case was taken up at the barangay.

Situation as such may just be an ordinary occurrence in our neighborhood, but such could not have gone that complicated if only people involved knew what’s appropriate, what’s just and what’s right.

Through a face-off, conflicting parties would have to deal the case with a confrontation wherein during the “facebuking” segment, witnesses would come out and further shed light or reveal truths to the matter.

Another case tackled may seem cheesy but this is the face of reality. Friends do fight, at times, for the love of one woman. Man A used to be Woman’s partner. She works as guest relations officer. Man A finds Man B reliable being a confidante. He leaves Woman to care of Man B while he is away for work. The problem is Man B works as bouncer at the same bar where Woman works.

“Alam ko po na mali po ang manulot, kaya lang nahulog po ang loob ko sa kanya (Woman) unti-unti,” Man B admits.

Man A, mad at Man B, rose from his white seat and pounced at Man A while Amy Perez jumps up and went to her “neutral corner” giving way for the show’s sergeant-at-arms to prevent a brawl.

“Walang(toot-toot) ka! Pinagkatiwalaan pa naman kita kasi tingin ko sa ‘yo kaibigan,” Man A furious; sawsaweros and sawsaweras chanted “puti, puti, puti.”

Woman comes in, gives Man B a peck, sits beside him and snaps at Man A. “Hindi na kita mahal, pabayaan mo na kami. Wala ka rin namang ginawa para sa akin. May kahati pa ako sa ‘yo.”

In the end, the two were settled after Man A got a serving of legal advice that he could be imprisoned from 6-12 years for stalking. And that because the girl has already chosen who to live in with, he could not force her as this is a violation to women’s rights.

Later on, a dose of spiritual guidance allowed for Man B to shake hands with Man A who still refused to look into his eyes. Woman also shook a hand with her former lover.

“Okay na ako. Basta ang hiling ko lang maging magkaibigan pa rin tayo,” Man A said to the Woman all to the delight of the crowd who continued to take side with Man A.

“Marami ka pang babae na ma-meet. Hayaan mo na ang ex mo. Kuntento na siya sa bago niyang pag-ibig. Ikaw bata ka pa, kaya madalas ang away nyo. Ang ex mo naghahanap ng mas mature na lalaki,” the priest advised. Man A is just 21 years old like Woman. Man B is already in his mid 40s.

If shows like this prosper, Perez and crew can facilitate a serving of that “paradigm shift” among people; let them know and understand their duties and responsibilities to society; what they ought and not ought to do. And let them know that there is no such thing as a hopeless case. Same way that there is no such thing as absolute freedom, that one can’t do his/her thing his/her way. It is natural law for every action to get an equivalent reaction. For wrong actions and decisions, we directly touch or affect other people’s lives.

“Ang problema pwedeng tawanan, pero hinding-hindi natin pwedeng talikuran. Pag-usapan natin face to face,” as the tagline goes.

It’s just sad though that over a month after its pilot episode, a number of posts online called for a re-review by the MTRCB on the value of the program; that the entire show is scripted and that the guests are paid to quarrel on TV.

A recent post read: “Sino ba namang matino ang magi-guest sa TV para ipakita ang tunay niyang ugali?”

Fine, we’ll take this case to the barangay for mediation!

Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

The finale of the two-part Tri-Ur-Own triathlon training will take place on July 18 at Kristian Cabahug’s Place in Catmon.

For those who are not familiar yet with the venue, it is located approximately a hundred meters before the Huna-Huna beach resort.

The event is spearheaded by the Sugbu Triathlon community as part of the Cebuano triathletes’ preparations for this year’s Ironman Philippines in Camarines Sur.

Close to 20 Cebuanos have already signified their participation in the Ironman led by Noy Jopson, the fastest Pinoy in last year’s edition of the lung-busting race.

For those who are not joining the Ironman, the Tri-Ur-Own activity is a venue to test one’s know-how in swimming, bicycling and running without pressure since it’s not a competition. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol

Source – The Freeman

Still reeling from two high-profile ambush incidents that took place earlier this week, the marketing manager of a cement firm survived an attempt on his life noontime yesterday at the corner Gorordo and Cardinal Rosales Aves. In barangay Kamputhaw, just meters away from the headquarters of the Cebu City Police Office.

Deputy police regional director S. Supt. Vicente Loot points to a bullet mark on the Ford Everest driven by Nestor Zamora, marketing manager of a cement factory in San Fernando town, who was ambushed at corner Gorordo and Cardinal Rosales avenues in barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City  yesterday morning. CYRIL CAMPOREDONDO

While the police haven’t made any arrests in the ambush slay of Manuel Ting and the attempt on the life of his younger brother Nicolas, this time, authorities collared three men allegedly involved in the latest incident.

Arrested were a construction contractor and two men, who he allegedly paid to kill Nestor Zamora, 45, who works for a cement firm in the town of San Fernando.

Jerome Noel, 41, was identified by gunman Orlando Sagnoy, 30, and his cohort Roberto Tercero, 27, as the one who allegedly instructed them to kill Zamora, who was on board a white Ford Everest during the attack.

Luckily, the bullet proofing of Zamora’s vehicle stopped the bullets from the Ingram machine pistol allegedly fired by Sagnoy, who was on board a motorcycle that was reportedly driven by Tercero.

The police said that this was not the first attempt on the life of Zamora.
There were two other attempts on the life of Zamora, the first in 2007, which forced him to have his vehicle bullet proofed.

Witness Rodulfo Gonzales, 50, said after he was done paying for his lotto ticket near his house, he saw a motorcycle overtaking Zamora’s SUV with plate number YBH 309, which was getting ready to turn right to Cardinal Rosales Ave.

It was at this point, the witness said that he saw the passenger of the motorcycle pull out a gun and fire at the driver-side window of the SUV.

The witness said that he then saw the driver of the vehicle partially open his door and fired back at the attackers.

It was at this point, said the witness, that the gunman, who was later identified as Sagnoy of Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, get off the motorcycle and continued to fire at Zamora.

The motorcycle driver, who was later identified as Tercero, of Mohon, Toledo City, sped off towards the Cebu Business Park.

Luckily, not Zamora, Sagnoy nor any other person was hit during the exchange of fire. Sagnoy reportedly ran towards where he saw his get away motorcycle go, but was left behind by Tercero.

He reportedly tried to hide the machine pistol on a branch of a big tree, but was not fast enough to flee the pursuing policemen from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) led by Chief Insp. Arnel Banzon.

Sagnoy was collared inside the Cebu Business Park. Operatives of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch of the CCPO led by Chief Insp. George Ylanan placed Sagnoy under tactical interrogation.

In a follow up operation, the police were able to entrap Tercero in barangay Lahug after Sagnoy gave them his phone number.

The Sagnoy, upon instruction of the police called Tercero to tell him that they were to meet at a mall in Lahug since the ‘mission’ was a success.

Minutes later, plain clothes policemen were all over the area around the mall and made the arrest after Tercero was identified by Sagnoy.

The police also recovered the Suzuki motorcycle used by the Tercero. It was at this point that they called Noel through his cellular phone and arranged a meeting in the same area. It was Tercero, who was asked by the police to call.

After about an hour, Noel arrived at the area and was immediately arrested. Found in Noel’s possession were a Glock 9 mm pistol with live ammunition and ten sticks of marijuana.

Noel vehemently denied giving instructions to the two men when asked by the police then later just kept quiet while waiting for a lawyer. Tercero, who works in Noel’s construction firm, alleged that he was paid P15,000 to kill Zamora. He said, after Noel allegedly asked him to do the job, he recruited Sagnoy, who is his friend, to do the deed and paid him P5,000.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Director of CCPO, said they will still establish if there was really a shootout that transpired between Zamora and Sagnoy. Apart from focusing their investigation on the arrested suspects, they will also still have to match the empty shells recovered from the crime scene, he said.

Comendador said they are eyeing business and personal grudge as the possible motives behind the incident.

He said they will also invite a woman, who is reportedly a friend of Noel, to check if the incident might also be triggered by a love triangle motive. He added that the victim himself did not say much to them as to the possible motive of the incident. Comendador disclosed that Zamora was also ambushed by two motorcycle-riding men in barangay Mabolo, this city last June 2, 2007 while the victim was driving another vehicle.

They are still investigating though if the suspects were also behind the attack. However, Comendador said the gunman admitted that it was also he and Tercero, who tried to ambush the victim two weeks ago in the city but failed to do so when the gun malfunctioned.

The victim also confirmed this, he added. Comendador said they will check if Sagnoy is a gun-for-hire and could be the one who shot dead Manuel Ting last Tuesday in barangay Tisa, though the cartographic sketch made by Task Force Ting showed that the gunman was semi-bald while Sagnoy has long curly hair.

The CCPO Director said they are now preparing the charges to be filed against the suspects. —/NLQ

Ali Rozbehani said the government and other officials did a complete coordination with them right after the incident up to the repatriation of the bodies.

Rozbehani, in an interview with The FREEMAN, however, said that he is requesting the Philippine government to conduct a thorough investigation on the incident.

Asked if there were other things he would have wanted the government to do about the incident, Rozbehani said, “They already did their complete coordination. For now, we want to request the government to do their best in the investigation as to what caused the accident and give a full report to us.”

The ambassador thanked the rescue teams, Police Regional Office-7 Director Lani-O Nerez for supervising the retrieval operation, the Gullas hospital, Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay, and Dr. Wyben Briones of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

He also thanked Cebu City mayor-elect Michael Rama; Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal, Jr., president of the Cebu Doctors University where some of the victims took their medical courses; Dr. Enrico Gruet of CDU College of Medicine; and the doctors, specialists, and staff members of Cebu Doctors Hospital.

Rozbehani and his fellow Iranian officials personally saw to the transport of the bodies from the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Nivel Hills up to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport where a chartered plane, a Boeing 747, was set to bring the bodies to Iran.

The flight will take about 10 hours. Rozbehani said that upon arrival at the airport in their country, the cadavers will be turned over to their respective families. The victims live in separate cities in Iran.

Dr. Gholamreza Heidari, Executive Advisor to Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education, said that about four to five of the 25 injured Iranians, who are now in stable condition, would also go with them back to Iran.

He added that those who are going with them are medical students here in Cebu City and will return later to pursue their studies.

Despite the incident, the Iranian official said they will still encourage their constituents to go here to study and will not restrict them from traveling within the Philippines.

“Things happen. We don’t blame anyone,” Heidari said. He said that they also sympathized for the death of Jaime Batoon, the driver and owner of the JD tourist bus and the sole Filipino who died along with the 20 Iranians.

Heidari added that this incident has been the most tragic for their countrymen in the Philippines, but they have already accepted it as a tragedy.

He said that Dr. Vahid Dastjerdi, the Minister of Health and Medical Education in Iran, also thanked the officials for taking care of their fellow Iranians.

Asked about his opinion on the move of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in suspending the other cars for rent owned by JD tourist bus, Heidari said it is in line of the regulation of the Filipino government.

Rozbehani also agreed with the LTFRB’s move, including another Iranian official, who declined to give his name, saying that it is a “very good measure the LTFRB has done.”

Heidari said they would do the same if the accident happened in their country and if the owner of the bus is also an Iranian.

It has not yet been resolved as to how many passengers were really on the bus when the accident happened, but Heidari, nevertheless, said they will continue coordinating with the Cebu government regarding the matter to also assist the other potential Iranian victims.

The Iran government shouldered all the hospital expenses, including the bills in the repatriation of the bodies, Heidari said.

Batoon was driving his bus with plate numbers GWZ-666 when it plunged into a ravine while he was maneuvering a curve in Barangay Cansomoroy, Balamban past 10 am last Sunday, killing him and the 20 Iranians. —/NLQ

NIÑA G. SUMACOT, Staff Member

Philstar

Jaime Batoon’s live-in partner Marcelin Marimon await his body at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes to be taken to their house. REYNAN VILLENA

The bodies are now at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Nivel Hills together with the lone Filipino fatality, driver Jaime Batoon, who also owned the bus.

No autopsy has been conducted and the bodies have not been embalmed to respect the Muslim tradition about the handling of the dead.

Edgar Sanchez, funeral director of Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, explained that they only injected formaldehyde to preserve the bodies and have put them in the freezer.

The Iranian embassy officials arrived in Cebu several hours after the accident late morning last Sunday.

Consul Mohammad Tavana first proceeded to the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital to look after the needs of the injured.

Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr., president of Cebu Doctors Hospital, said the Iranian embassy officials assured him that they will be the ones to shoulder the expenses of the victims.

Larrazabal also offered discounts for their bills.

SUSPENSION

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional director Benjamin Go yesterday said he will suspend for 30 days, effective today, the franchise of all vehicles of JD Rent-a-Car, the owner of the bus that plunged into the ravine.

Go said that since it was a holiday yesterday, he just instructed his legal personnel to prepare the suspension order of the franchise of some 30 other vehicles owned by JD Rent-a-Car so it can be signed this morning and it can be implemented right away by the Land Transportation Office.

LTO Chief Alberto Suansing was in Cebu yesterday and personally inspected the crash site, which is about 11 kilometers away from Balamban town proper.
Central Visayas LTO-7 regional director Raul Aguilos said once he will receive the order of the LTFRB he will quickly implement it by sending his men to the garage of JD Rent-a-Car to confiscate the vehicles’ license plates.

“Kinahanglan nga ang mga sakyanan ipa-inspection nila didto sa LTO Motor Vehicle Inspection Service (MVIS) sa Subangdaku, Mandaue aron sutaon ang iyang road worthiness, unya ipa-drug test usab ang ilang mga drayber,” said Aguilos.

Go said he will also ask the Department of Tourism to revoke the accreditation it issued to the rent-a-car company and will also request the LTO that the drivers of rent-a-car will be subjected to drug test.

BRAKE MALFUNCTION

Police investigators said that the reason for the accident last Sunday was the malfunction of the brakes.

PO2 Manuel Gilamon Jr. of the Balamban police, the case investigator, said that based on the accounts of two witnesses, their statements point to what apparently was failure of the brakes and not driver error.

The JD tourist bus with plate number GWZ-666 was cruising downhill on its way to Balamban town when it skidded off the Transcentral Highway and fell into a 30-meter-deep ravine.

The police investigator added that two witnesses — Elmer Navaja and Macias Pacquiao, who were also the first two to go down the ravine and help the victims, saw the bus speeding downhill and they noticed that the driver did not apply the brakes.

Due to its speed, the witnesses said, the driver failed to maneuver the bus through a sharp curve resulting to the tragedy.

“According to the witnesses, nakabati sila og nagtingog na brakes, nagpiti-piti then mura’g bahong sunog. Paglingi nila, nakit-an na lang nila ang bus ga-dahunog ug mideretso na og ka-hog sa pampang,” Gilamon said.

The body of the driver was the last one to be retrieved from the crash site as he was pinned inside the bus.

FATALITIES

The Cebu Provincial Police Office identified the fatalities. They were Shah Mary Sharan, 31; Ataa Bargchi, 5 and his father DV and his mother, whose first name is not yet available; Fohjan Zakari, who was a student of the Gullas College of Medicine; and Dr. Ali Kamrani from the Cebu Doctors University.

Pedram Farjam and Hamed Reza Hozoori, students of the Gullas College of Medicine; Dr. Morteza Ghasem, pathology resident of CDU; Alfa Barghchi, 16; Pasha Masoomabadi and Pasha Johani, both minors; Mohammad Bejoobyen, 23 and a student of CDU; and Farshed, who is reportedly a radiologist of CDU.

Those who were identified yesterday were Jahani Moeed, 1 year and 6 months olf; Vatane Mortaze, David Khatibi, 23; Shafagh Homayooni, 20; and Batoon.

One of the fatalities, a woman, is yet to be identified as well as another victim, who died in the hospital.

ILL-FATED BUS

Councilor Dave Karamihan of Balamban town told reporters that he got information from the Iranian community in Cebu that there were 63 passengers of the bus.

Aside from the 21 dead, there were also 23 reported injured with two of them only suffering minor cuts and bruises.

The town official said that they are still trying to account for all the passengers of the bus and have sent out some teams to scour the nearby areas.

It was also reported in a television newscast that Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, which is a ship-building firm based in Balamban, has offered to assist in pulling out the bus. —with Jen-jen Raymundo, Veronica Basas, PIT Interns and Jessica Ann R. Pareja/NLQ

RENE U. BORROMEO
NIÑA G. SUMACOT
Staff Members

Philstar – The Freeman

The JD tourist bus with plate number GWZ-666 was carrying about 55 medical students and doctors to the town of Balamban to go to a beach resort when the accident happened.

As of 9 p.m., 24 people have been reported injured. They were rushed to the Balamban District Hospital and private hospitals in Cebu City.

Several rescue teams rushed to the scene including the top military and police officials of the region.

Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva, commander of the Central Command, was in the area along with Chief Supt. Lani-O Nerez, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 to oversee the rescue efforts.

Huey helicopters of the Philippine Air Force were used to evacuate some of the injured to Cebu City.

The helicopters, however, had to be pulled out before it got dark for safety reasons. Rescue teams continued to work until late last night to pull out the bodies trapped under the wreckage.

A survivor is being carried by rescuers away from the site of the tragedy. FERDINAND EDRALIN

Elmer Navaja and Macias Pacquiao, who are residents of the area, were the first to rush to crashed bus.

They were building the house of Navaja when they heard a loud sound coming from the road and saw the bus going very fast downhill.

The next thing they saw was the bus plunging into the ravine.
Saleh Hossainkani, one of the survivors, said that they smelled something burning inside the bus before the accident happened.

Asst. Sec. Alberto H. Suansing, chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is due in Cebu early today to personally visit the accident site, said Benjamin Go, regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7.

Go told The Freeman that Suansing wants to personally check the site and they would be heading straight to Balamban from the airport.

According to Lt. Col. Wilson Feria, spokesman of Centcom, the accident happened between 10 and 10:30 a.m. while the bus was going downhill and negotiating a curve.

He said that there were ten survivors, who were airlifted to Camp Lapu-lapu in barangay Apas, Cebu City then were brought to private hospitals for treatment.

The ten who were airlifted were identified as Ali Chavosi, 31 years old; Maeden Rajay, 27; Orge Sitay; a certain Marian; a certain Mohammad; Mohammed Navoidi, 31; Hassan Ghareinasab, 35; Toctam Eftekhari, 30; Masomabadi Mebrang, 35; and Marian Nasari, 27.

Those airlifted were brought to the Cebu Doctors Hospital, Chong Hua Hospital and Perpetual Succour Hospital.

The Balamban Police identified some of the fatalities. Positively identified were Shah Mary Sharan, 31; Ataa Bargh Chi, 5; the boy’s father Devi Bargh Chi and his mother, whose name the authorities were still trying to get; a certain Fohjan, who was a student of the Gullas College of Medicine; Dr. Ali Kamrani from the Cebu Doctors University.

Pedram Farjam and Hamed Reza Hoori, students of the Gullas College of Medicine; Dr. Morteza Ghasem, Pathology resident of CDU; Alfa Bargh Chi, 16; Pasha Masoomabadi and Pasha Johani, both minors; Mohammad Bebjoubyen, 23 and a student of CDU; and Farshed, who is reportedly a radiologist of CDU.

The bus was driven by a certain Jimmy, but his fate is not yet known. The police could not yet give his full name as of presstime and said that they were still trying to retrieve four bodies from inside the bus, but were having a hard time doing it.

WTG Construction sent a backhoe to help in the retrieval of the bodies, but engineers were still trying to figure out a way to pull the wreckage out of the ravine.

The embassy of Iran will also be sending staff here to assist their citizens, who were involved in the tragedy, upon the request of the Iranian community in Cebu.

The bodies of the fatalities were brought to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes along Junquera St., where they would be kept in a freezer so that these could be repatriated to Iran.

The Balamban police said that it was the third time that a vehicle fell in that ravine, which is about 11 kilometers away from the town proper.

In the first two incidents, a pick-up truck and a van were involved, but there were no fatalities.—/NLQ

RENE BORROMEO and NIÑA G. SUMACOT
Staff Members
BRENDA BATUTO and MYLEN MANTO
Correspondents

Philstar-The Freeman

Illustration. Design. Art. Text. Animation. Masterpiece! All those gifted with the visual arts have even brighter prospects at the University of Cebu with its new course offering – the Animation Program at P465 per unit payable in four installments – that seeks to tap local artists to fill in the vacuum for both unfilled and expanding job slots in the growing, demanding yet promising animation industry both here and abroad.

Under the tutelage of animation program instructor Patricia Kyle Mendoza and animation head Mamerto Escaño, UC students enrolled in the said program are currently moving into the completion of a two-year certificate course.

According to Mendoza, first-year students would delve into 2D animation for a better grasp on how to present characters and surroundings “created on a flat plane of two dimensions, unlike the three dimensions of computer animation common today.” This can be as “simple as a flipbook or as sophisticated as one of the Disney hand-drawn animated classics,” this was learned.

In the next level, 3D animation would be tackled. At this stage, modules would give students the idea as to how the whole 3D animation process itself “takes a number of stages and appears to be very complex”, but with the reality that despite its complexities, it does carry with it a lot of advantages. “With the aid of 3D modeling, the 3D software allows very flexible control over the scene and animation. Models can be rotated in any angles possible (unlike 2D),” this was also learned.

“Should students opt to proceed to the third and fourth years to complete a Bachelor’s Degree, on-the-job training will be given, with the help of company tie-ups, along with further specialization,” she said.

According to Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in “The Illusion of Life,” animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2D or 3D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. So, what makes this field interesting? Ermm, very interesting, enticing and so much relevant?

Mendoza mentioned in her PowerPoint Presentation that with the advances of technology, animation today has “reached beyond the bounds of the entertainment industry.”

“Moving images is a more effective way of communicating an idea. Thus, animation is no longer limited to entertainment,” this was pointed out.

In product visualization for example, it is now possible to see how products look like even before they are manufactured. With computer graphics now getting closer towards photorealism, animating images would help the artist see how these products work and how these are used.

As for architectural visualization, computer graphics help in visualizing buildings even before they are built. By animating these images, architects and their clients see these buildings in their environment and allows for further modifications.

Other uses are strongly felt in the interactive media and in computer games. Since computers can be programmed, moving images can now be done so as well. This means that animation has even metamorphosed into a more effective means of communication. “We can see related developments among Web sites, computer games, e-learning, etcetera. We can see that moving images are now incorporated into Web pages. Moving images are used in e-learning as it is an effective way of showing an idea,” this was further stressed.

Animation finds a niche in computer games which has grown into a big industry (say, empire!). As a form of entertainment, video games bring more to the audience especially that this medium is interactive. Microsoft’s Halo 3, for example, racked up $170 million in sales on its first day of availability, making it the hottest-selling title in video game history. In setting the record, the Xbox 360 exclusive title not only passed the $151 million brought in by the movie “Spiderman 3” in its first day in theaters, but also surpassed the launch of the novel “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Further, film and television are always entwined with animation. Even the word movies mean “moving pictures.” So, in essence, it is a form of animation. Often referred to in this area is the CGI (computer-generated imagery) or special effects. In fact, in a jest, Gollum or Smeagol, remembered for his “my precioussss” hiss in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy would win as Best Computer-Generated Character had there been a category for such in the Oscars.

In addition, television animation is often used in commercials or advertisements to wow audiences which make it easier to catch their attention.

Mendoza also mentioned that the program is offered to provide solid and sound training ground to match available jobs in the industry like character concept artist, environment concept artist, vehicle concept artist, character modeler, character animator, animator, texture artist, environment/background modeler, vehicle/hard surface modeler, and effects artist for games; effects artist and layout artist for TV/movie animation; 3D generalist for commercials; digital sculptor, lighting artist, animator, rendering artist, and layout artist for product visualization.

Concept artists are those who work on the main goal of conveying a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in movies, video games, animation, or comic books before this is put into the final product; while 3D modelers produce 3D models utilizing specialized software for use in movies, video games or animation. Texture artists are those who develop textures for digital media, usually for video/computer games and films/TV shows while 2D/3D animators are those who give movement to objects/models out of the assets that have been made or produced.

As for effects artists, they work on water, smoke, fire, wind or anything that needs simulation.

Moreover, it was learned from Mendoza that UC is also currently offering a Master class in digital character design and painting. However, slots are limited. So, those interested to reserve seats may contact 2318621.

Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

The invite to the Talima Adventure and Water Park in Barangay Talima, Olango Island is made more enticing with the opportunity to try the all-terrain vehicle, otherwise called quad or quad bike.

Prior to the banca cruise, I surfed for pointers on how to learn quickly the basics of ATV driving being inexperienced myself. A variety of sites on practical guides to ATVs read that it is a lot manageable because some ATVs even have six to eight wheels for pleasure purposes while riders are negotiating rough terrains. Further readings boost confidence that it would be a lot easier to learn the ATV over conventional vehicles because it “enables carrying out a number of activities effectively in punishing conditions which were hitherto unthinkable.”

Further, it pays to be with a rah-rah squad – mentors Jun Taneo and Carlo “Joey” Tee, marketing officer for special projects of Islands Group, and colleagues Stephen Ebuna and Chenise Rosaroso – who helped me learn the basics, in less than three minutes, beginning with the body parts and their specific functions, and of course, with emphasis on safety gears (or the essentials) like the knee and elbow pads as well as the crash helmet. In the next 15 minutes, Stephen (onboard a red ATV with a slightly mechanical defect) and I (onboard a black ATV fit for a female rider on first-time high) were off to our “first leg” passing by a fishpond, minding much of the narrow, bumpy dirt road, careful not to fall off into the muddy ditches, and then out to the barangay road happy to be greeted by residents – kids and adults alike – like we’re some celebrities, sort of! I must admit that I was shocked not so much with the command I now have over the quad bike sans prior driving experience but with the courage I mustered to smile again (or was that grinned?) at total strangers. Perhaps, that was what psychologists described as the release of serotonins in the gut to signal response to positive events. It’s never too late, indeed, to learn something new – and overwhelming!

The fam tour brought in the group to Arnold and Candie Seafood Restaurant on Stilts in Barangay Caw-oy, also in Olango Island where fresh catch makes it to the table only upon impromptu order. It’s also great to be exchanging small talk over a smorgasbord of gustatory temptations – baked clams, grilled danggit, prawns in sweet and spicy sauce, calamares and sa-ang, crabs, and grouper in sweet and sour sauce, serenaded by Jolito Nacua (on beatbox) and namesakes Rodrigo Abaño and Rodrigo Ompad (both on acoustic guitars) who collectively call themselves the Native Band, having been residents of Talima all their lives.

By the way, the Islands Group Adventure Division sponsored the press familiarization tour last June 5 (Saturday) that’s why I was with my FREEMAN family, specifically the staff of Lifestyle, Entertainment and Business sections. My colleagues came with their partners and kids to try the most up-to-date water recreation systems. Islands Group which launched Islands Banca Cruises last year kicked off the summer of 2010 with the introduction of this new and exciting playing field on water which is facing Punta Engaño, Mactan Island and is a short 10-to 15-minute banca ride from the Hilton Wharf in Punta Engaño.

As the Talima Adventure and Water Park promises unlimited entertainment for the whole family, my workmates and their children tried the park’s main attraction – the Funflatables. It is a water recreation system featuring a giant inflatable slide, water trampolines, and water rollers. It was learned from Carlo Borromeo, group head for Marketing, that for only P200, guests get unlimited access to the Funflatables all day.

Aside from the ATVs (thanks much Joey Tee and Jun Taneo for the two-minute mentoring), they also have land-based activities for island-hoppers to enjoy such as the zipline, the Tarzan Climb, the mountain bike rentals, and many more.

A greater portion of the P100 entrance fee is donated to the Talima Marine Sanctuary whose workers are the custodians of the island, this was further learned.

Funds raised through the collection of an entrance fee are used for the preservation and maintenance of Talima. However, let me clarify that the entrance fee does not include the use of any of the park’s rides and attractions.

Moreover, Talima has tables and chairs on the main pavilion that visitors can use for free. Private cottages are also available for rent at only P500.

For those who would want to stay overnight, an adjacent resort is available with well-appointed rooms, amenities and services. They can provide guests with the assistance necessary to facilitate reservation. Islands Group is also developing a campsite for the second phase of the park’s development.

Feel free as well to bring your own bike as there is no additional charge. Only your boat transfer fare and entrance fee will be collected, this was also learned from Borromeo.

As for food and drinks, these are available for sale in the park so one doesn’t need to worry about getting hungry or thirsty. For environmental and waste management concerns, Talima does not allow guests to bring food into the park. Barbecue meals are available Monday through Saturday, while lechon is offered on Sundays.

Talima is operated by the Talima Adventure and Water Park, Inc. which is a subsidiary of the Islands Group. The park has a banca shuttle service with the following daily trip schedule: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 1 p.m. The last returning boat from the park to the Hilton Wharf is at 4 p.m.

The Hilton Wharf also has numerous public vessels which collect a fare rate of P16 per person, taking visitors to the Sta. Rosa Port, also in Olango Island. From there, one can take a public tricycle for P120 (good for five persons) onboard a five-minute ride to the Talima Adventure and Water Park which is open daily between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Channel further inquiries/concerns through (032) 516-1903 or 09176300736/09152555991, or e-mail: talima.adventure@theislandsgroup.com.

Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

The election gun ban is deemed a bane to two objectives – protecting one’s life and training for practical shooting.

It was noticed that the gun ban has failed, ironically, to deter crimes with the reported increase in gang-related violence victimizing people who could have had a fighting chance had they been armed and trained to handle such properly. Worse, it also prevented eight youngsters from training for their October practical shooting competition in Malaysia.

Junior practical shooters Vince Louie Biscocho, Marco Belarmino and Franz Virgil Pacaldo. (Back row from left) Kevin Alih Cortes, Ariel Angelo Belarmino, Martin Philip Belarmino, Saldie Ver Tan Un Kheng and Sherwin Tan Un Kheng.

In a dry firing session, the regular members of the Team Cebu Junior Shooters supervised by their guardians who tagged themselves “stage fathers” demonstrated their shooting stance. Sherwin Tan Un Kheng, 19 years old, is one of Cebu’s skilled shooters in the Open Division. His brother Saldie Ver, 18, who also shoots in the same division is currently the Cebu shoot-off champion and, matter of fact, carries the title “king of steel”.

Kevin Alih Cortes, 19, is the reigning Austral-Asia Junior champion in the Standard Division. Vince Louie Biscocho, 12, is shooting in the Production Division; Franz Virgil Pacaldo, 12, is current Baby Juniors champion in the Production Division of Cebu. And the Belarminos – Ariel Angelo, 18, is shooting under the Production Division with Martin Philip, 12, as current Cebu Junior champion while 11-year-old Marco competes in the same division.

As its name implies, the Open Division allows for the greatest range of pistol and sight modification designed for competition, this was further learned. The most notable modifications are the use of recoil compensators and red dot optical sighting systems and that the overall length of the magazine is restricted to 170mm. As for the Production Division, it is strictly limited to the use of production handguns that are double-action only, mostly in the caliber of 9mm. Standard Division is limited to .40 caliber pistols and may not have muzzle brakes and red dot optics.

The Belarminos belong to the Kamagong Gun Club (Lahug); the Tan Un Khengs are of the Cebu Pistol and Rifle Associations Gun Club (Lapu-Lapu City). Pacaldo is from the Talisay City Gun Club. Kevin is of the Cortes gunsmith family of Mandaue City.

The plan for the dry firing session popped up after the recent senseless death here of an acolyte whose P500 mobile phone was snatched by alleged gangsters in need of cash to purchase more bottles of beer. He was gunned down. The interest on “young guns” is in connection with prior information that Martin Philip Belarmino serves the altar but keeps a firearm.

“Pang-self defense kay mo-serve man god na siya’g kadlawon like Misa de Gallo,” explains his father, Lowell Belarmino, in an interview at Camp Lapu-Lapu, Barangay Lahug last Tuesday.

“Dili ta katag-an sa panahon. What if mahitabo nila, at least they have a fighting chance,” Lowell added.

It was learned from the boys that they were first lectured on the gun as “never a toy.” In fact, they aren’t allowed toy guns at home. That is part of the training. They were also taught that like the knife or any other bladed instruments, the meaning and purpose of the gun vary or change depending on the person who is holding it. And that just like any other dangerous tools, the gun which carries the impression of being a tool for violence has then upgraded their degree of discipline and maturity.

For the dry firing, they were issued house guns to abide with the law.

The boys mentioned of physical training, sportsmanship, mental alertness, analytical skills and survival skills as the next best things to range safety and etiquettes tackled since day one of training. “Through kids camp (happens twice a year), they are taught the fastest and easiest way to respond given certain instructions and parameters. Exercising judgment call ba,” explain University of Cebu instructors Mr. Joavanni Pacaldo and Mr. Nelson Aldrich Esguerra who accompanied their sons.

In fact, Vince Biscocho noticed of a couple of range users (said to be traders) during that day who committed violations while testing probably new firearms. “Gilili pa gyod ang muzzle. Foul man na,” he said.

As for the “course of fire” that gun ownership has to “competitively play along with,” the elder practical shooters advised their sons to “stick to their guns.”

“If only it were a perfect world, the advocacy for a gun-less society would have worked out well. Pero we are not living in such,” Lowell further said.

“Ours is a society that tolerates criminals. These guys were barred from training for the October tourney but were the criminals banned? Dunay human rights ang offenders, but how about these boys’ right to protect themselves? Or to represent the country?”

“After a nerve-wracking panel presentation cum interview of the 26 shortlisted filmmakers last April 26 at the ABS-CBN Complex in Quezon City, “Ang Damgo…” written by (Maria Victoria) Bambi Beltran and to be directed by me emerged as one of the seven finalists commissioned by Cinema One Originals with one million pesos budget each,” confirms director Remton Siega Zuasola on this project which would serve as his first feature-length film.

“All seven films are expected to be finished by September this year in time for the Cinema One Originals Awards Night on November,” he added.

The story is about Eleuteria Duhaylungsod who married German national Hans Kirshbaum not for love but because she “just really got fed up with the hardship in the Philippines.”

Eleuteria sees Hans as her “would-be savior from a life that has nowhere to go but poverty.”

She shares in the plight of certain Filipino women who married foreigners – they who hope for a better life through cross-cultural marriages but end up “half-full and half-empty” inside; partly gratified, partly frustrated.

“Ang Damgo…” was originally written by Beltran in the Sinugbuwano language but was translated by Jad Conde and edited by Cora Almerino.

Beltran, who is a writer of poetry, fiction, children’s story, play, and script in Cebuano and English, is changing the setting of the story from Guindulman (Bohol) to Olango Island and is spicing up the story with more details to meet full-length feature project requirements.

She starred in “Ang Pagbalik” – a recipient of the Gawad CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) Best Regional Entry and 2nd Best Short Feature, which was also shortlisted in the recent Gawad Urian. She is no stranger to Cinema One Originals as she not only co-produced but also starred in “Confessional” (directed by another Bisdak pride, Jerrold Tarog). It is a multi-awarded full-length film that bagged the Best Foreign Feature Film in the CineFan Film Festival in New Delhi, India in 2007. Confessional is a Cinema One original also shot here in Cebu.
Since 2005, Cinema One Originals has discovered and nurtured new filmmaking talents. The competition aims to fuse commercial filmmaking and the fresh, indie approach to produce extraordinary products of cinema.

Further, it was learned from Zuasola that “To Siomai Love” made us again Cebuanos very proud after it recently reaped the title “Pinakamahusay na Maikling Pelikula” (Best Short film) in the Gawad Urian 2010. This 26-minute Cebuano film earned for Zuasola the Cinemanila Young Cinema in Competition plum last year and was hailed Best Short Film at the Cinemanila International Film Festival also in 2009.

In relation to the “Ang Damgo…” development, a casting call notice has already been posted at the www.sinebuano.com site. Email remton_zua@yahoo.com and bambibeltran@gmail.com for inquiries.

by Ma. Eleanor E. Valeros

Some would miss the old trail to Casaroro. It was more challenging, and reaching the Casaroro basin would earn for one the bragging rights. I remember a post from a friend in high school: “Nindot gyod to sa una, (you) hold on to vines and big tree roots. Then you slip a little, tumble a little, here and there. Unlike today…”

Yes, unlike today, Casaroro then was free of those concrete pathways and steel stairs and hanging bridge and the viewing deck that didn’t last that long. Unlike today, it was not accessible to everyone. It was more for the adventurer – not merely picnickers who leave behind trash and the impact of their noise to plants. Today, it carries a diminished level of difficulty and challenge.

But whether it’s already in it’s “concrete state” or still with a muddy path – that was not the big deal to me. I made a side trip to Casaroro two years ago because it was there, I believe, that my pack’s dreams to summit Mt. Talinis would take shape.

I was supposed to arrange for a Valentine Climb to Talinis for my group of six trekkers. Four middle-aged men I met in Dumaguete City advised me to come to Casaroro and look for veteran porters to Talinis – Junior and Daloydoy. The two were working on the view deck structure when I came. At lunchtime, I shared a meal with them – a mix of rice and corn grits and “inun-unang bulinaw” placed in shiny coconut shells.

“How much would it take to ferry my things to Talinis,” I inquired – the slosh of that frothy water from single-veiled Casaroro cascaded to score the conversation and with that gentle breeze easing a humid post-noon.

I heard P1,500. No, I was given the chance to haggle.

“Would you take P1,000? I’m no big earner. Just big spender,” I tried to be comic. “No” was the answer. “Rate is fair.”

In observing my own pace, the climb would take three to four days if good weather permits. For backtrack, such entails a steep trail if rain prevails. “Or we can make it to Lakes Yagumyum and Nailig and then back to Casaroro,” Junior proposed in the lilting, sing-song tone of a Sibulanon. “No, I want a glimpse of the summit,” I retorted with dogged determination.

“P1,500 then plus (Vino) Kulafu and cigarettes. Kapoy baya’ng Apolong Trail.”

I understand. Apolong Trail is of “medium difficulty.” But to the porter’s rate, my entrails protested. “No way, we’re not climbing to party or to pollute the air,” I said.

“Just for us to (be able to) relax. P1,500 for two people on alternate. Summit, then exit at Dauin (two towns away from Dumaguete).”

Agreed. I got bombarded with text messages afterwards. But after a few exchanges, I failed to return. I had a date with the stork. Furthermore, my pack has pursued the next best thing to mountaineering. One works in New Zealand, two in Canada. Still another is with the Balangay Expedition in a record attempt to trace the balanghai route in Southeast Asia with the Diwata ng Lahi team. And one tries to amass a fortune with his stint in the forwarding industry. After giving birth, and rearing my now two-year-old son, what am I supposed to do for the rest of my life? Just work and babysit?

Recently, I went back to Valencia in Negros Oriental and passed again at Casaroro. I still want Mt. Talinis, badly! The universe must have conspired this time because I discovered a different road. One that Romy Garduce took when he was with the UP Mountaineers in 1996.

The trail considers the degree of difficulty for plain “tourist trekkers” over enticing the more seasoned climbers. I must admit my spirit is still very much willing; however the birthing process has taken its toll on my body. I am never that strong again for a journey as such. I have sagged, bent, wrinkled and crinkled. I have blood pressure to manage, a diet to watch; I’m plump, overweight; and my lungs get busted easily by changes in the altimeter.

Here are the challenges posed: “In all trails, the area acclivity can reach up to 80 to 90 degrees. This makes it very difficult to climb the trails and very dangerous on the way down. People become prone to leg cramps and heat exhaustion. Area soils often become loose, crumbly, and rocky and very muddy when wet. The nature of the area’s soils makes the trails and pathways very slippery, offering little traction. Trekkers are required to be extremely careful when hiking alongside ravines/cliffs or descending.”

“Although one encounters dense forest cover along the major parts of the trails, some areas lack forest cover and are dominated mainly by cogon grass which increases the possibility of snakes in the area.”

“Also, thorny ferns and poison ivy grow abundant along the trails. Trekkers should be careful lest they become itchy and irritable during the rest of the climb. And warned against limatik or alimatok (leech) and other wildlife like wild cats (civet cats) and wild boars in the area.”

Nevertheless, I still have Bidyao Route – my last option to quench a lust for Lakes Nailig and Yagumyom and of course, the zenith of Mt. Talinis. I must take it or forever wonder what’s the view from up there – 5,900 feet above sea level – where heaven is just an inch away. And worse, regret not seeing an impression of a lifetime that the peak could create on me.

“We can take Bidyao,” tourist guardian Jason Albert Señagan of the Negros Oriental Tourism Office advised. “You can come with my Czech friend and you be his guest,” he said.

Some would certainly miss the old trail to Casaroro, the same way I do. It was more challenging, and reaching the Casaroro basin would earn one the bragging rights of being a certified nature freak. There, the hiss of the 70-foot Casaroro drop continues to score the echo of Junior’s and Daloydoy’s voices: “P1,500. Take it or leave it.”

Maria Eleanor E. Valeros
Photos by Aldo Nelbert A. Banaynal

Solar halos or sun dogs (also called mock suns or false suns because the bright spot in the sky resembles a small sun to the right and/or left of the actual sun) make man suffer from both physical and mental blindness.

Look at what you’ve done last May 7! You’ve taken an “unprotected” look and a couple of snaps, in wonder at that brightly colored oval around the sun. Afterwhich, you jumped into passing around text messages associating the optical phenomenon to that of a paranormal activity coupled with doomsday tales.

Well, you could be heading for doom in a way. No, not exactly you – but your (very sensitive) retina. Cebuano astronomer Christopher Go said that we are to shield both eyes when looking at a sun dog – common name for an optical effect known as “parhelion” or a type of halo usually found in pairs, on the edges of a 22-degree halo on either side of the sun formed when plate-shaped ice crystals drift down through the sky with their flat faces almost horizontal.

“I would like to emphasize to those photographers and viewers about the dangers of looking at the sun directly either with a camera or with the naked eye.  Doing so will result in permanent blindness,” Go warns.

In an electronic mail exchange, Go shared tips to never stare at a sun dog even for a moment; to preferably, hide from the sun behind the edge of a building or a post; to take care when photographing halos if the unshielded sun is in the field of view; and reiterated that it is dangerous to look at the sun through some camera viewfinders, especially SLRs (single-lens reflex cam).

Another site – wxdude – affirms that to see a sun dog or to photograph it, you need to shield your eyes from the sun’s rays with the edge of a building or other object, as looking into the sun can cause eye damage, even blindness.

“So please always block the sun’s view when looking upward. And when you do, you may see other optical effects around the sun or moon including arcs and coronas which are all effects of light passing through differently shaped ice crystals,” the wxdude content reads.

Sunlight, moonlight and water vapor work the angles of the atmosphere to produce brilliant, evanescent light shows and or optical phenomena. Says Wisconsin sky observer Anita Carpenter: Our atmosphere – the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth – is “composed of several gases, primarily nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide. Water vapor and minute bits of dust, salt and clay-silicate particles swirl about in the mixture.”

“The atmosphere has four vertical layers that radiate from Earth and vary by temperature and composition. Proceeding from the ground outward, they are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere.”

“All of the optical phenomena – halos, sun dogs, sun pillars, coronas and rainbows – are produced at specific levels in the troposphere, which extends from the surface up to about 12 kilometers, eight miles or 42,000 feet depending on which measuring stick you pick.”

Further, halos appear in our skies far more often than do rainbows. According to a similar site used by Go as cross-reference – atoptics – in the United Kingdom, halos can be seen on average twice a week in Europe and parts of the United States. The 22° radius circular halo and sun dogs are the most frequent.

Halos on 22º radius are visible all over the world and throughout the year. Look out for them (with eye care!) then whenever the sky is wisped or hazed with thin cirrus clouds. These clouds are cold and contain ice crystals in even the hottest climes.

Does it foretell of rain? Not necessarily. Atoptics mentioned that high cirrostratus cloud forms the halo and this same cloud is on the advancing edge of warm fronts with their associated heavy rain. If a wind stirs from the southwest, the sky becomes hazy, a halo forms around the sun which is then dimmed and finally obscured by increasingly thick cloud then rain is likely within a few hours. But many halos are not associated with frontal systems and to see one is not a reliable sign of bad weather.

“They are things of beauty, not bad news,” it added. Certainly, none of the bad omen the awesome sight had stirred on May 7, huh?
Another health concern, I would want to raise is the tendency of man to be blind to things we are not aware of that exist. So, it really pays off to learn atmospheric optical effects to avoid labeling scientific phenomena as “strange” or “signs of the end times.”

The next time the sky bothers you, email chris@cstoneind.com for “heavenly” answers. Go has been an amateur astronomer since 1986, the year of the return of Halley’s Comet and studied at the University of San Carlos where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. While a student there, he along with his friends organized USC’s first ever Astronomical Society.

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros

Two years ago, I found her on a solo flight aboard a motorcycle-for-hire I rented for P250 (the whole day) in Sibulan town, excluding gas purchases. During the weekend, I did return expecting a cozy ride aboard a van with no more of the dirt road in sight.

However, I find the P3,000 van rental for 12 hours too dear for only four people. So, I gave in to the suggestion of Negros Oriental tourist assistance officer/tour guardian Jason Albert “Kuya JAC” Cornelia Señagan to take a motorcycle for rent at Ting-Ting’s in downtown Dumaguete City which charged us P20 an hour.

The itch to return to Sibulan is connected to the lust I have never learned to tame for her – Lake Balinsasayao.

Serene. Reserved. Cool. Placid. Awesome. These are all overused terms to describe her. These, which all the more underrate her, because such also mean measuring her in terms perceptible.

Truth be told: Lake Balinsasayao will forever be a mystery.

A furious Mt. Guintabon blew its top, believed thousands of years ago, creating a caldera which served as catch basin for rainwater. The caldera was said to be discovered by a certain Don Miguel Patero in 1885. Now, with a surface area of 76 hectares and a depth of 90 meters, it serves as natural playground for those wanting to go boating and kayaking or do hiking/trekking on trails at the bank of the lake.
Twin Lakes Natural Park is said to be the home of 180 species of dipterocarp and non-dipterocarp trees, 113 species of birds including serpent eagles and the swifts (balinsasayaw) that one of the lakes was named after, 27 mammals, and 49 amphibians and reptiles. Age-old trees, giant ferns and other exotic plants and orchids are among her natural inhabitants. Wild rare vines freely cling to the barks of the trees too. The Almaciga tree, the tallest tree in the Philippines, which grows up to 60 meters tall, can still be found there.
Sad to note, but I do understand that swimming which entails the risk of accidents and also of polluting the area has already been prohibited. So I failed to make my “return flip” from out of the boat to the waters somewhere near the center of the lake.

However, my motorcycle crashes did a repeat. On my way up there last time onboard a Honda Wave motorcycle, my driver and I crashed two times because of the potholes and the rocks scattered all over the road. Last Friday, on our way home, my companion (on his ‘first time’ out there) maneuvered a bend and got pretty jittery at the sight of an oncoming, speeding “habal-habal” that his reflexes sent him manipulating both hand and foot brakes. We sealed the adventure with scratch marks and aching bones.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend this destination onboard a motorcycle, sans the expertise for the terrain, for those who are faint-hearted; or those who design their ITs like their study skeds or household chores. However, because the road to the Twin Lakes is for those who have deep admiration as to how nature changes the landscape with all of her glory, I think that this would motivate you to go for the kill (lol!).

The view from up there – and a dash of soul searching – more than compensates for the bumpy, risky ride.
Further, it was learned from Kuya JAC that the Twin Lakes Natural Park is part of the 133,000-hectare geothermal reserve managed by the Philippine National Oil Company. The 8,016.50 hectares belonging to the natural park straddles the three municipalities of Sibulan, Valencia and San Jose in NegOr.
By the way, the lakes are contained in adjacent calderas 1,000 meters – and not feet – above sea level and are separated by a ridge more than 20 meters in width. The lakes are completely surrounded by thick forests and lush vegetation of about 3,462 hectares spread over the Guintabon, Kabalin-an and Guinsayawan mountain ranges which serve as protection dikes to the lakes. Mount Guintabon is 1,262 meters above sea level and Mount Guinsayawan is 1,788 meters above sea level. While Lake Balinsasayao has a surface area of 76 hectares, Lake Danao has 30.
If you think you are most fit for the journey, connect and bond with Kuya JAC through the Provincial Tourism Office at the Sidlakang Negros Village, Piapi, Dumaguete City through office telefax (6335) 225-1825/422-0675 or mobile: 09068493390.

Don’t forget to drop by Jo’s Chicken Inato By the Sea in Sibulan for their yummilicious “tinolang manok sa buko” with pepper leaves. It’s been a while since I tasted soup with “dahon sa siling labuyo” so I find the place worth marking, most especially that they have these cute outrigger-designed meal tables under the canopy of century-old acacia trees. Do also check Gina’s Kabayo-an in Dumaguete City for a variety of dishes aside from the lechon kawali, crispy pata and horse meat. We stayed at La Moriah Pension Inn which offers Barkada package worth P800 good for four persons.

The pack spent nearly P4,000 for the two-day trip to Sibulan and Valencia towns and Dumaguete City including overnight accommodation. The eerie, spooky tour to the Cata-al World War II Museum in Valencia with Felix Constantino “Tantin” Cata-al, the collector himself, would however take a separate story. It pains to be seeing again memorabilia of a hurtful past – and holding an Arisaka rifle with its still sharp ‘bayoneta’ – but this is the way things are for some. Maybe, teaching us a lesson that though we can win in some wars, bottom line is we are all sure losers as we cannot take back lives and let them watch how we have learned from their struggles today.

Maria Eleanor Elape Valeros
Photos by Aldo Nelbert A. Banaynal