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PPICommunityPressAwards
•Best EditedWeekly 2003 & 2007•Best in Photojournalism1998, 2005 & 2008
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ISSN–1655-3853 • JULY 17 - 23, 2009 • VOL. 30, NO. 29 • 8 PAHINA • P10.00
PNP: NPA sa Central Luzonkayang maigupo sa 2010
Imposible, sabi ngmilitante, hangga’tkahirapa’y patuloy 
N
I
D
INO
B
ALABO
KAMPO OLIVAS, Pampanga — Kayang supilinsa 2010 ang insureksyon sa Gitnang Luzon, ayonsa direktor ng pulisya sa rehiyon, ngunit para sa mga lider ng militanteng grupo imposibleng masupil ito hangga’t patuloy ang kahirapan.
Chief Supt. Nilo Dela Cruz
PNP Region-3 Director 
Aurora Broquil
Tagapasalita ng KPD
Matatandaan na sinabing Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas noong nakaraang taon na tuluyan nang mai-gugupo ang insureksyon sa 2010, batay na rin sa ta-ning na panahon na itinak-da ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“I think it can beachieved
(Sa palagay kokaya itong maisagawa),
”
ani Chief Supt. Leon NiloDela Cruz, ang direktor ng pulisya sa Gitnang Luzonnang siya ay makapana- yam ng 
Mabuhay 
sa him-pilan ng pangrehiyong pu-lisya sa kampong ito noong Hulyo 6.Imposible ang pahayag ni Heneral Dela Cruz, ayonkina Aurora Broquil, ang tagapagsalita ng Kilusanpara sa Pambansang De-mokrasya (KPD), at JosephCanlas ng Alyansa ng Mag-bubukid sa Gitnang Luzon(AMGL).Nang makausap ng 
Ma-buhay 
ang dalawa sa cellphone bago ilimbag ang sipina ito, sinabi nila na ha-bang patuloy na itinatangging administrasyon ni Pa-ngulong Arroyo ang ugatng insureksyon ay hindi pa rin ito masusupil.Si Dela Cruz naman aynakapanayam ng 
Mabu-hay 
dito sa Olivas mataposniyang ilunsad ang bagong text hotline ng pulisya sa rehiyon. Tumawag sa hot-line 700-7673, kung may-roong iuulat na krimen osakuna sa Gitnang Luzon. Ayon kay Dela Cruz,mula noong Nobyembre aysunod-sunod ang mata-gumpay na operasyon ng PNP laban sa New People’s Army (NPA). Naaresto onapatay ang mga matataasna pinuno ng NPA sa Ba-taan, Aurora at Pampanga.“
They are demoralizeddue to our successful opera-tions
. Sunod-sunod ang 
ac- complishment
namin
in partnership with the Army’s Northern Luzon Com-mand
,” sabi ng direktor ng PNP sa Gitnang Luzon.Binigyang diin din niDela Cruz na ang mga 
SANDSANDSANDSANDSAND A A A A ATTTTT ANG ISINUK  ANG ISINUK  ANG ISINUK  ANG ISINUK  ANG ISINUK O NG MGA REBELDEO NG MGA REBELDEO NG MGA REBELDEO NG MGA REBELDEO NG MGA REBELDE
—Magiliw na nakikipag-usap si Pangulong GloriaMapacagal Arroyo sa isa sa mga katutubong Aeta
(itinago ang mukha para di makilala)
na naging kasaping rebeldeng Komunista sa Gitnang Luzon na nag-balik-loob sa pamahalaan. Nagtungo ang Pangulosa Lubao, Pampanga noong Marso 9 kung kailanisinagawa ang seremonya ng pagsuko ng mgarebelde. Ang kapalit ng mga isinukong sandata aypondo upang ang mga dating rebelde ay makapag-hanap-buhay sa ilalim ng Social Integration Programng Office of the Presidential Adviser on the PeaceProcess (OPAPP) na pinamumunuan ni SecretaryAvelino Razon Jr.,
(kanan)
na dating Director Generalng Philippine National Police
(PNP)
. Ayon kay ChiefSupt. Nilo Dela Cruz, hepe ng PNP sa Gitnang Luzon,mawawakasan na nila ang insureksyon sa rehiyon sa2010 dahil sa matagumpay nilang operasyon labansa mga rebelde na nagresulta sa pagka-aresto opagsuko ng mga kasapi nito.
—
OPAPP P
HOTO
kasapi ng Rebolusyunar- yong Hukbong Bayan(RHB) ay nabibilang na lamang ngayon sa mga pangkaraniwang bandido. Ang RHB ay ang gru-pong humiwalay sa NPA noong dekada ’90 dahil sa pagkakasalungat ng pana-naw ng mga pinuno ng grupong Komunista sa ka-nilang ideolohiya. Ayon pa kay Dela Cruz,ilan sa mga kasapi ng RHBna kanilang nadakip aysangkot sa mga kaso ng pangingikil, holdap at ma-ging sa mga kaso ng kid-nap-for-ransom.“Wala nang ideology sa kanila, dahil economics na ang kanilang interest,” aning heneral sa 
Mabuhay 
.Sinabi niya na batay sa kanilang pag-aaral ng mili-tary history, ang pagtalikodng mga rebelde sa kanilang 
sundan sa pahina 6
 
2
JULY 17 - 23, 2009
EDITORIAL
Alfredo M. Roxas, Jose Romulo Q. Pavia, JoseGerardo Q. Pavia, Joey N. Pavia , Jose VisitacionQ. Pavia, Carminia L. Pavia, Perfecto RaymundoJr., Dino Balabo
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CIRCULATION
Robert T. Raymundo, Armando M. Arellano,Rhoderick T. RaymundoThe
Mabuhay
is published weekly by theMABUHAY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
—
DTI Permit No. 00075266, March 6, 2006 toMarch 6, 2011, Malolos, Bulacan.The
Mabuhay
is entered as Second Class MailMatter at the San Fernando, Pampanga PostOffice on April 30, 1987 under Permit No. 490;and as Third Class Mail Matter at the ManilaCentral Post Office under permit No. 1281-99-NCR dated Nov. 15, 1999. ISSN 1655-3853Principal Office: 626 San Pascual, Obando,Bulacan
 
 
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P520 for one year or 52issues in Metro Manila; P750 outside Metro Manila. Advertising baserate is P100 per column centimeter for legal notices.
Jose L. Pavia
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Perfecto V. Raymundo
 Associate Editor
 Anthony L. Pavia
Managing Editore-mail
mabuhaynews25@yahoo.com
Kastigo
B
IENVENIDO
A. R
 AMOS
Kritikal ang kalagayan ng bansa
NANATILING nasa krisis ang Pilipinas — hanggang ngayong matatapos na ang may 10 taonding panunungkulan bilang pa-ngulo ni Gng. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo. Batay sa prubisyong anim na taong panunungkulan(ng walang reeleksyon) ng Pu-nong Tagapagpaganap, lumilitawna si Aling Gloria ang may pina-kamahabang panunungkulan bi-lang Pangulo.Pero bakit sa halip na umun-lad at maging payapa ang bansa ay tila nabalaho pang lalo ito sa kahirapan, kaguluhan at nakaka-hiyang kalagayan sa piling ng mga bansa sa mundo?Bakit sa halip na mapulbos(umano) ang Abu Sayyaf Group(ASG) ay tila lalong lumakas ito,patuloy na nangingidnap ng mga dayuhan at mga gurong ang layunin lamang ay tumulong sa mga mamamayan ng Mindanao?Bakit sa halip na madurog ang mga drug lord at illegal drug traf-ficker, na dating nagpupuslitlamang dito ng bawal na droga,ay nagkaroon ng tapang na ditona magtayo ngayon ng labora-toryo at mga tiyangge ng shabu?Nasaan ang ipinagyayabang 
Sikreto ng Bulacanlaban sa A H1N1
KATULAD ng isang sunog, mabilis na kumalat at lumaganap sabuong mundo ang influenza A H1N1 virus.Sa kasalukuyan, nakarating na ang “swine flu” sa 134 nabansa. Ang bilang ng mga nahawa sa sakit ay 99,103 mula noongAbril 15 at 476 ang naitalang namatay batay sa ulat ng World HealthOrganization noong Hulyo 6. Kaya sa unang tingin ay nakaka-pangamba ang sitwasyon. Lumalabas na parang walang lugar nahindi kayang abutin ng A H1N1 virus.Ngunit iba ang sitwasyon sa Bulacan na unang nakapagtalang positibong kaso ng “swine flu” noong Hunyo 15. Sa unang linggong pagkakumpirma ng kasong A H1N1 sa lalawigan ay walo angnaitalang positibo, at umakyat ang bilang sa 27. Sa huling tala ngDepartment of Health noong Hulyo 16 ay 35 na ang positibo. Hindinakapangangamba ang bilang na ito kumpara sa 112 kaso na naitalasa Pampanga ilang linggo matapos maitala ang unang walong kasosa Bulacan. Bumagal kung hindi man ay unti-unti nang napigilanang pagkalat ng sakit na A H1N1 sa Bulacan, samantalang sa ibanglugar sa bansa ay lalong tumataas ang bilang.Sa kalagayang ito, maitatanong natin: ano ang ginawa ng Bu-lacan upang mapabagal at unti-unting mapigilan ang pagkalat ngsakit na A H1N1 sa may tatlong milyong Bulakenyo? Ano ang sikretong Bulacan laban sa A H1N1?Simple lang. Walang tigil ang kampanya para sa kalinisan sapangunguna ng pamahalaang panglalawigan. Matulad man sasirang plaka, paulit-ulit nilang ipinayo ang tamang paghuhugas ngkamay, tamang pag-ubo, ang paglilinis sa kapaligiran, ang pag-uulat ng mga kaso at ang paghahatid ng tamang impormasyon.Hindi nag-iisa ang pamahalaang panglalawigan sa kam-panyang ito. Maging ang mga paaralan, pribadong sektor, mganegosyante at pahayagang ito ay nakiisa sa pamamagitan ngpaghahatid ng tamang impormasyon sa sambayanang Bulakenyo.Ang pagkakaisa ng sambayanang Bulakenyo sa paglaban saA H1N1 ay karugtong ng pagkakaunawa ng bawat isa na angkinabukasan ng ating pamayanan ay nakasalalay sa kamay ngbawat isa sa atin.Ito ay nangangahulugan na mayaman man o mahirap, bata omatanda, babae o lalaki, ang bawat isa sa atin ay magkakaugnayat may tungkulin para sa isa’t isat.Ito rin ay nagpapatunay na sa bawat pagsubok lumalabas angtunay na kabutihan ng isa’t isa na handang kumalinga sa kapwa.Nakakataba ng puso ang mga larawang ito. Nawa ayipagpatuloy natin ang pagtutulungan at pagkalinga sa bawat isa.Ito ang sikreto upang makamit natin ang kinabukasang mayhigit na kaunlaran at pag-asa.
EDITORYAL
ng mga matataas na pamunuanng AFP at PNP na bago mataposang termino ng panunungkulanni GMA ay dudurugin ang ASG,New People’s Army (NPA), at ang mga sindikato ng kriminal?Laging ipinagyayabang niGng. Arroyo na mahusay siyang ekonomista, na sa kabila ng mga pandaigdig na krisis sa pana-nalapi, ang ekonomiya ng Pili-pinas ay namalaging matatag.Pero bakit may apat na milyong literal na nagugutom, may 16 na milyon ang walang trabaho opadamput-dampot ng trabaho?Sa kabilang dako, sa mga hu-ling Statement of Assets and Li-abilities (kung hindi dinaya atpinaliit), nabunyag na naging doble ang yaman at ari-arian nina Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo, mga senador, at mga tong-gresista (lalo na ang naging kasabwat at nasuhulan ni GMA para kumampi sa kanya).Samantalang may limang milyong pamilyang Pilipino ang pinagkakasya ang P50 para sa araw-araw na gastos. Maraming bata ang hindi nakapag-aaral,nagsisiksikan sa silid-aralan na tumutulo ang bubong o puma-pasok sa eskuwela ng walang baon o hindi kumakain! At upang patunayan marahilni Aling Gloria na umuunlad nga ang kabuhayang pambansa, pa-tuloy siyang naglilibot sa iba’tibang bansa, karay ang mga kau-tutang-dila’t kasabwat niyang mga tonggresista at asa-asawa omistress ng mga ito. Dahil “nana-nagana” nga ang bansa, kahithindi Pasko ay namumudmod ng milyun-milyong nasa brown en-velope ang Malakanyang sa mga bully boy, lapdog, at maging sa mga obispo (para tumahimik ang mga alagad ng simbahan anoman ang gawing imoral at uncon-stitutional ng Administrasyong  Arroyo?).Pero kung ito man ang tunayna kalagayan ng Pilipinas sa kasalukuyan, matitiyak na iba ang sasabihin ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa kan- yang State of the Nation Address.Dahil napasimulan na ang pagsisinungaling, itutuloy na ang pagsisinungaling hanggang wa-kas. Akala kasi ni Aling Gloria ayisang lahi ng mga bobo at utu-utoang mga Pilipino!
Buntot Pagé
P
ERFECTO
V. R
 AYMUNDO
Mga nagnanais na maging pangulo
BAGAMA’T mahigit na siyam na buwan pa bago sumapit ang halalang pampanguluhan sa Mayo ng susunod na taon, maymga lantaran nang nagpapa-hayag ng kanilang hangaring maging pangulo ng ating bansa.Sa isang forum na ipinatawag ni dating Pangulong Fidel V.Ramos, nagsidalo sina DefenseSecretary Gilbert Teodoro,MMDA Chairman Bayani Fer-nando, Senador Loren Legarda,Senador Mar Roxas, SenadorDick Gordon at Senador Chiz Es-cudero.Hindi nakasama sa nasabing forum sina Bise Presidente NoliDe Castro at Senador Manny Villar, na tiyak ding magsisitakbopara pangulo.Sa sarili kong palagay, kapag hindi puwedeng tumakbo si dat-ing Pangulong Joseph Estrada,malamang na patakbuhin niya ang kanyang anak na si SenateMinority Floorleader JinggoyEstrada.Kayo, ano sa palagay ninyo?
Pulitika sa Meycauayan
SA PAGKAMATAY ni dating Mayor Eddie Alarilla ay muling konsehales. Ang isa pang nais na maging alkalde ng Obando ay si kasa-lukuyang Bise Alkalde Ding Pantanilla ng Barangay Paliwas.May balita na si dating AlkaldeZoy Santiago ang kanyang ma-giging bise alkalde.Si dating Alkalde Nesty Joa-quin ay may balita na nagnanaisna muling magbalik bilang pu-nong bayan. Tila yata si konsehalGaudioso Espinosa ang kanyang bise alkalde.Maganda ang labanan ngayonsa pagka-alkalde sa Obando.Maraming lider ng mga pulitikoang tiyak na magkakapera.Sta. Banana!
Nicolas vs. Villarica
PINASOK na ng mga kababa-ihan ng Bulacan ang kongreso. Sa Ika-1 Distrito ay babae ang kinatawan. Sa Ika-3 Distrito aybabae rin ang kinatawan.Sa darating na halalan aydalawang babae ang maglalabansa pagka-kinatawan ng Ika-4 Dis-trito. Walang iba kundi sa ka-tauhan nina Dimple Nicolas atLinabelle Villarica.Sino kaya ang magwawagi?
Doon po sa amin presinto unoSa halala’y botante’y makikipagbunoSa listahan inalis kanilang pangalanDahil di bumoto sa dalawang sunod na halalan.Di lamang sila ang hindi makabobotoSa halalang di alam kung magkakatotooKahit bumoboto sila mula pagkabataKung walang biometrics ay balewala.O, mga kababayang madiskarteWag pabayaan pagiging botanteMuling magtala, sa biometrics sumalalimBoto mo’y liwanag sa bukas na madilim.
* * *
Doon po sa amin, presinto dosMga botante’y nagpapadausdosNoon pang 2007 sila’y nagpatalaSa pag-asang may mapapala.Nagsisamang poll watcher ni mayor Katulad nila’y mga kolabureytor Maghahalalan na muli’y di pa nababayaranSa pagiging poll watcher na pinaghirapan.
* * *
Doon po sa amin, presinto tresBotante’y nagdadasal ng pares-paresTrapong pulitiko, nawa’y di makabalikBingi at manhid sa taong nagpapagibik.Sa hangad nilang sila ay muling ibotoMagbibigay ng isang libong pisong balatoLangit ay lupa’y handa rin ipangakoSa bulaang pangarap nilang inilalako.Pilit sinusuyo kababayang giliwPangako nila’y di nagmamaliwTatlo o higit pang taon sa posisyonNangangako pa rin hanggang ngayon.
* * *
Doon po sa Kampo OlivasBagong linya ng komunikasyon inilabasI-text mo lang daw, pulis ay kikilosSana naman ay hindi padalos-dalos.Mag-text lamang daw sa 700-7673Huwag lang hihingi ng Christmas treeMga manloloko’y maging alistoMalapit na kayong mabisto.
sundan sa pahina 7
Promdi
D
INO
B
 ALABO
Doon po sa presinto namin
naglitawan ang mga nakalabanniya sa pagka-alkalde.Isa na rito si dating MayorTinoy Blanco na sa palagay ng marami ay muling papalaot sa pulitika.Bago namatay si Mayor Eddieay nagawa muna niyang maging alkalde ang kanyang magandang maybahay na si Mayora Joan V. Alarilla. Ayon sa mahihilig sa takbo ng pulitika sa Meycauayan, mahirapdaw talunin si Mayora Joan dahilsa ipinamalas niyang dedikasyonsa kanyang tungkulin, bilang ina ng lungsod ng Meycauayan.
Pulitika sa Obando
NAGLILITAWAN na ang nagna-nais na kumandidatong alkaldesa bayan ng Obando. Una sa kanila ay si kasalukuyang MayorOrencio E. Gabriel o OEG na tiyak na muling tatakbong al-kalde.Maging si Edwin Santos ng Barangay Panghulo ay may ha-ngarin ding tumakbong alkalde. Ayon sa isang taga Paco na aking nakausap ay buo na raw ang tiketni Santos. Bise daw niya si WayoLegaspi at kumpleto na ang mga 
 
JULY 17 - 23, 2009
3
Depthnews
J
UAN
L. M
ERCADO
‘Perpetual fast’
Regarding Henry
H
ENRYLITO
D. T
 ACIO
Cebu Calling
F
R
. R
OY 
C
IMAGALA
Where death is lifeLive one day at a time
“TALK does not cook rice,” theChinese say. “Presidentiables”Chiz Escudero and Loren Legar-da chatter about rice. Specifically,they mutter about kickbacks forimports. They haven’t shownhard evidence — so far.But when did this administra-tion skip a chance to shear “big ticket” items? Never. Be theybroadband deals, road construc-tion, fertilizer or rice.Rice prices spiked in summerof 2008. They surged 36 percentover the previous three years.“This could be the end of the‘Goldilocks era’ when food priceskept an even keel for three de-cades,” BBC noted. “We’re on thecusp of a new era of volatility andrising prices.”The President wasn’t sur-prised, huffed Palace spokesmen.Really? Nonetheless, Ms Arroyoscrambled to shop abroad. In Asia, governments can collapsewhen rice runs short. Premiumprices, then prevailing, stiffed us.Today’s hefty import ordersmean Ms Arroyo is ensuring there’ll be rice in 2010. That’s AS priest, I get to see manypeople already on the verge of death. Their families invite me togive them the last sacraments of the anointing, communion or vi-aticum. If the patients are stillable, I would hear their confes-sions.But it’s the effort to conveythe Christian meaning of suffer-ing and death that I find mostchallenging. I’m aware of the dif-ferent levels of faith that peoplehave, and it’s in how to adapt thedoctrine to their level, such thatthey get to appreciate it, thatwould leave me gasping for divineinspiration.I just can’t dish out the teach-ing in the raw. I need to dress itup, using the appropriate words,tone, arguments and examples. Ialso need a good sense of timing,feeling the pulse of those aroundto see if my words are entering or not. A tricky affair, but allworth it. I learn something everytime I do this.But we actually don’t needsomeone to be dying to savor thetremendous truth about Chris-tian suffering and death. Eachday offers us many occasions toI OPENED the tabernacle door,genuflected before our Lord andgently took out the ciborium. Iopened the pyx (a watch-shapedcontainer for carrying the Eucha-rist to the sick) and placed a hostinside and returned our Lord tothe tabernacle.I slid the pyx into a silkenpouch which has a chord that isworn around the neck and keptunder the sotana. This is so ourLord may hang close to thepriest’s heart. I gathered theother liturgical items and headedfor the car.Priests are encouraged tospend these transit momentspraying to our Lord. I casuallycall them “taking Jesus for a spin”. I find it not only a momentto pray but also to tell Him ev-erything that I happen to pass byor notice. It is also a divine mo-ment to ask our Lord to bless allthe people — including reckless
Forward to Basics
F
R
. F
RANCIS
B. O
NGKINGCO
Buckle up with Jesus
 WHAT is the Asia Pacific Eco-nomic Cooperation Forum?
 APEC was envisioned to be a venue for “economies” withinand around the “Pacific Sea” tocome together to cooperate witheach other. This has been anemerging trend in internationalrelations, for countries or econo-mies around “bodies of water” towork together towards commoneconomic goals.
How to organize local eco-nomic forums?
Here in thePhilippines we have about 240river basins all over the country,and that does not yet includeother biospheres that are boundtogether by common lake shoresand coast lines. Since climatechange is ultimately linked to cli-matic and geophysical changesaround river basins, lake shoresand coast lines, why not buildeconomic cooperation forumsaround these biospheres, APECstyle? This is definitely betterthan having fragmented forumsin each jurisdiction.
 Which has more money? Isit CDM or is it CDF?
Believe itor not, the Clean DevelopmentMechanism (CDM) could be a big-ger source of funding for LocalGovernment Units (LGUs) com-pared to the Countryside Devel-
Fair & Square
I
KE
S
EÑERES
touch base with this crucial truth.The other day, I was invitedto the celebration of the 45
th
wed-ding anniversary of my husband-and-wife teachers in first-yearhigh school back in Tagbilaranalso 45 years ago. The womanwas my English teacher, the manmy vocational (electrical) subjectelectrical.It was an intimate gathering of friends and relatives, and theoccasion turned out to me as a good reminder precisely of theChristian meaning of suffering and death. As different people were calledto give some testimonials, I rel-ished at the sincere expressionsof what they saw and learnedfrom the couple. I myself knowthem as a simple and sincere pair,to the point of being self-effacing,but truly hard working andcheerful. It’s a combination of traits that’s getting rare thesedays.I was the first one to be called.I didn’t prepare anything for thisoccasion, but I found myself say-ing many things, since there were just so much to say and to thankfor. To Ma’am, I said: “With yourbeautiful smile, I learned fastfrom you. That I could now speakand write in what may be calledas passable English was becauseof you.”To Sir, I said: “Thanks a lotfor the electrical skills I learnedfrom you. I’m not known formanual skills, but I must say thatwith my knowledge in electricalcircuitry, my mother came to de-pend on me whenever we hadelectrical problems at home. I al-ways became an instant herowhenever there was a brownout,since I could fix it.”It was what the 5 children saidthat moved me a lot. They arenow all professionals, marriedwith children, looking happy and yet looking simple and unaf-fected. They talked about howthey grew up under the close su-pervision of the parents who com-bined affection and disciplinevery well.They were talking about howthey had to study and work hard,and be quite demanding on theirdaily schedules, and go throughhard times to be able to finishtheir studies and find work. In
continued on page 7
drivers, including myself — whomay need His help both materi-ally and spiritually.Before switching on the igni-tion key, I grabbed the seatbelt.“Excuse me, Jesus,” I whisperedto our Lord. “This will put you inquite a tight spot.” I fastened itgently over my chest then snap-ped it in place. “Now, I’m going to take you for a spin, Lord!”* * *Seatbelts have saved countlesslives from unexpected accidentswhile travelling. But fastening one’s seatbelt can be a bit both-ersome. It makes the driver feelless mobile inside his
 own
car.There are times when it eventightens unnecessarily upon ourbodies with a sudden brake. Howrestless we are to snap it off oncewe have parked our vehicle.Somehow this experience withseatbelts can apply to our liveswhen we have Jesus buckling usup for the
 only
ride of our life. Butthis may sometimes be suffocat-ing for a Christian. Prayer anddevotions aren’t all too attractive,especially when piled up towardsthe day’s end after a lot of work.Sacrifices and trials are readilyavoided if only to lessen the day’smany complications. The Sacra-ments — such as the Holy Massand Confession — become spiri-tual chores that are routinely car-ried out.How is it then that we com-plain about our personal miser-ies? We seem to be packaged forimpatience, irritability, judgmen-tal reactions, impurities inthought and words, pride, lazi-ness and envy. Why can we notseem to resist them or at leastmanage to avoid these potholesof our spiritual life and commit-ments? Why can’t we speed up onthe fast lane towards Heaven?
continued on page 7
opment Fund (CDF). Well, thecomparison is inexact, becauseLGUs are hardly able to have ac-cess to CDF anyway.
 What is CDM?
It is themechanism devised by the firstKyoto Protocol (yes there is nowa second one) for the purpose of allowing industrialized countrieswith greenhouse gas reductioncommitments to invest inprojects that reduce emissions indeveloping countries as an alter-native to the more expensiveemission reductions in their owncountries.
How can LGUs makemoney from CDM projects?
The local government code allowsLGUs to enter into projects in thesame manner that private corpo-rations could. This means thatLGUs, acting on their own or in joint venture with private com-panies, could enter into projectsthat could qualify for CDM in-vestments. Consequently, theseprojects or companies could sellthe carbon credits produced tobuyers representing companiesin the industrialized countries.
Can LGUs own and oper-ate utility companies?
Theanswer is yes, either investing ontheir own, or in joint venture
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Regional cooperation
when computers tally our votesfor the first time. But what aboutthe day after? And who of the “presiden-tiables” has really sketched outa program against hunger? Evenamong those with jobs, almost 14percent suffered “involuntaryhunger, at least once in threemonths,” Social Weather Stationsreports.Hunger is a prison camp. Andmalnutrition is slow-drip torturewhose effects span generations.Scrawny kids are Exhibit A. Asin Togo, Africa, 28 percent of ourchildren, under five, are under-weight. In next door Thailand, itis nine percent.The IQs of wizened kids,borne and nursed by ill-fed moth-ers, will be impaired. “Theirremotes will always lack a but-ton or two.” Every time dismalresults of the International Math-ematics and Science Tests tricklein, we’re reminded of this extor-tionate cost.The chronically hungry far outnumber those held in the coun-try’s 1,069 jails. Last we looked,there were 61,021 inmates heldby the Bureau of Jails Manage-ment and Penology. The ill-fedform about a fifth of our popula-tion Worldwide, UN shows thenumber of malnourished will top1.02 billion this year. This re-verses decades of declines. Theglobal recession could add 103million to rosters of the hungry.Food is the most basic humanneed. Man has a fundamentalright to adequate food. This rightis the bedrock for other humanfreedoms. So, what we have to-day is a massive infraction of hu-man rights.Does that sound abstract? Atthe core of all rights are people.Most are poor. They are not “an-other race of creatures, bound onother journeys,” to borrow a phrase from Charles Dickens.(Rather, we all) are fellow passen-gers to the grave.”“Philippine Human Develop-ment Report 2009” reveals inci-dence of poverty varies widely:from 8.5 percent in Metro Manila,34 percent in Cebu, 54 percent inI AM sure you have heard of this joke before. A young man diedand he faced Peter along the way.Peter told him that he needed toanswer three questions correctlyto go to heaven or else his soulwould go to hell.One of the three questionsPeter asked was to name at leasttwo days of the week whose let-ter start with T. Instead of say-ing “Tuesday and Thursday,” the young man answered, “Todayand Tomorrow.”This brings us to the subjectof yesterday. Well, I am sure a lotof people still live in the past. Infact, some of them may considerthe Beatles song written by PaulMcCartney as one of their favor-ites:“Yesterday, all my troubleseems so far away / Now it looksas though they’re here to stay / Oh, I believe in yesterday. / Sud-denly I’m not half the man I usedto be. / There’s a shadow hang-ing over me. / Oh, I believe in yes-terday.” What about tomorrow? Here’swhat the late Hollywood actor John Wayne said, “We must lookalways to the future. Tomorrow— the time that gives a man or a country just one more chance —is merely one of the many thingsthat I feel are wonderful in life… There’s a lot of things greatabout life. But I think tomorrowis the most important thing. Itcomes in to us at midnight veryclean. It’s perfect when it arrivesand it puts itself in our hands. Ithopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”But yesterday and tomorroware “the two days in every week”in which “we should not worry,”to quote the words of JenniferKritsch. We should be free fromfear and apprehension of thesetwo days. Yesterday should be forgotten“with its mistakes and cares, itsfaults and blunders, its aches andpains.” Yesterday is no longerwith us; it has passed forever be- yond our control. “All the moneyin the world cannot bring back yesterday,” Kritsch wrote. “Wecannot undo a single act we per-formed; we cannot erase a singleword said. Yesterday is gone.”Don’t worry about tomorrow“with its possible adversities, itsburdens, its large promise andpoor performance.” Like yester-day, tomorrow is also beyond ourimmediate control. “Tomorrow’ssun will rise, either in splendoror behind a mask of clouds — butit will rise. Until it does, we haveno stake in tomorrow, for it is yetunborn.” What about today? Kritschpoints out: “Any man can fightthe battles of just one day; it isonly when you or I add the bur-dens of those two awful eterni-ties — yesterday and tomorrow –that we break down. It is not theexperience of today that drivesmen mad — it is the remorse orbitterness for something whichhappened yesterday and thedread of what tomorrow maybring.”Let us, therefore, “live one dayat a time,” urges Charles W.Shedd. “You can plan for tomor-row and hope for the future, butdon’t live in it. Live this day welland tomorrow’s strength willcome tomorrow.”So, today, try to do the follow-ing:Handle the hardest job. Easyones are pleasures. Do not beafraid of criticism. Be glad andrejoice in the other fellow’s suc-cess. Be enthusiastic — it is con-tagious. Be fair and do at leastone decent act.Have confidence in yourself;believe you can do it. Harmonize your work. Let sunshine radiateand penetrate your relationships.Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspi-cion and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share sometreasure. Give a soft answer. En-courage youth. Manifest your loy-
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