Independence and Crisis, America to the Rescue
July 27, 2008

This past July 4th, Americans celebrated their country’s independence, and I feel that for many years, Americans have promoted peace, prosperity, and democracy around the world, and we have been unstintingly generous to all countries that have experienced natural disasters or have been decimated by wars.

From helping to rebuild Germany and Japan after World War II, to US aid in Africa and Asia, the United States has tried to “walk the talk.”

The events of the past few weeks demonstrate the friendship between the Philippines and the United States. In the aftermath of Typhoon Fengsheng (nearly 3,000,000 Filipinos displaced and 1300 Filipinos dead or missing).

The United States immediately sent the USS Stockham to help with the recovery efforts pertaining to the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars and the USS Ronald Reagan to assist the Filipino government in providing subsistence to the typhoon victims.

The American people’s contribution of $690,000 in relief supplies made a difference to 100,000s of Filipinos and their families.

So as we reflect upon recent Independence Day celebrations, let us remember that with freedom and democracy come the responsibility to be a role model for nations around the world.

Please, be active in your local communities; donate time to a local orphanage, volunteer to help teach at local schools, help with clean up projects, etc.

July 4th, is not just about American independence, beer, fireworks and hotdogs; it is about helping others where help is needed most.

Uh Oh OIL Drilling!
July 20, 2008

Officials and members of Pamalakaya, an alliance of small fisher folk organizations in the Philippines, made an appeal to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to convince the Australian offshore mining company Nor-Asia Energy Limited to back-out of conducting oil and gas exploration in the Philippines.

Hope you don’t misunderstood me as an anti-progress? I am for progress, but in a proper process, which should have a long term benefit.

It should be ethical, rational, Democratic, and carefully/strategically planned like what the US is doing (salute!). Oil is our non renewable resource and we should be keen on protecting it or save it for a rainy day.

Who knows our present crisis would lead us to famine and we can use this oil one day or sell it to a higher price at a right time, instead of just 3% benefit for Bohol.

We don’t even know how much profit we make for selling this to outside countries (buyers). There is no transparency from Government’s side (we have the right to know this fact as a citizens of this country).

And then, we all knew that there will be risks and hazards in oil drilling. But do we don’t know if the gains are worth vs. the risk we take?

I can not be blind on this issue because such will harm the future of children now today. What is clear to me is we have already a very big / huge potential in eco-tourism industry.

This particular potential is beyond my wildest imagination could ever be. We are already on the right track to progress with eco-tourism.

What I don’t understand is why we allow people with personal interests to spoil it with un-clear revenues or just assurance.

Let us look at Palawan as a great example. Oil is drilled in Palawan since decade and yet the economy of Palawan is almost stagnant.

Mindanao on the other hand lives mainly on Agriculture and has progressed into many folds since two decades back. This is just a comparison between oil industry and agriculture.

At present, most of the Palawanians still goes to Manila for a job or goes abroad. Their gains are only risks.

Kids and the Ocean!
July 13, 2008

In an American elementary school were there were many bright-eyed 2nd-grade pupils, each one of them was asked to write a sentence about the ocean.

I found these responses rather funny and innocent because these are thought of by little innocent minds that do not know any better.

This question that was asked was from the darling little pupils’ teacher in the States. Here are the young students’ reactions for their teacher.

I will call it “Kids and the Ocean”!

1) This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

2) Oysters’ balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

3) If you are surrounded by ocean you’re an island. If you don’t have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. (Wayne, age 7)

4) Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily. She’s not my friend any more. (Kylie, aged 6)

5) A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy aged 8)

6) My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men and a woman and pots, and comes back with crabs. (Millie, age 6)

7) When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes the wind didn’t blow and the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

8) Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful. I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really! (Helen aged 6)

9) I’m not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad just keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can’t think what to write. (Amy, age 6)

10) Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher, age 7)

11) When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin, age 6)

12) Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Divers can’t go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky, age 8)

13) On vacation my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won’t do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass. (Julie, age 7)

14) The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don’t drown I don’t know. (Bobby, age 6)

15) My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn’t know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)

Let’s Welcome Our New Foreign Writer
July 6, 2008

Today, in this English page edition I would like to take the time to introduce a friend of mine as a new addition to the Bantay Balita family as a columnist.

His name is Tor (for short) Telin who hails from the country of Sweden. He has been a resident of Bohol for a couple of years now and his passion is in the performing arts field.

He is a Teacher, a Composer, Director, a Play Writer, an Actor, as well as a Professional Swedish singer in his country and musician. (Also a comedy man!)

He will start this month by helping ICM in shows, and judging and possibly start training some of the performers who go up on the stage.

Tor has a true love and compassion for the people here and wants to share his professionalism with the people here. I met Tor at a local donut shop and we both started to look and laugh at one another as he noticed the way I spoke was somewhat to his own sentiments as well.

He is upfront and straight to the point. I have been the only lone local foreign media here for three years already here in Bohol.

I thought it would be interesting to invite Telin with all his talents as a writer and columnist who can also talk and share with readers how it is to live in the country of the Philippines as an outsider living on the inside.

He is also from Sweden, a different place as my country is America, and with Tor we can also learn about his culture and how it compares to Philippine and the States.

Tor is being introduced by me as I am the one who studied him and discovered him here while he is here away from the routine of his hectic life in Sweden.

Tor will not come right out in the open about his professional life with just anyone as he has left it all behind him. His daughter in Sweden is also a writer and song composer as well as musician same as her dad who reared her into what she is today in Sweden.

Tor is approachable and a talkative fellow once he is on the right subject (Chicks!) and other topics of interest. (He is just an everyday ordinary man).

I know recently Tor had a conversation with a HNU department head that might be able to use Tor’s expertise in the field of theatre and music.

We share many laughs together and indeed half of what we laugh about is not printable for newspaper material as we do much comedy ad-libbing together until we have laughed so hard with tears falling down from our eyes.

I hope once Tor buddy gets use to writing he can bring a smile or even an advice or a helping suggestion to any of the readers out there.

Also with the international airport coming in, Tor being a foreigner same as I am can do a lot of contributing for the page when it comes to how foreigners are and how to treat them.

Today marks the debut of Bohol media’s second foreign and local writer. Let’s all give Tor a big welcome and email us anytime for ideas on what it is you would like us to write about.

Foreigners if you have noticed by now, are more direct and to the point about issues.

EAST MEETS WEST ARCHIVES:
Hunyo 2008
Mayo 2008
Abril 2008
Marso 2008
Pebrero 2008
Enero 2008