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Arroyo Cites Boracay's Potential on Job Creation Members of Congress stop issuing incendiary statementsPosted: 3/6/2005 5:22:00 PMMoneyplans.net Staff

Kalibo, March 4 Asia Pulse - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here Wednesday that scenic Boracay beach resort will emerge as one of the country's leading sources of jobs both in the medium- and long-term.
The President arrived at the Kalibo Airport here to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the local government of Aklan and the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation (MMC).
This will formalizing the cooperation and collaboration of the government and the private sector in pushing the country's tourism sector and generating more jobs.
She was welcomed at the airport by the residents of Kalibo and local officials led by Governor Carlito Marquez, Representative Florencio Miraflores, and Kalibo Mayor Raymar Rebaldo.
The simple signing ceremony took place in Barangay New Buswang here between Governor Marquez, Congressman Miraflores, Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling, and MMC chairman Eduardo Manese.
"Im very happy to be here and, really, the Philippines is on the tourism map of the world because of the treasure that Aklan has in Boracay," the President said.
Tourism and its downstream industries are among the biggest sources of income of the people in major tourist destinations all over the world.
The Chief Executive thanked the people of Aklan for their "continuing solidarity in moving the province forward, and I ask you all to continue to be united with me so that together, we can make Boracay and Aklan leading agents in the creation of jobs for the medium and the long-term."
Under the agreement, MMC, a leading provider of crew manning and hospitality service personnel for luxury cruise ships in Asia, America and Europe, will invest P150 million (US$2.7 million) to manage and operate ferry services between mainland Caticlan and Boracay Island starting late this year.
Initially, MMC will field 55 units of specially designed 1,000-cc Suzuki vehicles for the efficient and comfortable transport of goods and tourists within the island.
MMC hopes to develop, in collaboration with local officials, a training program for Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students in Aklan colleges, as well as conduct re-training programs to upgrade the skills of those already employed in the island.
The training program includes such basic courses as waitering, bartending, laundry, kitchen operations, housekeeping and front desk operations.
Under the MOU, MMC has committed to donate radar facilities with Automatic Plotting Aid for the hands-on training of maritime students of the Aklan Polytechnic Institute and other Aklan colleges.
At present, MMC is assisting the Aklan State Universitys New Washington campus and the Northwestern Visayas Colleges design the course of its hospitality program.
Lawmakers call for peaceMembers of Congress stop issuing incendiary statementsPosted: 2:34 AM Feb. 28, 2005 By Jude C. Galford III, Ferdie J. Maglalang, Ben R. Rosario & E.T. Suarez - Manila Bulletin
After days of bickering by legislators, members of both chambers of Congress have now come to their senses by opting to stop issuing further incendiary statements and instead appeal for sobriety and peace.
The congressional word war started when some members of the House of Representatives bad-mouthed the Senate by calling for its abolition simply because of misunderstandings over the 2005 budget approval.
This time, however, a number of legislators belonging to the Senate and the House appealed to their colleagues to support the plea of Senate President Franklin Drilon for a "ceasefire" and then work together again as one unified legislative body.
In an open letter by members of the Liberal Party to their colleagues in Congress, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senators Francis Pangilinan, Mar Roxas, and Rodolfo Biazon entreated their colleagues to immediately end their feud.
"During these trying times, we must assure our people that national interest will reign supreme above everything we do as a legislative body," the letter said.
Senator Pangilinan said members of the Liberal Party signed the manifesto to express their unwavering cooperation to the party leadership.
"We must assure our countrymen that national interest will reign supreme above everything that we do as a legislative body," he said.
The appeal letter or manifesto that the senators and 34 representatives signed explained that the impasse between the two chambers would only increase the "ill feelings that our countrymen have towards politics and the legislature."
"Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are at the losing end in this word war and the national interest is compromised. This manifesto is a testament of commitment to the people that we serve, the people that elected us to office," said the legislators in their manifesto.
On this note, Sen. Ralph Recto described the "interparliamentary name-calling" destructive and called for the immediate repair of ties between both chambers.
Recto explained that if the rift were not mended immediately, then the legislature would be weakened from within. He then called for peace and sobriety to reign supreme.
"The House and the Senate are natural allies," noted Recto, explaining further that any fissure between the two should be repaired immediately or other parties can come in with their divide and rule tactic.
The senator observed that internal squabble between the two chambers would only serve one purpose and that is to become vulnerable to degeneration from ill-meaning people or parties.
Senator Richard Gordon, on the other hand, urged for the unity of both Houses as he called for statesmanship to prevail in Congress and not partisan politics.
"We do not have the luxury of time to sit around and engage in endless debates while our country faces a possible meltdown," he warned.
With national debt amounting to P3.81 trillion, Congress must set aside partisan politics and work for the country together.
Senate, House members asked to reconcile
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday called on Senate and House leaders to patch up their differences and not lose the momentum in passing vital legislative measures, notably those aimed at enhancing the government’s revenue to put the country’s fiscal position in right order.
The President made the call as some Congress leaders have traded barbs at each other over the abolition of their respective chambers precipitated by the Senate’s adoption of this year’s P907.6-billion national budget to prevent congressmen from restoring their original congressional allocations.
"I urge Congress to maintain unity and synergy with the Executive as well as push forward in the legislative and administrative reforms to put our fiscal house in order. Our collective solidarity and statesmanship are the hope of this nation," she said in a press conference in Aklan province.
Some congressmen called for the abolition of the Senate in sharp rebuke over accusations that the Senate’s move to pass the House-approved version of the 2005 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) was to prevent congressmen from aligning their own pork barrels.
The Senate has ratified the House report on the 2005 GAB without amendments, doing away with the tedious and arduous deliberations in the Senate-House bicameral conference committee where the willy-nilly of congressional insertions usually took place to protect their own parochial interests.
The Chief Executive said Congress leaders should instead build on the initial gains that were forged in strong partnership with the Executive branch so that the government’s pro-poor agenda of creating jobs and investments would finally bear fruits in the long run.
"Our good start in 2004 and our early gains in the economy in 2005 are solid foundations for greater confidence, more investments, more jobs, and broader prosperity. We must strive forward as one while the iron is hot," she said.
"Keep the legislative train in motion for the economy and come together behind a common plan for the future. Our unity (and) the unity of our institutions of governance are indispensable for the welfare of the Filipino people," she added. (Ferdie J. Maglalang)
Pichay: It’s political immaturity
Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay yesterday urged both the House and the Senate to hold a constructive dialogue to improve theirinter-parliamentary relations as he lamented the word war between both Houses has highlighted the country’s seeming political immaturity.
In a statement, Pichay, vice chairman of the Commission on Appointments, said rather than engage in a slanging match and protect itself to the public at the other’s expense, each House of Congress should justgo back to constructive activities like legislation and oversight on government operations.
"This is embarrassing, we are only exposing the political immaturity of this nation. How can we unite our people when we, its leaders are squabbling for ‘pogi’ points?," Pichay said.
Pichay added that it was unseemly of the Senate and the House to quarrel over the budget on the issue of pork funds, which after all, he said, redounds to more services and funding for their people in the districts.
"The Senate should not seize on this issue to demonize the House as it is our responsibility to provide more resources to our people in our districts. But I believe it does not serve any purpose to continue bickering, it is embarrassing and counter-productive," Pichay said.
Meanwhile, administration solons yesterday called for sobriety among lawmakers as they appealed to President Arroyo to immediately gather important congressional leaders and lead them in threshing out their differences.
The call was issued by House Assistant Majority Leader Antonio Cerilles and Rep. Joel Mayo Almario (Lakas, Davao Oriental), chairman of the committee on games and amusement, who said the President should immediately step into the row considering that House and Senate members belong to her administration coalition.
Cerilles said the President should gather all congressional leaders from the Senate President and House Speaker, majority leaders and their deputies down to the chairmen of the committees on appropriations and on ways and means since the lawmakers’ differences stemmed from the national budget and tax bills.
Almario said the leadership of the House and the Senate should immediately call for a caucus of both chambers before their animosity destroys their inter-parliamentary courtesy and relations.
Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, together with Reps. Fredenil Castro (LP, Capiz) and Danton Bueser (LP, Laguna), appeared unconsolable while others proposed a presidential mediation to iron out the differences between the two chambers of Congress.
Reps. Rodolfo Bacani (LP, Manila), Prospero Pichay (Lakas, Surigao del Sur), Simeon Datumanong (Lakas, Maguindanao), Rufino Biazon (LP, Muntinlupa City), Luis Bersamin (Kampi, Abra), and Antonino Roman (LP, Bataan) aired misgivings about the incident and they vowed support for a "constructive dialogue" between the two chambers.
Earlier, House members led by Reps. Jose Solis (Kampi, Sorsogon), Jesli Lapus (NPC, Tarlac), Benasing Macarambon (NPC, Lanao del Norte), and Gerry Salapuddin (Lakas, Basilan) assailed the senators for openly criticizing the Lower House. They pushed for the immediate opening of debates on proposed constitutional changes in order that the abolition of Senate may be initiated.
Datumanong said that beyond the feud, the more important event that should be noted by the public is the fact that the budget has been approved.
Bacani, Bersamin, and Biazon both called for a moratorium in the exchange of accusations.
"We have to preserve parliamentary courtesy. What is important is for Drilon and De Venecia to sit down and work out moves to preserve harmonious parliamentary relations," said Bacani. (Ben R. Rosario)
NGOs: Sharpen check-and-balance system
Non-government organizations (NGOs), including transport and labor groups, said yesterday that the differences between some senators and a group of congressmen on how the Senate approved the 2005 P907.56-B budget is good for the country as it woud sharpen the system of check-and-balance in government which was enshrined in the Constitution to prevent abuses and excesses in public governance.
The NGOs, led by Jose P. Icaonapo Jr., former governor of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for Greater Manila Region, Florante G. Reyes of the Integrated Labor Organization of the Philippines (ILOP), and law practitioner Francisco B. Sibayan, said the framers of the 1935 and 1971 Constitutions provided a system of check-and-balance in both fundamental laws to safeguard the interest of the people.
They noted that were it not for the bitterness expressed by some congressmen over the decision of the Senate to approve in its entirety the version of the 2005 budget as approved by the House of Representatives, the people would never know that each of the 236 congressmen has P70-million pork barrel and each of the 24 senators has P120-million pork barrel this year alone.
"If it were true that the action of the Senate deprived the congressmen of a chance to raise their individual pork barrel to P70 million and the senators to raise similar pork to P200 million each because the bicameral conference committees of both Houses of Congess no longer met, proved beyond doubt that the country benefited a lot from the hot exchanges between the legislators.
Icaonapo said the Senate move provided a semblance of transparency in the actuations of senators and congressmen as well as of the executive department "This is so because the 2005 budget which contains millions of pesos in pork barrel funds was prepared in Malacañang," he said. (E. T. Suarez)
Boy Negro's choice: Surrender or die Posted 00:10am (Mla time) Mar 05, 2005 By Armand Nocum, Luigi del Puerto, Juan Escandor Jr. - Inquirer News Service
LIBMANAN, Camarines Sur, Philippines -- They gave him a choice of surrendering or be killed. He chose to live.
Four days after hiding in a forested area in Camarines Sur and being wounded during a shootout with the police, the third suspect in the Valentine's Day bombing in Makati surrendered to officials of Barangay Mambulu Nuevo.
A conscience-stricken Gappal Bannah--also known as Boy Negro, Kim Ted Santos and Maidan--said in an interview yesterday he supplied the bombers with the TNT that blew up a passenger bus on Edsa on Feb. 14. The explosion killed four people and wounded more than 100.
"I told him that he would be killed if he did not surrender," said Barangay Councilor German Villaseñor, who negotiated with Bannah for two hours before convincing him to give himself up.
"I also threatened him a bit," he said.
Bannah had been shot and wounded in the buttocks in an encounter with arresting officers on Monday, police said.
Police Director Robert Delfin, the police's top intelligence official, said Bannah was an "ordinary Abu Sayyaf member" ordered to deliver the bomb materials to two men earlier arrested in Mandaluyong City.
Police said Bannah and another person, Jemar Astalik, who is under custody, were also the people who abandoned a bag of explosives in a billiards center in Taguig days after the Makati blast. The police discovered the bag of explosives on Feb. 25.
Asked in an interview on GMA network, Bannah said in Tagalog: "Bale po magbigay po ng TNT (I was the one ordered to give the TNT)."
Pricked by conscience
He said the order came from Abu Solaiman and Abu Khalil. Solaiman is the name of an Abu Sayyaf spokesperson who went on radio to claim the group's reponsibility for the Feb. 14 series of bombings in Makati, General Santos and Davao cities.
Khalil was one of two persons arrested by lawmen after the Makati blast.
Asked why he surrendered, Bannah said: "For the sake of my family. My conscience cannot bear what I did."
Talking to other reporters later, Bannah said that it was his fellow Abu Sayyaf members Khalil and Gamal Baharan, another suspect in custody, who made the bomb and executed the Makati attack.
Reason for surrendering
Baharan and Khalil are facing criminal complaints for multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder.
"I was afraid they [ASG superiors] would ask me again to do something bad. I was also afraid they would kill me and harm my family because I want to get out from the group, that's why I surrendered to the authorities," he said.
"I didn't know they would use it on Valentine's Day in Makati," he added.
According to him, he met his cohorts at a gasoline station in Taguig about 6:30 p.m. last Feb. 13, and turned over to them the bomb-making materials.
Following the deadly bombing, he said he went into hiding, but not before leaving a portion of the remaining bomb materials in a billiard hall in Taguig.
Based on interviews with policemen and town officials, Bannah had hidden in a forested area in the barangay, subsisting on coconuts.
Barangay leaders helped
"When I saw him, he was full of dirt and was soaking wet. He hid in the talahiban [tall grasses]," Villaseñor told reporters.
Villaseñor was able to talk to the suspect because the father of Bannah's common-law-wife, a native of Bicol, works for the barangay councilor.
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya said it was through this network that authorities were able to trace Bannah.
"Immediately after we learned that the police were tracking him in town, we called the ABC (Association of Barangay Captains) president Gerardo Atienza," Andaya told the Inquirer.
"Atienza told all barangay chairs in town to help verify his presence," he said.
Newly born child
Andaya and Camarines Sur Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte said that Bannah's surrender showed that if local authorities and national agencies worked together, peace and order problems could be resolved.
"There was no way out for him. It was really a joint effort by everyone. But his surrender would not have happened if the police had not closed in on him," Andaya said.
There might also be another reason why Bannah surrendered, Villaseñor said.
Bannah's wife gave birth to a child on Jan. 31.
"He really wanted to see that child," Villaseñor said. "That's why he went home that night [Thursday]."
All the time that Bannah was hiding, his wife had no idea where he was or whether he was still alive, the councilor said.
A true Muslim
Then from nowhere, Bannah showed up at his home on Thursday night. He was told of the police offer for him to surrender in exchange for his safety.
He agreed to meet Villaseñor in a rice field where they talked for two hours under the cover of the night.
When he finally accepted the offer, the councilor said he brought Bannah to a place nearby to eat.
"He would not eat pork--he was a Muslim--so I fried fish for him," Villaseñor said.
For four days, before his surrender, a composite team of military and police had been chasing Bannah on foot. A helicopter hovered over forests and villages.
Reward money
The Bicol Police distributed flyers to residents that read: "Boy Negro, surrender now for [a] peaceful dealing with the government, and your rights will be protected."
Yesterday, police presented Bannah to the media.
The local officials who helped facilitate Bannah's surrender will receive P100,000, the police said.
President Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed the surrender of Bannah.
"This solves the entire case," she told reporters in Kalibo, Aklan.
"It was through people's cooperation ... that turned in Boy Negro," said Senior Supt. Romeo Mapalo, provincial director of the Philippine National Police in Camarines Sur.
Grateful wife
Cyril Daza, the 19-year-old wife of Bannah, was thankful after receiving the news that her husband had surrendered and was alive.
"I am still confused at the turn of events and I really don't know what to think of," the young mother said as she cradled in her arms their 2-month-old baby.
Francisco Daza, father of Cyril, said that he hardly knew his son-in-law.
He said all he knew was that the bombing suspect did not even know domestic chores.
He said that Bannah would only hang around the house and from time to time go out to the village square where he played basketball games.
Francisco said that he once asked his son-in-law to help him in his farm work but he told him he did not know how to work in the farm.
Knows little about husband
Cyril said she did not even know the real name of her husband's family.
She said that he had not even told her where he worked and that she did not bother to ask.
Juan Escandor Jr. writes for the Inquirer Southern Luzon Bureau, with a report from Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas Bureau
Arroyo tells Congress to unite, ‘put fiscal house in order’Posted 01:13pm (Mla time) Mar 04, 2005By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez - Inquirer News Service
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reminded bickering legislators on Friday to unite and pass revenue measures that would “put our fiscal house in order.”
“I urge Congress to maintain unity and synergy with the executive, as we all push forward in legislative and administrative fronts to put our fiscal house in order,” the President said in a statement during her visit at the Ding Dela Cruz House of Piña at barangay (village) Buswang in Kalibo, Aklan province.
“Our unity, the unity of the institutions of our governance are indispensable for the welfare of the Filipino people,” she said.
The President also told Congress to “strike forward as one while the iron is hot. Keep the legislative train in motion for the economy and come together behind a common plan for the future.”
“I’ve been calling for solidarity the whole time, so I just wanted to continue to make that call,” the President said.
Several House lawmakers have called for the abolition of the Senate after it passed the House version of the 907.56 billion-peso budget for 2005 that cut their “pork barrel”or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) by 40 percent.
Senator Juan Ponce Enrile responded by saying that if the House could abolish the Senate, then senators could do the same to the House of Representatives.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago suggested that all senators and congressmen commit mass suicide since this would be “best public service to the people.”
The word war is expected to stall the approval of tax bills, including those on the value added tax, which the President has proposed to generate 80 billion pesos for the government.
Heated debates are also expected when the bicameral conference committee tries to reconcile the proposed VAT bills of the Senate and the House.
The House wants an increase in VAT rate from 10 percent to 12 percent and the Senate wants it retained at the present rate, but is pushing for the lifting of exemptions on some sectors such as power and cooperatives. The House has approved a separate bill lifting VAT exemptions.
Senate President Franklin Drilon has called for a congressional ceasefire.
PTA to sell prime resorts, hotels Posted:03/05/2005By Marichu Villanueva - The Philippine Star
To help raise much-needed revenue for the cash-strapped government, the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) has put up for sale some state-owned prime real estate properties.
The PTA has officially released the list of properties up for sale, for lease, and those which can be used in joint venture agreements. The STAR obtained the list contained in a glossy covered folder called "PTA Investment Kit."
PTA general manager and chief executive officer Robert Dean Barbers said the investment kit can also serve as a guide on how to participate in the bidding, which is open to both foreign and local investors, for the "outright sale" or "co-management venture" of selected PTA-owned properties and tourist facilities in various parts of the country.
"President Arroyo has approved the PTA privatization process," Barbers told The STAR yesterday.
"It is in this regard that the PTA is currently opening up its tourism assets for private ownership and I call on our fellow Filipinos living and working abroad to grab this opportunity and invest in promoting Philippine tourism," Barbers also stated in his invitation included among the documents in the PTA Investment Kit.
Barbers emphasized the goal of the PTA and the government is to promote private investments in the tourism sector.
"We believe that self-sustaining and profitable projects should be managed privately to further enhance profit, thus ultimately increasing its contribution to the nation’s tourism efforts," Barbers said.
The PTA, a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) attached to the Department of Tourism (DOT), currently has over 19 assets under management and operates 49 tourism-related entities.
Among the properties put up for outright sale are the 7.8 hectare property in Matabungkay in the coastal town of Lian, Batangas that could be turned into a beach resort and recreational facility, and the 9.46 hectare property in Naic, Cavite, billed as "ideal" for housing or inland resort development projects.
Among the PTA properties being offered on a lease or joint venture project basis are the Agoo Plaza Hotel in La Union; Mt. Data Hotel in the Cordilleras; San Fabian Beach Resort in Pangasinan; Macarthur Park beach resort in Palo, Leyte; Maomawan Nature Park in Cebu; Hilaga in Pampanga; Gardens of Malicasag Eco-Tourism Village in Cagayan de Oro City; Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Club in Zamboanga City; and the Boracay Environmental Infrastructure Project on Boracay island off the coast of Kalibo, Aklan.
Barbers, however, did not elaborate on how much the PTA expects to raise from the privatization of these properties.
"There is no exact amount but it could raise up to billions of pesos," Barbers said.
"We hope one property (can be) sold within the next few months," Barbers added, explaining that the PTA will still have to go through the mandated procedures.
Under an executive order that spelled out the privatization policy of the government, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) has the final approval of any sale of government assets.
"The final approval is by the President, as chair of the NEDA Board," Barbers clarified.
Barbers said the PTA will have to comply with the mandate of its charter "to invest and divest" in tourism entities all over the 75 provinces in the country.
Clean Cities project eyes BoracayPosted: 2:34 AM Feb. 28, 2005 Abigail L. Ho - Inquirer News Service
WITH its pristine beaches and lush forests, Boracay is now being considered by the US Department of Energy and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as a pilot area for their Clean Cities Program.
The Clean Cities Program aims to improve air quality in certain areas through the use of alternative fuels for transport.
Cities currently included in the Clean Cities Program include San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver in the United States and Santiago in Chile.
Aside from Boracay Island, other areas in the country being considered as possible pilot sites are Baguio, Davao and two cities in Metro Manila.
The Philippine Department of Energy is urging Boracay residents and hotel and resort owners to use coconut methyl ester (CME)-blended diesel to fuel their vehicles and back-up power sources.
Energy Secretary Vincent Perez said CME-blended diesel use would not only boost Boracay's bid to become one of the pilot cities for the USDOE-USAID Clean Cities Program, but would also improve air quality in the tourist haven and help preserve its pristine environment.
City officials, including Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling and Vice Mayor Frolibar Bautista, expressed full support for the DOE's CME use program.
Representatives from the Boracay Foundation, Malay Aklan Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association and Boracay Land Transport Multi-purpose Cooperative also backed the DOE project.
"We are very happy that the local government of Malay as well as the civil society and transportation groups in Boracay recognize the importance of addressing Boracay's air quality through the use of clean alternative fuels. We sincerely hope Boracay will become a member of the Clean Cities Program," Perez said.
At present, more than 300 tricycles ply the streets of Boracay Island. All of these use synthetic-based 2T oil.
Perez has urged all tricycle drivers and operators on the island to start replacing the synthetic-based 2T oil that they currently use with CME-based 2T oil.
President Macapagal-Arroyo in April last year launched the CME program to boost the country's bid to become 60-percent energy self-sufficient by 2010.
The CME program also aims to improve air quality and enhance the lives of 3.5 million coconut farmers by giving them a new revenue source.
The healing touch at Sampaguita Gardens SpaMonday, February 28, 2005Sun-Stars Iloilo
WHEN modern living has caused so much stress on us, we seek a place where we can rest our mind and body. Now, there's one such place you can retreat to. It's called the Sampaguita Gardens Spa.
Situated within the tranquil town of New Washington, Aklan, Sampaguita Gardens Spa provides a healing respite to people who need relaxation. More than that, they get to rejuvenate their energy level, giving them more vitality to face another day.
The spa, which is located inside the Sampaguita Gardens Resort, is adorned with Thai fixture that never fails to awe the visitors. It has separate areas for male and female and both are well equipped with executive and deluxe rooms, body treatment rooms with vichy showers, foot and facial rooms, the vanity areas and the wet area. The wet area has the following facilities: six Jacuzzis, two wading pools with dripping water and two steam rooms. Showers and comfort rooms are also provided for the spa guests.
Soon, additional features will be added such as the Juice Bar and the Garden Area where garden treatments will be done. By then, Sampaguita Gardens Spa will be offering its guests with fresh fruit juices. Others will also love to experience the al fresco setting of the garden treatment.
Sampaguita Gardens Spa boasts of a well-trained staff, especially the therapists who were all able to pass through the Department of Health examiner. Relaxation is provided through massage services and body treatment. One of the distinct service that can be experienced is their signature massage called "Hapeos it Alima." When translated, it means, "touch of hand." This is a fitting description to the invigorating experience one can have after the therapist eases the pains and stress from the client's body. The signature massage uses relaxing oil, which helps the client to attune his sense to himself and discover the healing wonders of touch.
There's a plus to one's visit at Sampaguita Gardens Spa. Because the resort is located near the sea, one can enjoy the sound of the waves and see the changing colors of the sky.
Here, you will find the silence to gather yourself and be whole again. (PR)
Church store spreads blessing of cheap drugsPosted 08:39pm (Mla time) Feb 25, 2005By Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Kalibo, Aklan - Inquirer News Service
ARE your medicines effective? Maybe they're fake."
Pharmacist Jeane Alibagon is used to this kind of reaction from customers when told about the prices of their medicines.
Four years after it opened, the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center (Jasac) Drugstore continues to surprise customers who are grudgingly accustomed to expensive and branded medicines.
"Many still think that if it's cheap, it's inferior," said Alibagon.
The drugstore has proven otherwise. Its medicines sell at a third of the average prices set by most drugstores, but the quality is the same.
A tablet of Adalat, a drug to treat high blood pressure, costs only P5 compared to P30 in other drugstores, while a 500-mg Amoxicillin capsule, an antibiotic, costs only P1.90 compared to the common price of P3.
The painkiller mefenamic acid (500 mg) costs at least P2 in other drugstores, but is sold at only P1.30 at the Jasac drugstore. A 500-mg paracetamol tablet costs only 40 centavos compared to the usual P1.
"Tama ka, barato (It's very cheap)," said Merlie Susal, 55, a laundrywoman from Barangay Balabag in Pavia, Iloilo. She buys Prednisone tablets for her asthmatic son at P1.30 each, compared to P2 charged in other drugstores.
Jasac has maintained a 10-percent markup on the prices of medicines since the drugstore opened at the Pius XII Institute behind the Jaro Cathedral in August 2001.
"We want to keep the prices as low as possible because we know most medicines are beyond the reach of the poor who need them most," said Msgr. Meliton Oso, Jasac director.
The drugstore is a dream-come-true for Oso and the Jasac staff.
Frustrations
Since 1990, the center's staff members have been frustrated by the lack of medicines for their weekly medical and dental consultations.
The medicines they gave free to patients were mostly solicited from the Department of Health and other government agencies. The patients were encouraged to donate any amount to help pay for the snacks of volunteer doctors.
Since they had no money to buy medicines, the patients merely threw away the doctors' prescriptions, said Angie Balatongle, coordinator of Jasac's Alay Kapwa Relief and Emergency Desk.
The staff was also constrained by the limited supply of medicines from government agencies.
During the staff's meeting in July 2001, the idea of putting up a drugstore selling cheap medicines came up. The members readily agreed despite their lack of experience in running a business.
The drugstore started operations three months later, from a seed fund of P6,000, which was loaned from the Alay Kapwa program. The capital was used to purchase an initial set of medicines, mostly anticough drugs, analgesics, antibiotics and vitamins.
The drugstore and its low prices immediately caught the attention of the people, especially the poor. Customers have steadily increased, some even coming from the hinterland towns.
Staff personnel also advise customers about the prescribed medications. They offer cheaper alternatives and educate buyers about generic drugs, traditional and herbal medicines.
Although the store was intended for poor patients who could not afford the high prices in most drugstores, customers in cars have also flocked to the place.
Contrary to the apprehensions of the staff members, the venture turned out to be sustainable even as it kept its mission of service.
During the first month, daily gross sales reached P500. After a month, the figure rose to P1,000 and by May 2002, it was P3,000. Today, the drugstore enjoys an average daily gross income of P20,000 with a peak of P45,000, said Oso.
Income
In 2003, it registered a net income of P120,000. Half of the money was retained as capital, while the rest was used for the center's scholarship program for 21 college students.
The stocks of medicines have also increased-from 200, when operations began, to 800, including branded drugs.
A full-time bookkeeper was hired to keep tab of sales. An accountant inspected the financial records weekly.
The drugstore now has an air-conditioning unit and a computerized cash register that helps the staff monitor and project stock requirements.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo saw the initial success and promise of the drugstore. He then told Oso to "expand."
Now, the drugstore has branches in the capital town of Jordan in the island-province of Guimaras and in Barotac Nuevo town in Iloilo.
The Guimaras branch earns from P10,000 daily, to as high as P25,000, a far cry from its initial earnings of P300 when it opened last year. The Barotac Nuevo branch is run by the parish but is under close supervision by Jasac, especially in maintaining uniform prices.
Oso said another branch was being planned this year, either in Pototan town or in Passi City, both in Iloilo.
Jasac has inspired other dioceses to put up similar drugstores. Recently, the dioceses of San Carlos and Bacolod in Negros Occidental opened their own drugstores.
Social action directors from Mindanao have also visited Jasac to observe how the drugstore is being managed.
This year, Oso said the store would serve as wholesaler distributor of medicines as soon as it obtained a license from the Bureau of Food and Drugs. Medicine prices could be lowered further because purchases could be made in large volumes, he said.
Some groups have already made bulk purchases of medicines from the drugstore. Last December, the Sangguniang Kabataan of Iloilo City purchased P40,000 worth of medicines for its free medical mission.
The Philippine Army also made similar purchases for its medical missions, as well as politicians during the campaign period.
More personnel
From three in 2001, the number of staff personnel has increased to eight, including the three in the Guimaras branch.
Oso said providing jobs to these people was "already a profit for us."
He does not mind questions on the Church's involvement in a business. "Our perspective is clear. The drugstore is for service."
Alibagon, who was involved in pastoral work before volunteering to work in the drugstore, said she planned to stay on her present job even though she could apply in other companies. "I believe in our mission to serve those who need us," she said.
For poor customers like Merlie Susal, this is indeed a blessing.
Barotac Nuevo booters hit Boracay beach tourneyThursday, February 24, 2005ABS-CBN News
* In the past five years, the team garnered two championship titles and three first runner-up awards
BOOTERS of the Barotac Nuevo (Iloilo) Football Club will see action in the Cocomangas-White House Boracay International Beach Football Championship from February 24 to 26 in Boracay Island, Aklan.
The team is composed of Angelo Ajeno, Jessie Sazon, Jorge Aventura, Art John dela Cruz, Efferl Bingcang, Michael Castaños, Elgen Bedia, Abejun Bedia, Reuben Doctora, Antonio Albor, Stephen Margarse and Lurex Araneta.
Head coach is Mark Anthony Pornan while assistant coaches are Edwin Botavara, Carlos Bronda and Sammy Causing.
Team managers are Geb Bilbao and Martin Mabunay.
In the past five years, the team garnered two championship titles and three first runner-up awards.
The Barotac Nuevo (Iloilo) Football Club is sponsored by Fairways and Bluewater Golf Resort and Country Club managed by Bilbao and Mabunay.
It is also supported by Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas, 4th District Representative Ferjenel Biron, Sharp, Wofex-World Food Expo 2005 WTC Manila, and Norsophil Metal Resources.
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