Bataan News

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Province of Bataan - Archived News

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Bataan st joseph.jpg
St. Joseph Church

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

PNP-3 Awards 'Cleanest Camp'

In line with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Clean and Green Program, Police Regional Office 3 has launched the “Cleanest Camp of the Week” program to promote a clean and environment-friendly camp.

Initiated by Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao, Region 3 Police Director, Central Luzon PNP came up with the “Cleanest Office of the Week” project where credit and recognition is given to the chosen cleanest PNP office of the week.

The parameters set for the selection of the cleanest camp aims to beautify not only the different police offices but the whole PNP camp.

In Camp Tolentino, Bataan, Senior Supt. Ricardo Zapata, Bataan Police Director, has been rushing the beautification of the “PNP, Apo Park,” a joint environmental project by the Bataan Police Office and Alpha Phi Omega (Bataan chapter) headed by its president Dr. Junn Teopengo.

The first awarding ceremony for the “Cleanest Office of the Week” was cited during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony at PRO3 Parade Ground in Camp Olivas where the following offices were selected initially as the “Cleanest Office of the Week,” Office of the Regional Operations and Plans Division, Regional Crime Laboratory Office and Regional Band Unit, said Supt. Romeo P. de Castro, Public Information Officer.

Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration. headed by Administrator Edita Bueno, promotes and supports environmental conservation, by directing all agencies under NEA to plant more trees.

Owing to its environmental program, NEA was one of the recipients of the First Environmental Excellence Award from the Department of Environment and National Resources in June 2011 in recognition of its initiatives on envi-ronmental protection and greening programs.

One of the cleanest and greenest electric cooperative compounds is Peninsula Electric Cooperative (PENELCO) headed by its general manager Loreto Marcelino. PENELCO main office compound is planted with big trees, earning the praise of the public.

37 Bataaeños pass DOST scholarship

CITY OF BALANGA, Bataan- Some 37 poor but deserving high school graduates in the province have passed the coveted scholarship program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and will enjoy full scholarship and monthly stipend.

According to DOST-Bataan, 34 of the students passed for the Republic Act 7687, also known as Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994 category of the 2012 Science and Technology Undergraduate Scholarships in which they will be given P6,000 per semester for tuition fee, P5,000 book allowance annually and one roundtrip fare for those studying outside the province.

They will also receive a monthly stipend of P5,000 should they choose BS Physics, Applied Physics, Physics Teaching, Geology, or Mining Engineering. But for those choosing other DOST priority courses, the high school graduates will receive P4,000 monthly.

“This program aims to produce people specializing in Science. The country is experiencing brain drain so there are identified courses which the students could choose,” said Catalina Cruz, science research specialist.

Other priority courses include Agriculture, Applied Mathematics, Biochemistry, Biology, Ceramics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Fisheries, Forestry, Information Technology, and Manufacturing Engineering among others.

Those who passed the RA 7687 category have an annual family income of 150,000 or lower, an average of 220 kwh per month in electricity bill for the period of three consecutive months, and net tuition and school fees of P18,981 during 4th year.

“It is a big help for students in Bataan especially if they will study here. They will get P4,000 per month. And most of the graduates are cum laude,” said Cruz.

The other three passers belonged to the Merit category of the scholarship program in which they will get full, partial or special monthly stipend depending on the socio-economic status of their family.

Also, they only have a limited list of schools and courses to enroll in, mostly chosen universities in Manila and state universities in provinces.

Cruz added that DOST scholars were mandated to work in the country equivalent to the number of years they were enlisted as scholar.

BPSU wins first crown in Banga Festival street dance

CITY OF BALANGA, Bataan- Thousands of local and foreign travelers flocked the city yesterday for the annual Banga Festival street-dance competition.

The Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) emerged the champion, after delivering a stunning performance.

Foreign tourists who witnessed the event at the People’s Center in the Capitol compound said this kind of festival would uplift Bataan tourism.

“This is very good and something different. It should boost the economy and tourism of Bataan,” said Australian national Lee Kitapci, 51, disclosing that they do not have such colorful competitions in his country.

Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III said in an interview that the academe was tapped for the street-dance tourney in light of his vision of Balanga as a “university town” that focuses on reinforcing the education sector to gain economic trend.

BPSU bested five other high schools and colleges in Balanga to win their first crown after four years of joining and bag P100,000, a trophy and the Best in Costume award.

Bringing its own band and a trio of singers to deliver a live performance, BPSU started with its polka dot-designed stage set of pots and life size letters of BPSU. The champions grooved to the medley of retro songs like I Will Survive, Material Girl and Shake Your Groove Thing while clad in sparkling blue, violet, yellow and green long sleeves for men and floral headdress and hand décor for women.

“We experienced late nights and some took absences in their summer class for our two weeks of practice. All our exhaustion is gone with this win,” said Franz Franco, 21, leader of the BPSU team.

The City of Balanga High School landed second with P75,000 and notched the Best in Parade award while Eastwoods College placed third with 50,000. Bataan National High School, Tomas Del Rosario College and AIE College all bagged P20,000 each.

DOLE forges industrial peace accord in Bataan

AFAB, Bataan- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 3 led the forging of an industrial peace accord (IPA) and the administration of the oath-taking of the Officers of the Coalition of Labor Unions in Bataan (CLUB) in this province.

“The signing was inked by the DOLE, Authority of the Freeport of Area in Bataan, 40 labor union officers, and five management representatives of CLUB employer representatives of the Bataan Association of Human Resource Officers, and members of the Labor Management Committee, and other concerned government agencies,” DOLE Regional Director Raymundo Agravante said.

Agravante further explained that the signing is a jump-start activity prelude to the upcoming labor day on May.

IPA is an adopted code of Industrial Harmony forged during the National Tripartite Conference on Labor Laws and Policies, and an accord to operationalize the code during the National Tripartite Conference which dates back to April 10-11, 1986 in Tagaytay City.

“Let this be more than just a signing of this document, rather, we should be committed to do our part in making this memorandum of undertaking a reality,” he added.

President of the CLUB and Labor Representative Dominador Marasigan imparted to all stakeholders to be responsible workers by valuing their jobs.

“This social accord is a good opportunity to improve the relationships between management and labor,” Marasigan said.

“We will be forging more tripartite partnerships such as this in order to boost harmony by creating melodious music in sustaining harmonious relationships in all industries in Central Luzon,” Agravante concluded.

Bataan Waste Treating Facility Investigated

HERMOSA, Bataan — The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) is investigating a waste management company following complaints that it was operating without the necessary clearance from government agencies.

PENRO head Amado Villanueva, accompanied by barangay tanods, went to the ADL Waste Management shop in the remote barangay of Mabiga, this town to inspect the facility, but they refused entry by management officials.

Villanueva learned that truck drivers who are in cahoots with "insiders" were stealing fuel and these are being sold at low price by them to buyers in Hermosa, Bataan and in nearby San Roque, Lubao, Pampanga.

But Angelina Hermoso, who claimed to be the owner of the ADL, said in a telephone interview that her company operates legally and has nothing to do with the reported smuggling of petroleum.

But Villanueva said that “under the law, we can conduct immediate and on the spot inspection without clearance from the owners since what is at stake is the health of the public and the environment.”

Villanueva had earlier recommended the closure of the Marinobu Trading in Mariveles, Bataan, after he found out that the company has no DENR permit.

Villanueva learned that Mabiga is being used as a cache for pilfered petroleum. The petroleum is reportedly stolen by the syndicate from nearby Subic port.

“We have received reports that a big stock room and well-fenced facility in Mabiga is being used by the illegal operator to hide and sell illegally his petroleum being stolen from Subic port, and we are investigating it,” said Villanueva.

Villanueva said one of his staff had inspected earlier the warehouse but was not allowed in the shop.

On Bypass road in Barangay San Roque, Lubao town, drivers and helpers of a number of oil tankers reportedly pilfer high grade petroleum and sell it to a businessman in the barangay.

The barangay trader is reportedly operates openly along the Bypass road since he enjoys the protection of authorities in that area.

Bataan Has Child-Friendly Police Camp

CAMP CIRILO TOLENTINO, Balanga City – Children living near the camp of the Bataan Police Provincial Office are beginning to flock to the newly built playground in the camp.

The playground is the brainchild of Provincial Director Police Senior Superintendent Ricardo Zapata Jr.

“When Colonel Zapata took over as provincial PNP Director, he noticed the children playing with dirt and rocks near the camp. Sometimes they would use sticks for mock swordfights,” Sr. Inspector Dennis Orbista, PNP spokesman here.

Realizing that the kids were in danger because they were playing along the roadside, Zapata decided to give the children a safer place in which to play.

He had a small playground built inside the camp and installed slides, see-saws and swings.

“I wanted to establish an atmo¬sphere conducive for workplace and an environment where the family of police retirees and active person¬nel, most especially their children, will find Camp Cirilo Tolentino, a center for their bonding-time,” Zapata said.

The camp used to be a base of the defunct Philippine Constabulary. It was named after the PFC Cirilo Tolentino, who died while rescuing residents trapped by strong floods in Nagwaling, Pilar town, in 1956.

Tolentino was the father of Ma¬jor Guillermo Tolentino, one of the bravest police officers who was killed in an encounter with rebels few years ago.

“Now the camp finds itself in a renewed character with the theme introduced by Provincial Direc¬tor Col. Zapata, as a hub of child-friendly government institution in Bataan,” Orbista said.

Two provinces in Central Luzon still affected by red tide

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has warned the public not to gather and eat shellfish from the Bataan coastal waters and Masinloc Bay in Zambales for the mean time as red tide toxin, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning remains present in these areas.

Affected by the ban in Bataan are the municipalities of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Abucay, Samal and Orani, and the city of Balanga.

“Based on the latest shellfish bulletin issued last April 17, the current red tide toxin level in shellfish samples collected from the coastal waters of Bataan and Masinloc Bay are still significantly higher to the 60g STXg/100g tolerable limit,” BFAR Central Luzon Information Officer Lanie Lamyong said.

Lamyong reiterated that fishes, squids, shrimps, and crabs harvested from these areas are safe to eat as long as they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and their internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.

Solar plants rather than growing crops, say CARP farmers

INSTEAD of planting on their land awarded through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, several beneficiaries are opting to lease their lots to a private company that wants to put up 50 small solar power plants in various parts of the country.

Farmers in Morong, Bataan, are looking at the offer by Sunnex Solar Powered Agri-Rural Communities Corporation (SC-Sparc) as a better opportunity to earn stable income than planting rice and vegetables, said Alfredo Dacula, chairman of the Morong Farmers Cooperative said.

“Its better. Farmers will have sure income compared to planting rice or vegetables,” Dacula said.

Seven hectares of farms awarded by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Barangay Sabang will be used to produce 5 to 10 megawatts of electricity by SC Sparc as part of a memorandum of agreement entered into by the company with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

According to Dacula, the farmers in Morong stand to earn a net income of P150,000 yearly for 20 years. This is a much better income for farmers, whose can earn only P60,000 to P80,000 a year from farming because it is done only during the rainy season and famr inputs are expensive.

SC-Sparc is a joint venture between Filipino investors and Sunconnect Capital BV, a part of Sunconnex group of companies based in the Netherlands.

The DAR will help facilitate lease agreements between SC-Sparc and agrarian reform beneficiaries. DAR Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes said the proposal to put up solar power plants offers an attractive rental package for farmers who are willing to lease out their farms.

Similarly, Eduardo de Leon, chairman of Macopa Multi-purpose Cooperative of San Jose, Mexico Pampanga said some of their farmers have agreed to lease their lands because production is low. Five hectares of lands owned by farmer-members of the cooperatives have already signed a lease agreement with SC Sparc.

Another solar power plant will be constructed in a 6.5 hectare farm owned by farmers in Palauig, Pampanga. Teofilo Inocencio, DAR Regional Executive Director in Region 3, said these were mostly unproductive land.

“In general, for our government, that will benefit the community as it will also address our power woes with minimum impact to our food security,” he said.

The partnership between the DAR and SC-Sparc is part of the government’s effort to provide cheaper and cleaner electricity, DAR Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes said.

Under the MOA signed between SC-Sparc and DAR, the company will enter into a long-term lease contract with ARBs for the use of the land over a period of 20 years, with rentals to be paid directly to the farmers who own the land. The farmers’ cooperatives will get a small percentage of the lease cost.

The SC-Sparc program will be beneficial not only to the farmer-beneficiaries but the communities who will be “energized” by clean energy from solar power, De los Reyes said.

To qualify as a site, DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Jerry Pacturan said the farmlands of agrarian reform beneficiaries will be prioritized in the selection process.

Pacturan said the area being eyed for the solar-powered plants should have a minimum of five hectares of open space. It should also be generally flat, unroductive, non-irrigated and not more than five kilometers from the nearest electrical substation with 69-kilovolt transmission lines.

Dinalupihan High

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan — The Garcias leadership are bent on pushing for the establishment of a National High school inside this strategic town. This was revealed last week by Governor Enrique “Tet” Garcia who approved establishment of a Secondary school inside this town, saying the children can save a lot of time and money here.

However, Mayor Joel Payumo turned it down, saying he cannot allow it to be put up inside the Oval ground where the Garcias wanted the proposed high school to be put up. Earlier, Gila S. Garcia, Bataan’s First district coordinator and daughter of the governor, requested for the establishment of a national high school in the town to benefit the thousands of secondary students living there.

New Limay Power Plant Banned

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — Governor Enrique “Tet” Garcia revealed yesterday that a new power plant is set to be constructed in the area occupied by the mothballed Bataan Thermal Power Plant (BTPP) in Barangay Luz, Limay town, this province. Garcia said construction will begin once the BTPP, owned by the National Power Corporation (Napocor), is cleared of cleared of scraps and other materials.

But first, Mayor Ver Roque said the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PNCC) will have to “assess the impact of demolishing its (BTPP’s) structures and facilities to the balanced and healthful ecology” and for the safety of the public particularly those living in the area.

Beyond Bataan

April 9 used to be Bataan Day, marking the surrender of Filipino and American soldiers to the invading Japanese Army. There was strong media coverage of this “Fall of Bataan” and the “Bataan Death March,” in which thousands of Filipino and American soldiers were transferred, including several segments on foot, from Mariveles in Bataan to Capas in Tarlac. Some 24,000 died from hunger, fatigue and abuse by the Japanese Army.

I can’t remember who the main critics were but I do recall newspaper articles asking why we keep referring to “falls” and “defeats” rather than battles of resistance and victory. April 9 has since been rechristened “Araw ng Kagitingan” or Day of Valor, valor here mainly associated with the heroes of World War II. With time, though, because that day was always so close to Holy Week, people have lost sight of what that day means. This year was particularly bad, April 9 probably to be remembered by many of our younger Filipinos as an extra holiday after Easter, made all the more regrettable considering this was the 70th anniversary of the Bataan march.

We need to get more serious about April 9 and to remember not only the soldiers of Bataan but also the many other terrible atrocities that accompanied the Japanese invasion and occupation. Some 500,000 to a million Filipino soldiers and civilians died during the war, out of a prewar population of 16 million, and many more suffered physical and mental injuries, and lost their homes and property.

The Libingan ng mga Bayani and the American Cemetery will be important focal points for the memorial activities but we should not forget the Chinese Cemetery, which also has several war memorials. Today’s column, and next Wednesday’s, will be about these memorials.

Let me provide a quick background of why I’m doing this. Last month I wrote a column about getting an overseas phone call from a family friend, Fred Mok, asking if I could help get more information on his father, Clement K. Y. Mok, who was among eight Chinese consular staff members executed in 1942 by the Japanese. I wrote a column about Consul Mok with an appeal to readers to write if they had information on him.

The Internet proved to be a useful research portal. While there was very little new information on Consul Mok that came in, I did end up with all kinds of accounts about that dark period in our history. Nery Chan wrote in about her grandfather, Chua Phay Kong, who was among nine local Chinese community leaders executed by the Japanese two days before the consular staff. The Chinese Commercial News e-mailed scanned clippings from its newspaper’s special issue in 1987 to mark the 45th anniversary of the executions. I also exchanged e-mails and materials with Wang Yingfei, a journalist from the Nanjing Modern Express. Finally, history professor Ricardo Jose sent transcripts of the trial of Gen. Masaharu Homma, who led the invasion of the Philippines.

I realized, as I did more research, that the Chinese Cemetery in Manila was the gruesome site for several executions and hasty mass burials, not just of Chinese but also of Filipinos. Even more surprising, I learned that the Chinese Cemetery was the site of a battle fought by Filipinos resisting American invaders in 1899, a day after the Filipino-American War broke out. Sadly, while the Chinese have war memorials, the Filipinos who died in the hands of the Japanese and the Americans have nothing, not even simple markers.

Heroes’ trail

This is one time I wish I were doing a blog, so I can share photos and maps as I take you on a “heroes’ trail” tour of the Chinese Cemetery. In case you do go on your own, you can look up the three Chinese memorials, which are clustered around the area of the temple and crematorium.

The most well known of these memorials is the one put up to honor the eight Chinese consulate staff members headed by Clarence K. S. Yang and Clement K. Y. Mok. Shortly after occupying the Philippines, the Japanese arrested the eight and first put them in UP Manila, trying to persuade them to endorse the Japanese occupation of the Philippines as part of an “Asia for Asians” plan. They also wanted the Chinese consular staff to raise P24 million from the local Chinese for the Japanese Army. The Chinese diplomats refused to cooperate.

Even in times of war, diplomatic corps are entitled to special protection under the Geneva Convention, but the Chinese consular staff members knew they were vulnerable. In the trial of General Homma, a French diplomat recalled how Consul Mok had told him that he suspected the Japanese would be moving them to Muntinlupa. On March 28, 1942, the Japanese did transfer the prisoners, but not to Muntinlupa. Instead, they were brought to Fort Santiago, which was the headquarters of the Kempeitai, the dreaded Japanese military police. The Kempeitai was known for its brutality, and Fort Santiago was a hell hole where prisoners were tortured and executed.

Mass grave

The consular staff’s families were still able to visit Fort Santiago but when Consul Mok’s wife went on April 18, she was told that her husband had been moved “far away” and his whereabouts were a military secret. It was to be two years before she and the other relatives were to learn that the diplomats were brought to the Chinese Cemetery on April 17, executed and thrown into a mass grave. The remains were exhumed in June 1945, following leads from Chinese Cemetery caretakers who had witnessed the executions.

The remains of the Chinese patriots were brought to Nanjing, China, where they are buried in Nanjing Rain Flower Terrace Cemetery. The Chinese government conducted memorial activities this year to mark the 70th anniversary of their deaths. Fred Mok attended; it was an emotional first visit to his father’s grave done on April 5, which is Qingming (pronounced Ching Ming), the Chinese day to commemorate the dead.

Locally, the Chinese Commercial News will have a special issue to commemorate the consular staff, as well as another group of local Chinese martyrs. I am going to save for next week the story of these forgotten heroes, together with an intriguing group of Chinese guerrillas who fought together with the Hukbalahap. I will write, too, about the Filipino patriots killed in or near the Chinese Cemetery.

Red Tide remains up in Bataan and Zambales –BFAR

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has identified that the provinces of Bataan and Zambales are positive to paralytic shellfish poison or most commonly known as Red Tide.

Affected municipalities in Bataan are the coastal waters in Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay, and Samal, and Masinloc Bay in Zambales.

According to BFAR, “all types of shellfish and Acetes ap or alamang from the areas mentioned are not safe for human consumption based on the latest shellfish bulletin issued last April 3.”

“Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” BFAR added.

Also affected provinces are Dumanquilias Bay in Zamboanga del Sur, Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte, and Misamis Occidental.

Araw ng Kagitingan is about courage and fortitude - Bataan solon

PILAR, Bataan- As the nation commemorates the Fall of Bataan on Monday, a congressman has stated that the remembrance of the event is all about courage and fortitude.

Second District Representative Albert Garcia explained, “Araw ng Kagitingan is no longer about guns and cannons that need to be neither fired nor about blood that needs to be shed. It is about the courage and fortitude which moved our veterans to bear arms at the time it was needed.”

For about 70 years now, the country has been remembering of what our veterans did and what they have done and accomplished before will not be diminished much less forgotten, he said.

The very air that we breathe, which is the air of freedom and democracy, will be our constant reminder that there were valiant heroes who fought, sacrificed and offered their lives for it, Garcia added.

He said, “The need today is for the same courage and fortitude to carry on and face the challenges that confront our nation and our people. It is in this sense that we find most appropriate the theme of this year’s celebration. We see and look up to the veterans as catalysts of genuine and lasting change.”

We are now facing an entirely different war: one against poverty, corruption and lawlessness. While there are no foreign armies that directly threaten us with invasion, we have to contend with global economic recession, global warming and social unrest in several parts of the world the effects of which are no less devastating, the Congressman concluded.

Carrying this year’s theme “Veterans: Catalysts of Genuine and Lasting Change,” this then highlight the significant contributions and the influential roles of the veterans by not only defending the country but also in keeping peace, upholding democracy and attaining progress.

PNoy assures enhanced Phl defense system

PILAR, Bataan- President Benigno Aquino III on Monday assured an enhanced Philippine defense system under his administration so that the country will be able to defend its territory against external threats that may endanger freedom.

In his speech during the 70th Araw ng Kagitingan rites in Bataan, Aquino bared that Navy’s biggest warship to date, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is now patrolling the West Philippine Sea to protect the state’s interest in the disputed Spratly Islands.

The 378-foot vessel, a Hamilton class US Coast Guard-Weather High Endurance Cutter, was purchased through the US Excess Defense Act using funds from the Department of Energy’s Malampaya project.

The ship can carry up to 180 crew members and is equipped with a helicopter flight deck, a retractable hangar and other facilities to support helicopter operations. Philippine Navy has trained 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel to man the vessel.

Aquino added that another ship similar to BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is expected to arrive in May.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive disclosed that the Philippine Air Force already received the first four out of the total eight multi-purpose Sokol combat utility helicopters that are equipped with the latest navigation and avionics systems including a night vision goggle compatible cockpit, allowing it to operate day and night in all weather conditions.

These six-tonne class twin-engine choppers can each transport up to 11 troops in the cabin or can each lift up to 2,100 kilograms using its external cargo hook. These aircrafts can also be fitted with a M60D machine gun on each side of the cabin.

The President announced that a total of 138 air, land and sea equipment are currently in the pipeline under the five-year defense acquisition system that his administration is implementing.

On April 9, 1942, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers stationed in Corregidor and Bataan formally surrendered to the Japanese army under Lt. General Masaharu Homma.

The prisoners of war were transferred to Camp O’ Donnell, Capas, Tarlac in what would infamously be known as the “Bataan Death March."

The Dambana ng Kagitingan was built on top of Mount Samat in 1966 in memory of those soldiers.

The shrine’s most distinct feature is a 92-meter Memorial Cross which is made up of marble, steel, and concrete. At the base of the cross is a sculptural bas relief that depicts important historical events and battles in the Philippines.

Designer in ‘Valor’ fair

BALANGA CITY — Bataan Tourism Council Foundation Inc. chairwoman Vicky Garcia, wife of Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia, said Hollywood fashion designer Oliver Tolentino will open the Agri-Aqua Trade Fair during the 70th Day of Valor rites in Bataan.

Raised in Orani town, he introduced local fabrics to the international circuit with the support of the Fiber Industry Development Authority by designing clothes for celebrity events.

At the Global Green USA Pre-Oscar Party, past Golden Globe nominee Emmy Rossum and actress Maggie Grace wore Tolentino-designed cocktail dresses.

Rossum’s yellow piña dress created a fashion stir and was picked by the New York Post as “Look of the Week”.

Tolentino arrived last week following his acclaimed San Giego gala and dressing up “Gossip Girl” star Michelle Trachtenberg.

The province is hosting “Padyakan sa Bataan 2012” which the governor’s daughter Gila, consultant, described as an event to position the locality as a premier sports and adventure destination.

Organizer Eboy Roselada, past president of the Bataan Trailriders and Adventurers Network, said the trail in Sitio Karagatan, Barangay Alas-asin is considered an international course by seasoned bikers.

MARIVELES, Bataan — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) has adopted a new brand that will serve as the official logo of the Freeport Area here. “This celebration highlights the AFAB’s shift into a higher gear as it introduces the FAB’s new Brand to the world,” said AFAB Corporate Affairs Manager Francis Initorio.

“The new Brand reflects the FAB’s goal to become the Future’s Answer to Business” he added. Attended by thousands of Bataenos, the celebration started with a fire dance number with percussions/drums exhibitions. Surprise raffles and prizes were also given to lucky revelers, while Boracay Rhum flowed freely to bring the night’s celebration to a fever pitch level.

Best Implementor

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — For second time, Barangay Cataning under chairman Benjie Meriño bagged the city’s Kasama Ani sa Barangay” (KAANIB) “Best Implementor” award. Meriño said that from the initial 500 square meters, the barangay expanded the farm area to 2,000 square meters planted with different vegetables like talong, sitaw, okra, kalabasa, and kamatis.

Meriño, president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) here, said they are eyeing other idle lots for the vegetable planting program to increase vegetable farming lots to 6,000 square meters.

Bataan Survivors To Meet At Clark Field, Pampanga

Survivors of the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, and the Bataan Death March, will gather at Hotel Stotsenburg, April 7 – 10, on the 70th anniversary of the fall of Bataan and the beginning of the Bataan Death March, for the annual meeting and reunion of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society.

These soldiers fought the first battles of World War II, and the United States Army awarded its first three Congressional Medals of Honor of the war to Philippine Scouts: Sgt. Jose Calugas, Lt. Alexander Nininger and Lt. Willibald Bianchi, for their heroic actions on Bataan. Ultimately, all 80,000 Filipino and American soldiers in the Philippines became Prisoners of War, and more than half of them died in Japanese custody.

The Philippine Scouts were a unique organization within the U.S. Army, consisting of highly-trained Filipino soldiers, and American and Filipino officers, who formed the backbone of General Douglas MacArthur’s United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). USAFFE included the Army of the Philippine Commonwealth, the U.S. Army’s Philippine Scouts and U.S. National Guard units brought from the States shortly before hostilities began, and was ordered to hold back the Japanese advance.

Despite being surrounded on Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island, and starved out by the Japanese Army and Navy, these men managed to fight on for more than four months while every other country and island in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific succumbed to the Japanese. They bought America time to repair Pearl Harbor and throw a cordon of defense around Australia at the beginning of World War II.

Today, only about 100 of the original 12,000 Philippine Scouts are still with us, scattered around the Philippine Islands and the United States. This meeting at Fort Stotsenburg, Clark Field, will be the first time they have officially gathered together in the Philippines since the end of World War II.

At their annual reunions, those who can make it are joined by families and admirers for two days of discussions, business meetings, and celebration. As their numbers grow smaller, the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society seeks to preserve their memory and raise public awareness of the heroic role these men played in the early stages of World War II, and their gallant defense of the Philippines.

The Fort McKinley Chapter of the Society hosts their 2012 reunion at Hotel Stotsenburg in Clark Field, Pampanga, Saturday, April 7 through Tuesday, April 10.

Repaired ships fail Philippine Navy test

Anything less than 100 percent just would not do for the Philippine Navy.

The fighting force on water delayed deployment of six newly repaired ships after getting less than perfect results from a weapons test-fire conducted in Bataan over the weekend.

Commander Hilarion Cesista, training and evaluations officer of the Fleet Operations Readiness Training Evaluations Group, said the exercise yielded a 98-percent level of readiness.

He said measures had to be taken to achieve 100-percent readiness before the vessels could be deployed.

The ships subjected to the weapons test-fire were the BRP Iloilo, BRP Tagbanua, BRP General Mariano Alvarez, BRP Liberato Picar, BRP Hilario Ruiz and BRP Filipino Flojo.

The onboard weapons that were tested included antiaircraft guns, 25mm naval guns and heavy machine guns.

The test-fire was conducted after the ships underwent system repairs at the naval shipyard in Sangley Point, Cavite City.

Held 15 nautical miles off Luzon Point in Mariveles, Bataan, the exercise had the vessels take turns firing off all their weapons at a floating target.

PENRO Monitoring All Developers, Contractors

MARIVELES, Bataan — Following complaints from the public, Amado Villanueva, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) here is now closely monitoring developers and other companies operating in the province to prevent pollution and “stealing” of Bataan’s natural resources.

Villanueva said that they are now also coordinating with the management of various firms in the province to ensure that their operations are put in order to protect the public’s health and environment.

Aside from this, the PENRO is also now looking into reports that a number of contractors of housing and other projects have been engaged in hauling gravel and stones from the riverbanks for their business. This, Villanueva emphasized, is prohibited under the law.

“We are monitoring realty developers because of complaints we received that they are hauling gravel and stones from the river,” he said.

Board Member Gaudencio Ferrer recently denounced the alleged massive and illegal hauling of natural resources from rivers such as stones, boulders and gravels and sand by a number of housing developers and other contractors.

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