Angeles City News April 2018

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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.

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Angeles City Catholic Church
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Sacrifice of the faithfuls by crucifying themselves.

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.

Sisig with egg and mayo? Thanks, but Kapampangans aren't having any of that

(LA, GMA News)

For decades, sisig has gained popularity more than any other Filipino dish in the country. There are a myriad of versions of the dish that came from Pampanga, depending on where and who prepares it.

But the Kapampangans won't have any of it.

The Angeles City government had proclaimed sisig as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by the Sangguniang Panglungsod through Ordinance No. 405, Series of 2017 of Angeles City, officially claiming it as an original Kapampangan creation in order to protect it from further cultural appropriation — fusion anyone?

Over the weekend, the annual Sisig Fiesta took place at Crossing on MacArthur Highway in Angeles City where a sisig exhibition by different Pampangueño cooks and food connoisseurs took place.

Established in 2003, the sisig fest is an official event dedicated to acknowledging the dish as part of the ways of life of the Kapampangans.

"We want to tell the people that sisig is part of our cultural history and heritage and therefore, it is an important element of our identity as Kapampangans," said Angeles Mayor Ed Pamintuan.

Recorded history in the colonial period confirms what the mayor said. The word "sisig" can be traced to as early as 1732 in a Kapampangan dictionary compiled by Augustinian Fray Diego Bergaño. In it, sisig was defined as a "salad, including green papaya, or green guava eaten with a dressing of salt, pepper, garlic, and vinegar."

According to Kapampangan scholar Mike Pangilinan, the SÍSIG BÁBÎ — ‘pork sísig’ — was originally made of boiled pig’s ears and tail mixed with onions and dressed in spicy vinegar.

It was believed that sisig was specifically designed for pregnant mothers; the cartilage in the pig’s ears and tail helping in the bone development of the child in the mother’s womb.

Although sisig was still very much a dish for expectant mothers in many Kapampángan homes until the early 1980's, something happened in Angeles City in the late 1960's that changed sisig forever.

Sisig was first served as a bar chow, or pulutan as we Filipinos like to call food that accompanies alcoholic drinks.

Lucing Cunanan — or Aling Lucing as we now refer to the genius who innovated the sisig — decided to use the pig's cheeks instead of the traditional pig's ears to cater the huge demands of customers that flocked the Angeles crossing.

According to Aling Lucing's daughter Zeny Cunanan, in the '70s, they would obtain for free discarded pig’s head at the abattoir in the former US Airforce Base at Clark and used these for their sisig.

The present-day form of sisig can be attributed to a certain Benedicto Pamintuan, who introduced the dish on a sizzling plate that would become popularly known worldwide.

In 1980, the Pamintuan family brought the sizzling plated sisig to Metro Manila by way of Benedicto’s mom, Lilia, who served the sizzling version at her restaurant in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Soon it swept Metro Manila off its feet.

At the same time, Dan Táyag, another Angeleño, also began serving the sizzling sisig at Trellis Restaurant in Diliman, Quezon City.

The New York Times calls our beloved sisig "arguably the best pork dish on earth." Sisig, that delicious delicacy made by boiling and chopping up a pig's head and ears and marinating the pork in vinegar, salt and pepper before serving, is also one of the purely Kapampangan dishes that has gained international acclaim in recent years.

It's not only in Angeles where variants of sisig can be found. In lower Pampanga — that part of the province near the Guagua-Sexmoan River — sisig is prepared with boiled pig ears, onions, labuyo and pepper. These are then soaked in vinegar and soy sauce while maintaining the crunchy texture of the pig's ears.

Because this is solely prepared for a conceiving mother, the raw texture of non-grilled pork does not have a commercial marketability.

Edward Lusung, owner of the famous Conching restaurant in Guagua in lower Pampanga, exclusively served this type of sisig but the huge demand for the grilled version made him decide to serve both versions.

"I don't have a secret recipe. I'm just complying with the way my ancestors taught me how to cook it through the combination of a sugar cane vinegar from Angeles, liver cooked in adobo while chopped with chile and onions, he said.

But acceptable innovation ends there. Says Lusung, "Egg and mayonnaise is a big no! This is a shortcut and [a disrespect for old school Kampampangan cooking]. I was taught by my grandfather and grandmother how to cook it religiously".

Angeles tourism officer Joy Cruz agrees. "It's a total disrespect because perfecting the sisig to have its authentic taste [and chewy texture] is something you earn from experience and acknowledging the history of how it evolved from the Kapampangan sensibilities as a heirloom recipe," she said.

It is believed that the introduction of egg and mayonnaise into sisig started when it was introduced in Manila alongside with the silog meals offered by fast food restaurants. The preparation of the original sisig makes it impossible to simulate in a fast-paced city, where restaurants resorted to using an alternative to the savory effect of a chicken liver, thus using an egg or a mayonnaise.

As Mike Pangilinan said, "For us Kapampángans, cooking is not a mere hobby or a past time. It is an essential part of our identity. It is an expression of who we are as a people. It is our soul. Therefore we get hurt and angry whenever somebody steals our soul and identity and calls it simply Filipino food rather than Kapampangan dish. Worse is when you twist it and play around with it to the point that we can no longer recognise ourselves in it."

Protect all PH writing systems, heritage advocates urge Congress

By Tonette Orejas WITH REPORTS FROM REY ANTHONY OSTRIA AND DALE JAN DINO (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

ANGELES CITY — A proposed law heralding the ancient Tagalog writing system called “baybayin” as the national writing system should also recognize and preserve other regional indigenous scripts in the country, a cultural heritage advocate said on Wednesday.

“If they want the rest of the country to support the bill, they should drop baybayin from the bill and allow Kapampangan to use ‘kulitan,’ Ilocanos to use ‘kurditan,’ Visayans to use ‘badlit,’ [or] allow Mangyans to use ‘surat Mangyan,’” Robby Tantingco said of House Bill (HB) No. 1022, the proposed National Writing System Act.

Unfamiliar

Authored by Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, the bill has passed the House committee on basic education and culture chaired by Cebu Rep. Ramon Durano VI.

Tantingco, executive director of Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies, said the measure should not prosper at its current form because it required Filipinos to jump from familiar local languages and writing systems to the unfamiliar, such as baybayin.

“Do they really think that after imposing a national language (Tagalog) on the rest of the regions, which already have their own languages, they can now also impose a national writing system on those same regions, which also already have their own indigenous writing systems?” Tantingco said.

Michael Reymon Pangilinan, who wrote the book “Kulitan,” said he was opposing the bill because it protected only the baybayin of the Tagalogs.

“First our indigenous language was set aside and pushed on the brink of extinction when their language was legislated as our national language. Now our indigenous script will also be set aside and pushed to the brink of extinction when their writing is legislated as our national script?” Pangilinan said.

Neutral term

In Bicol region, Leo Emmanuel Castro, executive director of the group Sanghabi, said a neutral term for the national writing system must be used, noting the baybayin’s Tagalog origin.

Sanghabi, formerly known as Hibla, is a nongovernment organization that promotes indigenous Filipino culture through music and workshops. Castro was in Bicol recently to teach baybayin in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces.

“There are still living writing systems and unlike baybayin, these are still used in their respective regions,” Castro said.

He said groups that attended the International Congress on Baybayin this month agreed on the neutral term “suyat.”

“The word suyat exists or is at least close to the terms in other languages in the Philippines, including in Bicolnon, where the word used is ‘surat,’” he told the Inquirer.

Tantingco found the protection and promotion clauses of the bill to be good. “We are not opposing it in its entirety,” he said. The center, he said, would ask legislators in Pampanga province to oppose the original draft of HB 1022 and seek revisions to it.

He said Congress should not rush the implementation of a national writing systems law. “Instead, use it as a subtext first until people get used to it,” he said.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts should move to “protect all indigenous writing systems, not just baybayin,” he said.

AC council fetes new PNP chief

By Ashley Manabat

ANGELES CITY – Newly-appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Oscar D. Albayalde, was feted with a resolution from the city council here.

Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil sponsored the resolution, written in Pilipino, citing Albayalde’s achievement as a Kapampangan who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sinagtala Class of 1985 cum laude and top seven from the graduates of the institution from that year.

The resolution acknowledged Albayalde’s service in the public sector as a member of the Philippine Constabulary Special Action Force that started on June 23, 1986.

It also cited Albayalde’s sterling stewardship of the Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPPO) as director in 2013 and then as deputy director of the National Capitol Regional Police Office (NCRPO) Directorate for Plans and later director of the National Capitol Regional Police Office (NCPRO) in 2016.

The resolution said Albayalde’s role as director of the PPPO and NCRPO that exercised teamwork resulted in strict discipline and openness that brought down the crime rate incidence and led to the dismantling of crime syndicates as well as the dismissal from the service offering and corrupt policemen.

The resolution said the Province of Pampanga has noted with distinction Albayalde’s contribution in the field of law enforcement with the conferment of the Most Outstanding Kapampangan Award in 2016.

The resolution said due to his accomplishments and achievements, the people of Angeles City are one in hailing the newly-appointed PNP chief as an outstanding citizen worthy of emulation.

Ex-mayor Lazatin eyes health, education, infra programs

By REYNALDO G. NAVALES

ANGELES CITY -- Veteran politician Carmelo Lazatin vowed Tuesday, April 24, to implement health, education, and infrastructure programs if he will be given a chance to serve as chairman of Barangay Balibago here.

Lazatin, a former Pampanga first district congressman and Angeles City mayor, is now running for punong barangay in said village.

“One of our programs first of all is health. We should have sufficient [supply] of medicines [for the poor people],” he said in the vernacular.

Lazatin also mentioned the need to institute programs to upgrade all public schools in terms of education quality, physical structures and others.

The local government must provide scholarship to “poor but deserving students,” he said.

On infrastructure, the former mayor said barangay roads and drainage need to be rehabilitated.

“Those are the three programs which I think are important,” Lazatin said.

When asked about peace and order and illegal drugs, he pointed out that Balibago should be a crime- and drug-free barangay.

Lazatin, meanwhile, laughed off reports that he is no longer fit to run an elective position because of his deteriorating health condition.

His message to his constituents: he will work hard to realize his campaign promises.

Aside from Lazatin, businesswoman Tess Mamac will also run for Balibago chairman.

Mamac is the wife of incumbent punong barangay Tony Mamac, who is running for councilman in the said village under his spouse’s ticket.

2 Pampanga cities campaign vs wastewater

By IAN OCAMPO FLORA

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 had required that all wastewater coming from all industrial, commercial and residential buildings must be processed through some form of sewerage or septage system by the year 2020 -- that is less than two years from now.

Almost two decades after the deadline was set, and the warning of P200,000 for every day of non-compliance, only 10 percent of the population is actually connected through a sewerage system and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local government units (LGUs) and water districts are still struggling to implement the National Sewerage and Septage Management Program (NSSMP).

The NSSMP, implemented chiefly by the DPWH, had set the year 2020 as deadline for cities to establish their own sewerage or septage management systems but, since the deadline has only a couple of months to go, it may look like a long shot for most cities and municipalities.

The burden of the implementation was mandated by law among the local government units and water utilities like the City of San Fernando Water District and Angeles City Water District -- two of the largest water utilities in Central Luzon shadowed only by San Jose Del Monte Water District in Bulacan.

The construction and operation of sewerage and septage systems are required by the Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9275) and so far, the City Governments of San Fernando and Angeles City in Pampanga had managed to pass their respective water management ordinances, a preparatory requirement for the establishment of the actual treatment facility. The two LGUs are among the handful that managed to come up with ordinances on water management.

The DPWH said that P26.3 billion would be needed to build sewerage and septage facilities for at least 17 highly urbanized cities in the country. The DPWH reported that the hindrances to the development of sewage collection and treatment systems is due to “low level awareness and limited demand from the public, low technical capability to develop infrastructure, lack of enforcement of regulations, and limited resources of water districts and local government units.”

Health and environmental impacts

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Fund, in 2015, said that one in 10 Filipinos defecate in open places. This means that some 10 million people defecate on the ground or on plastic bags that are later thrown into rivers or canals.

Also, the NSSMP had reported in 2015 that 55 people die every day from unsafe water sources due to the fact that 90 percent of the wastewater in the country is uncollected and untreated.

The NSSMP report added that most Filipinos “do not have septic tanks; many septic tanks have open bottoms; and most septic tanks are not regularly desludged and the septage removed is not treated and disposed of properly."

The DPWH, in a 2017 report to the Senator Loren Legarda of the Senate Finance Committee, said the failure of the country to invest in adequate sewerage system resulted to economic losses exceeding P78 billion per year as well as “damage to ecosystems and biodiversity.”

Wastewater contains a number of pollutants and contaminants such that when discharged to freshwater bodies and marine waters without being treated, can cause water pollution that is harmful to aquatic life. Wastewater can leach into underground water tables and potentially contaminate aquifers and underground water, according to the DENR.

Wastewater is also disposed in rivers, streams and lakes.

According to the DENR, as many as 50 of the 421 rivers in the country are already considered “biologically dead.” This means that only the species that can thrive in the worst water conditions can live in these rivers.

And since water districts are in the forefront of industrial and residential consumption, which later on end up as wastewater, the task of helping in wastewater treatment also falls on them and their respective local governments.

Angeles City Water District

The Angeles City Water District (ACWD) is the largest among all 13 water districts in Pampanga. It caters to some 55,000 concessionaires who are mostly from industrial, commercial and residential establishments. They consume 1.6 million cubic meters of water per month.

This means that the city produces 19.2 million cubic meters of wastewater each year that if left untreated, the wastewater would end up polluting surface and ground water sources.

Fortunately, ACWD has its own septage treatment facility—the only one in Pampanga.

Built on a budget of P99 million, the treatment facility sits on a 4,000 square meters property in Barangay Cutud and can process some 85 to 100 cubic meters of septage water.

General Manager Reynaldo Liwanag said the process of the treatment involves waste collected and injected into receiving tanks were solid particles will be separated from the water. The sludge and the water will then be processed separately. The sludge will be collected for use in organic farming.

Liwanag said there are farms that use the sludge as soil conditioner. The sludge is treated with enzymes where the biotech process will then breakdown the pathogenic load of the sludge and heat the material through biological reaction resulting in an organic soil additive.

Liwanag added that treated sludge is also used for sugarcane farms were it is treated with enzymes and added to molasses to ferment.

The personnel of the water district were already trained by the engineers who built the treatment facility on how to run the entire process.

Liwanag said their process is so efficient that the water coming out of the treatment process was rated Category C. This meant that water from the treatment facility could be used for irrigation.

“Fish can even live in the water that we have treated,” Liwanag said, however, the water that has been treated ends up in a polluted stream.

“The stream were the treated water exits is already polluted. We worry that people might think the stream is polluted and stinky because of the water coming from the facility,” Liwanag said.

Despite the fact that ACWD’s septage treatment facility is already 100 percent complete, they have yet to actually run it for actual operations.

Liwanag said they had to wait for two years before all the permits were in place.

Just recently, the Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR released its Environmental Compliance Certificate for the said facility. And even as permits are in place, the ACWD has yet to receive its rates to be charged to concessionaires for treating the city’s septage waste. The rates will first pass through the scrutiny of the Local Water Utilities Administration.

“Currently, we are still establishing the rates to be charged,” Liwanag said, adding that the ACWD is looking at six percent of the total water consumption of each establishment.

ACWD’s steps to treat waste water stands on the spirit of Ordinance 343, S-2014.

The ordinance, which provides for the local laws on water quality and septage management in Angeles City, features the creation of a City Water Resources Management Board. The board is tasked to do regular water sampling and analysis. The board is also expected to assist in the enforcement of anti-pollution laws.

The ordinance also places emphasis on the standards for the building of future septic tanks and mandates that desludging of septic tanks ones every three to five years.

City of San Fernando Water District

Unlike its counterpart, the City of San Fernando Water District (CSFWD) has yet to construct its septage treatment facility. The water utility needs some P100 million for the said project.

CSFWD is one of the large water utilities in Central Luzon with some 50,000 concessionaires and with a promising growth rate in water connections at an average increase of around 1,000 concessionaires each year. The water utility’s concessionaire water consumption is almost the same with its Angeles City counterpart.

General Manager Jorge Gumba said they are now in the process of looking for the suitable land to construct the treatment facility.

Unlike its Angeles City counterpart, CSFWD figures prominently in the recently passed Ordinance 2018-001, the city’s septage management system ordinance.

CSFWD is empowered in the Article VII of the said ordinance to add P2.99 for every cubic meter of water consumed on the monthly water bill of the water user. Also, unlike in Angeles City, water users with no billable water flow or water consumption with the CSFWD are covered by the ordinance. The CSFWD will estimate the user fee by averaging the billable flow of the households with the same number of members and their toilets.

Commercial establishments too, who have their own water sources, are required to install a production meter. The volume of water produced shall be the basis for computing the cost of desludging the septic tanks.

Gumba added that, like in Angeles City, there are now clearer and more comprehensive local penalties against disposing septage water into the environment.

In 2009, a company was fined for dumping septage waste in sugarcane farms in Barangay Alasas and Magliman, both in the City of San Fernando. How about greywater?

However, while the ordinances of Angeles City and the City of San Fernando echo all other laws against water pollution and provide adequate punishments, the ordinances were silent on the issue of greywater -- which in fact forms the greater bulk of wastewater.

Greywater is the term applied to domestic wastewater that is drained from sinks, showers and kitchens. It is different from toilet wastewater (septage), which is generally flushed into septic tanks. It usually ends up in drainages and end up being disposed without being treated.

ACWD general manager Reynaldo Liwanag said that for greywater to be treated, sewerage treatment facilities should be constructed, which means that billions would be needed for such projects in highly urbanized cities.

Asked why most water utilities focus on septage treatment facilities, Liwanag said: “This is what we can put up for now because you would need billions for sewerage facilities.”

CSFWD general manager Jorge Gumba said that for a sewerage treatment facility to work in a large city like San Fernando, barangays and districts would need to be clustered into at least four or five areas with each having its own treatment facility.

“For that to work, we are talking about millions which most water districts and government units do not have. We have to start somewhere. Septage treatment is the most reasonable course. Waiting for costly sewerage treatment would mean we will be waiting at the cost of the environment,” Gumba added.

As for the septage facilities, Gumba said there should be a provincial-wide survey to look into communities and households without septic tanks and to address such problem with concrete government support.

Sewerage and treatment technologies

The NSSMP Operations Manual has outline different sewer systems and treatment technologies for wastewater treatment.

For sewerage systems, sanitary sewers, combine sewer systems, condominial sewers, and small diameter effluent sewers may be employed. However, constructing these would mean constructing one or a combination of these sewerage facilities for more than 479, 082 households in the whole of Pampanga, alone. This is not counting the hundreds of commercial and industrial establishments.

As for the configuration of septage treatment facilities, the NSSMP Operations Manual prescribed the use of activated sludge treatment, which is generally mixing the septage with a polymer to chemically condition the septage. Example of this is that of the Dagat-Dagatan Septage Plant and the South Septage Treatment Plant run by Maynilad and Manila Water, respectively.

Anaerobic digestion and composting may also be used. Anaerobic digestion involves letting microorganism breakdown the organic material in the absence of oxygen. The sea-side town of Bayawan City in Negros Oriental utilizes this system.

Treatment wetlands, which is characterized by chemical stabilization with hydrated lime and effluent treatment with lagoons, such as the one used In the San Fernando, La Union Septage Pilot Study may also be utilized.

These treatment facilities cost millions to construct, however, they are less expensive compared to extensive sewerage treatment systems.

The cost of construction of such facilities is one of the reasons why the P650-million allotment in the care of the DPWH remains unused.

The financial subsidy is not enough to encourage applicants from local government units to avail of it even while the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) has already given its approval for the increase in subsidy to 50 percent. It would actually take the combined efforts and resources of local government units, water districts and the national government to build wastewater treatment systems.

And as the 2020 deadline draws near, local government units and water districts, who are in the process of building a wastewater treatment systems in their areas, would have to work double time with stakeholders to be able to beat the deadline.

Angeles City inks tourism, economic pacts with Vigan, Baguio cities

By Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario (PNA)

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga -- The city government has formalized twin cities and economic partnership agreements with the cities of Vigan and Baguio.

The twinning agreements were inked by Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Vigan City Mayor Juan Carlo Medina in a formal signing ceremony held on Wednesday in Barangay Balibago here.

“The cities of Angeles, Baguio and Vigan have been cooperating as sister cities and partners in development. The signing of the agreements formalizes our desire to learn from our strengths in local governance and benchmark best practices and efforts in good governance,” Pamintuan said.

He said the three cities have a lot in common, particularly tourists’ attractions.

“Baguio City has the Panagbenga Festival while Angeles City has the Tiktikan Terakan Keng Dalan. Vigan City has their world class and UNESCO Heritage District while Angeles City is developing our heritage center which has also won national awards from the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines or ATOP," he added.

Aside from tourism, the agreements of the three cities also focus on business and economic matters, and the development of small and medium enterprises specifically the promotion of local products.

1CSIP holds general assembly in Clark

By Ashley Manabat

CLARK FREEPORT – Citing its growing community to now more than 2,000 cooperative members and operating offices nationwide as another milestone, the 1 Cooperative Insurance System of the Philippines (1CISP) marked its general assembly with success at the Royce Hotel and Casino here last Friday.

Dubbed, “Leadership and Innovation: Sustaining growth, empowering communities,” 1CISP said it has bolstered its operating offices nationwide in areas such as Pampanga, Cebu, Davao and Iloilo in time with its assembly.

The 1CISP also said it remains in its mission, through continued innovation and a commitment to nation building, to bring financial stability and mutual prosperity to its members.

In a statement, the 1CISP said it was first organized in 1974 to look after the insurance and financial needs of farmers, fisher folk, labor unions, coop-groups, cooperative organizations and individuals who are not normally covered by insurance providers like the Government Service Insurance System or the Social Security System as well as privately owned insurance institutions.

A year after its founding, 1CISP became recognized by the government and was registered with the Department of Local Government and Community Development under Presidential Decree 175 having an initial authorized capital stock of P30 million.

The 1CISP marked its 44th anniversary in January this year and now as a leading cooperative insurance in the country, the 1CISP has been the ‘go-to’ entity for the financial and protection needs of local cooperatives and its members.

However, the 1CISP said its largest hurdle is the fact that many individuals still rely on private insurance companies or public services.

Realizing this, it presented the concept of the “Great Third Path,” an innovative concept where the organization opens up a new venue for people to take other than the obvious service insurance options easily available to them.

With the Great Path, 1CISP said it has also created value for its members by making them shareholders in the organization no matter how big or small the investment.

Since 1CISP is owned and governed by its enlisted cooperatives, members are guaranteed a return of investment through patronage refunds, experience refunds, and annual dividends, a system that is predicated on fairness and trust in its shareholders and members.

By creating a system that promotes financial resilience, fairness and responsibility, 1CISP stands at the forefront of promoting a globally competitive cooperative insurance system.

Among those who spoke during the general assembly was Roy Miclat who said 1CISP “is the biggest cooperative insurance in the country with P25 billion assets and 110,000 members.” Miclat added that 1CISP is “not just an insurance but community builders, and allies in terms of economic growth and reducing poverty in the country.”

Lito Villaueva, managing director of FINTQnologies Corp., an affiliate of PLDT that provides technology on financial service and online banking service, talk on new innovations and high-tech solutions.

“Our difference is that we identify which technology to use, we tech-up the coops, make package technology and expertise to connect the community,” he said.

“But we need to establish partnership because we can’t do it alone. We build solutions together and we pilot to co-create.”

Villanueva also launched the “Kasama Ka (You are included)” campaign to promote financial inclusions through collaboration and digital transformation. “This will strengthen retail banking or ‘sachet banking,’ serve the untapped market, lessen the crisis in generational gap and it will be more appealable to millennials,” he said. “We believe that digital transformation will make any industry or generation sustainable,” he added.

Other notable speakers were MyPhone smartphone owner David Lim who spoke on the importance of proper Filipino values and patriotism in the now technologically advanced world, retired Philippine Air Force Brig. Gen. Teodoro P. Evangelista, and former Agrarian Reform secretary Senen Bacani.

DILG Central Luzon makes Q1 assessment of locally-funded projects

(Politiko Central Luzon)

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 3 Office has conducted the first quarter assessment and calibration of the department’s locally-funded projects (LFPs).

The activity held on April 17 in Angeles City, Pampanga was participated in by the Regional Management Team, Cluster Team Leaders, Locally-Funded Projects Focal Persons, Provincial Community Development Officers (PCDOs), Provincial Engineers, and DILG R03 Project Development and Management Section staff.

“The activity successfully served as an avenue to discuss and reconcile data with regards to the implementation and status of all LFPs,” the DILG Central Luzon said.

The participants also shared the practices done by each provincial office, with the hope to encourage others to replicate these and have a more efficient way of implementing LFPs, it added.

‘Salangian’ to showcase Kapampangan artworks at Clark Museum

(Manila Standard)

CLARK FREEPORT— The biggest gathering of Kapampangan artists in an exhibit dubbed as ‘Salangian’, which will feature various pieces of arts, will be staged at the Clark Museum here starting on April 27.

Noemi Julian, manager of Tourism and Promotions Division of Clark Development Corporation said that about 80 Kapampangan artists will join the event and more than 100 of their artworks will be exhibited at the Gallery 2 of Clark Museum.

'Salangian’ which means to light or to ignite, will have a gala on April 26 and will be open to the public the following day, Julian said.

Andy Alviz, one of the featured artists and lead organizer, said the activity will serve as a platform to celebrate the creativity and artistry of Kapampangan painters, sculptors and other artists. He also cited the suitability of Clark as the location for the event.

“It’s high time we celebrate the artistry and creativity of the artists. Clark is booming and there will be a lot of demands for art pieces for hotels, condos, offices and restaurants. Now is the time for artists to come to Clark, “ Alviz said.

Alviz also furthered that the “openness and support to the Kapampangan art and culture” are factors which make Clark their ideal spot for the exhibit as he also cited the support of managers of this Freeport.

“Clark was chosen for the exhibit because of its openness and support to the Kapampangan art and culture. Bases Conversion Development Authority President-CEO Vivencio B. Dizon and Clark Development Corporation President-CEO Noel F. Manankil are both excited and gave an all out support for the biggest gathering of Kapampangan artists,” he said.

Last year, various Kapampangan artworks and craftsmanship were featured during the 31st Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit. They were showcased at the ASEAN Villas, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) VIP lounge and ASEAN Convention Center.

They included the Pidayit by Philip Torres. Pidayit from “pidayit-dayit,” a Kapampangan word that means putting together to form a new one and combining with creative traditions and techniques of embroidery, beadwork, and crochet with diverse style and intricate expressions, all made by hand.

Part of the exhibit are works of to be displayed inside the museum are the artworks of sculptor Willy Layug, painter Rafael Maniago, among others. Both Layug and Maniago are recipient of Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards (MOKA) for the contribution in the world of arts and culture.

The exhibit is also part of the 25th Anniversary of CDC and the creation of this Freeport.

DOTr updates CL stakeholders on big-ticket airport, rail projects

By Cherie Joyce V. Flores (CLJD/CJVF-PIA 3)

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga (PIA) -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) updated the stakeholders from Central Luzon on the status of big-ticket airport and rail projects during the recent Philippine Economic Briefing.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the new passenger terminal building of Clark International Airport broke ground last December 20, 2017.

“Once completed, it will accommodate an additional 8 million passengers annually,” he disclosed.

Moreover, pre-construction activities for the Phase 1 of PNR Clark started last January 2018 with actual construction targeted by November 2018.

“Phase I is a 38km segment spanning from Tutuban to Malolos City in Bulacan. With this line, commuters from Tutuban will reach Malolos in as little as 35 minutes,” Tugade furthered.

Phase II, on the other hand, is a 69km stretch from Malolos City to Clark.

PNR Clark will have a total of 17 stations namely Tutuban, Solis, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Malolos, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, Clark International Airport, and New Clark City.

Meanwhile, Tugade disclosed that the MRT-7 is 22.96 percent complete as of February 2018 and will meet its target date in 2020. MRT 7 is a 22km rail line that will connect Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte City.

The manufacturing of the 108 rolling stocks is in progress. At present, there are 5 train sets completed, equivalent to 15 cars.

“Through the trust and confidence of the people and with the leadership of President Duterte, the DOTr, Department of Public Works and Highways and Bases Conversion and Development Authority will work hand in hand towards the implementation and realization of the Golden Age of Infrastructure,” the secretary said.

“There is no doubt and it is a given hypothesis that if you want to develop and grow, there’s got to be infrastructure. Infrastructure must be developed in order for any economy to have its best to really grow,” he stressed.

Clark Corporation to hold 2018 summer HOTS jobs fair

(PR)

CLARK FREEPORT -- Over 4,000 job vacancies will be available on the Summer HOTS or “hired on the spot” jobs fair organized by Clark Development Corporation (CDC) on April 27 at SM City Clark Event Center.

In commemoration of its 25th year, CDC in partnership with more than 80 locator companies in Freeport will offer employment and other opportunities during the activity. The jobs fair will start at 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The fair is open to all applicants with various educational backgrounds. They include professionals, college graduates, vocational graduates, high school graduates, and undergraduates.

During the jobs fair, free training will also be offered and conducted to help ensure employment. The said event is an annual activity conducted by the state –owned firm as it remains true to its mission of generating employment and investments in the Freeport and in the country.

Interested applicants are encouraged to pre-register at www.jobsatclark.com.ph. For more information about the event, applicants may contact telephone numbers (045)-499-2265 or visit Jobs at Clark on Facebook.

Widus Clark breaks ground for Tower Four project

By Ashley Manabat

CLARK FREEPORT—A $1-billion luxury integrated resort will soon be completed beside the soon-to-open Marriott Clark Hotel on a 130,000-square-meter property in this free port.

This developed after Friday’s groundbreaking of Widus Tower Four that will have a total floor area of 20,000 sqm in the $500-million luxury integrated resort.

“With Widus Tower Four, we are not only building a new hotel, we are creating a new experience of luxury hospitality,” Widus Philippines Inc. (WPI) President and CEO Daesik Han said during the ceremonies at the Widus Complex.

Han said WPI shall have invested to date a total of $1 billion to the luxury integrated resort upon completion of Widus Tower Four, including another $500-million investment slated for the development of a mixed-use commercial area at the WPI’s newly acquired property located at the former Duty Free complex here.

The groundbreaking ceremonies, led by Han, had as special guests Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vivencio Dizon, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. President and COO Alfredo Lim and Chairman Andrea Domingo, as well as Clark Development Corp. President and CEO Noel F. Manankil.

During his speech, Han referred to Widus Tower Four as “the iconic new addition of Widus toward being a world-class, one-stop leisure destination.”

When completed in the last quarter of 2020, the 19-story building will boast of modern architecture aesthetically complemented by nature and lush green landscapes.

Its façade will showcase lines and contours flaunting structural impressions of the Banaue rice terraces.

A one-of-a-kind water park nestled in a tropical haven will also be constructed. To add to its distinct features, it will incorporate traditional, as well as modern, elements of Korean architecture, pop culture, cuisine, beauty and even cosmetics,” Han said.

Upon its completion, the project is estimated to dramatically increase employment by creating over 1,000 job opportunities by 2022, adding more value to its community.

Widus AVP for Corporate Planning and Compliance Neki Liwanag said: “We envision the much-anticipated opening of Widus Tower Four to definitely be a game changer in the regional hospitality landscape. We strategically planned this development to serve the community even better by opening more opportunities to the locals while, at the same time, catering to both the business and tourism market.”

Liwanag also said the billion-dollar undertaking aims to bring Widus on a par with premier leisure and gaming destinations here and abroad.

Widus Tower Four will feature 380 well-appointed rooms along with luxurious five-star facilities and amenities, such as specialty dining options, retail outlets, swimming pool, executive lounge plus event venues such as ballroom and function rooms.

To stay true to its nature of being a family destination, it is also set to bring to guests of all ages breathtaking entertainment, world-class amusements, state-of-the-art virtual gaming experience and interactive wellness activities.

Barangays showcase various ‘sisig’ dishes

By IAN OCAMPO FLORA

The 33 barangays of the City of San Fernando are able to showcase their own versions of the famous Angeles City sizzling “sisig” through the Barangay Sisig Fiesta, which is part of the city-wide celebration of the Sisig Fiesta 2018.

Co-presented by corporate sponsor Fresh Options and the Angeles City Tourism Office, the barangay-based contest kicked off last April 7 in Barangay Pulung Bulu with cooking showdowns held in Barangay Malabanias last April 14 and in Barangay Pandan on April 21.

Organizers said a total of six finalists will be selected and will proceed to the next round of cooking showdowns on April 28 for the grand prize of P10,000 cash and meat products.

Fresh Options strategic and operations manager Joy Literato said the event aims to popularize the sisig cooking process as well as give opportunity to the various versions that have been developed.

The 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod (Angeles City Council) chaired by Vice-Mayor Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno unanimously approved Ordinance No. 405, Series of 2017, which declares “Sisig Babi as an Intangible Heritage of Angeles.”

The ordinance, authored by Councilor Amos Rivera, contains programs and policies that will safeguard the original recipe and preparation of the pork dish.

A historical account detailed in the ordinance indicates that sisig was already part of Kapampangan vocabulary as early as 1732, based on Fray Diego Bergano’s Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga.

It is widely believed that it was in Angeles City where sisig was first served as “pulutan” (beer match), and that it has become an enduring and ever-growing industry in the city.

Clark emerging as next aerotropolis in Asia

(PR)

CLARK Freeport is being recognized as the next aerotropolis in Asia considering its potential to develop into an aircraft repair hub and host other aviation-related businesses.

“Clark is being recognized as another next aerotropolis in Asia and it definitely will put the country in the global stage as one of the manufacturing repair and overhaul (MRO) hubs of planes and aircraft in the region,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez at the media launch of the Aeromart Summit on Friday, April 6.

Lopez said the conduct of the first Aeromart Summit in the Philippines, set for June 4 to 6, will prove that the country is getting recognized as a big player in the aviation industry.

The hosting of Aeromart Summit in Clark will also give more opportunity to local aerospace industry to be recognized, adding that “this hosting of the Aeromart Clark therefore aims to launch the local aerospace industry in a wider scale and create greater awareness of our industry as recognized partner in MRO and aerostructures manufacturing in the Asia- Pacific region,” Lopez said.

Aerospace Industry Association of the Philippines (AIAP) chairman John Lee said Clark is the ideal venue for the summit.

“We have been lucky, of course, with the help of Secretary (Lopez) and DTI, that finally Aeromart in Clark will happen, I believe that this is the best place as an aerotropolis. We are quite fortunate because this can introduce the Philippines into the world not only in manufacturing, but of course, as a MRO hub,” he said.

The Aeromart Summit aims to promote the Philippine capabilities in aerospace parts manufacturing, aircraft MRO, and aviation trainings.

It is also expected to maximize the investment and outsourcing opportunities in the Philippines, especially in Clark for aerospace and aviation by serving as the platform to expand the reach of the local aerospace industry players through business-to-business meetings.

Tech4Ed center launched in Angeles

(PR)

THE Angeles City government, through the Angeles City Library and Information Center (ACLIC), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Luzon Cluster 2 launched on Friday, April 6, a Tech4Ed facility.

Tech4Ed, which stands for “Technology for Education to gain employment, train entrepreneurs towards economic development”, aims to extend free ICT services to more Filipinos and facilitate equal opportunity of learning and employment.

Three desktop computers and printer units installed at the ACLIC are now operational and open for public use.

The center features an online one-stop shop system for the processing of government documents such as Social Security System registration, birth certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority and others through the eGovserv.

It also allows access to educational and other instructional contents with the eEduskills services. It also empowers stakeholders from various sectors through its digital literacy program component.

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said that facilities like Tech4Ed will develop the city library into a full-fledged learning resource center.

“Our plans for the improvement of our city library are now on the pipeline. This Tech4Ed facility complements our efforts as it will surely aid our constituents, especially the students and those who are on search for job opportunities, in their scholastic and employment needs,” said Pamintuan.

“On top of the huge collection of books and other instructional materials, our city library can now offer more services and our people must take advantage of it,” the mayor added.

The Tech4Ed center was formally opened to the public through a ceremony led by DICT-Luzon Cluster 2 Pampanga representative Pablito Dela Peña and City Librarian Mila Narsing.

Also present during the launch were DICT project development officer Mikko Rhey Alfonso, ACLIC supervising administrative officer Agnes Gomez, Tech4Ed Center manager Minette Lagman and guests from the Teen Information Office and City Tourism Office.

ACWD targets completion of vital pump station this April

By Reynaldo G. Navales

ANGELES CITY -- The Angeles City Water District (ACWD) is targeting to complete a pumping station in Barangay Margot this April to address the water shortage in the village and Barangay Sapang Bato.

This was learned from ACWD General Manager Reynaldo Liwanag, who said that they are doubling their efforts to complete the project this April, which is two months ahead of the June schedule.

The target date of completion for the well-drilling at the Margot pumping station is on April 15, according to Liwanag.

After the drilling is done, the ACWD official said that a pump and other equipment will be acquired and installed to complete the water station.

“Hopefully, we can complete the pumping station at the end of the month and start supplying water to our concessionaires in Barangays Margot and some parts of Sapang Bato,” Liwanag said in the vernacular.

Another pumping station in Barangay Sapang Bato is being constructed by ACWD to augment the water supply in the two villages which was affected by water shortage since last February.

Liwanag assured the council that the water supply in the two villages will be restored in four months.

The ACWD officials meanwhile thanked politicians and businessmen who are donating drinking water to the residents.

86 CCA students now Tesda certified

(PR)

ANGELES CITY -- Some 86 students at the City College of Angeles (CCA) passed the competency assessment for various programs facilitated by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

The students, who passed the March 14 and March 15 evaluation, are now entitled to receive a National Certification II (NCII) in their respective areas of specialization namely Tour Guiding, Front Office and Events Management Services.

All 41 students who underwent the Tesda evaluation under the Tour Guiding Services program have successfully passed the examination. Also, a 100 percent passing rate was recorded with 40 CCA students passing the evaluation under the Front Office Services program.

On the other hand, CCA posted an 80 percent passing rate with 25 students obtaining the Tesda NCII certification under the Events Management Services program.

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan extended his congratulations to all the students who passed the Tesda assessment.

He said “the assessment result strongly manifests CCA’s vow in providing quality education to the youth of the city.”

“This recent attainment solidifies our claim that our very own college is indeed an institution committed to excellence. This further reveals that our local government through CCA is successful at equipping our students with essential skills making them employable and globally competitive,” Pamintuan added.

According to Tesda, the assessment process seeks to determine whether the graduate or worker can perform to the standards expected in the workplace based on the defined competency standards.

The NCII is an added credential and a proof of skills proficiency especially to the students of CCA who will seek employment after graduation. This assessment ensures the productivity, quality and global competitiveness of the middle-level workers.

New Clark airport to introduce Modern Filipino design by Budji+Royal firm

By Marge C. Enriquez (CONTRIBUTED, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Sierra Madre inspires the silhouette, lahar to mimic marble finish for flooring, open areas and gardens for send-off and welcome crowds

Illustration shows how the Sierra Madre, the biggest mountain range in the country, serves as inspiration of the wavy silhouette of the new Clark International Airport terminal 2.

Perhaps, for the first time, modern Filipino architecture will have its imprint on a major Philippine airport, as the tandem of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda creates the architectural concept for the Clark International Airport Terminal 2.

“The modern Philippines will finally manifest itself to the world,” architect Pineda puts it succinctly.

Budji+Royal Architecture+

Design is at the forefront of redeveloping Clark in Angeles, Pampanga, as the country’s model of a progressive city.

Among the firm’s key projects is the upcoming Clark International Airport Terminal 2.

The Clark redevelopment is a project of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, with its president and CEO Vince Dizon and chair Greg Garcia,

Budji+Royal is doing the architectural concept design of the new terminal in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based consultant Integrated Design Associates. The project is with Megawide.

The Budji+Royal firm is defining Clark’s urban planning and architecture based on its advocacy of Modern Filipino architecture and design—as the concept will be branded hereon.

Pineda says, “Although we Filipinos respect international standards, some of their solutions are specific to a foreign setting. As Filipinos, we must take charge of our vision. We can open up to the world to collaborate and learn the best practices but apply them in our context.

“Once we create solutions and articulate them in our designs, they can become the modern Filipino standards for architecture. Other tropical countries can study how we are doing it. We are trying to generate innovations so that we can share them with the world. We can produce distinctly Filipino designs which make us authentic.”

The new 100,000-square-meter terminal (about the size of Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 2) will complement the main Clark International Airport and the Ninoy Aquino International Airports (Naia) in Manila to accommodate the ever-increasing passenger traffic.

Tropical plaza

The design bears a sense of place—the soul of the country.

Envisioned as an architecture landmark in Pampanga, the terminal will have a façade inspired by the wavy silhouette of Mount Arayat, which is 16 kilometers away from Clark, and the Sierra Madre, the country’s largest mountain range.

The roofline will use longspan metal and a glue-laminated (timber) structure. Warm, tropical tones make the structure blend with the landscape, in these images (below).

The airport will also showcase the use of advanced and sustainable materials.

Travelers will get around the terminal faster, see more views of nature and encounter less physical barriers.

“Apart from the architecture, we want to celebrate the culture of Filipinos—we greet and send off our loved ones. So the planning takes into account the comfort of well-wishers and greeters,” says Layug.

The sendoff and welcome sections are open areas, with gardens called the Tropical Plaza at the entrance of the new terminal. There will be restaurants where people can relax while waiting for the arrivals.

“The plan reflects the warmth of Filipinos,” says Pineda. “This concept was an offshoot of our rehabilitation of Naia 1 in 2011. We are bringing this concept as our main DNA in what makes the Filipino airport distinct. Present your culture beautifully and efficiently so that the world will appreciate it.”

New luxury

The project is also rethinking the concept of luxury. “We have been timid for a long time. It’s about time we went bold but practical. Being bold doesn’t mean that we will overspend. A government building can be practical imbued with the new luxury of Filipinos—space, openness, lightness and not expensive materials,” says Pineda.

The ridged roofline of the sprawling airport echoes the outline of the surrounding mountains. The roofline will use longspan metal and a glue-laminated (timber) structure often referred to as glulam.

The warm, tropical tones of the surface treatments let the structure blend with the landscape—an organic perspective, says Pineda.

As a nod to one of Pampanga’s famous cultural symbols, the parol or star lantern, the patterns of the lantern will be interpreted in the glulam.

Following international standards, the runway can accommodate several Airbus 380s and even a space shuttle, adds Pineda.

Cozy ambiance

The interiors will echo another cultural symbol, the bamboo.

It must be noted that Layug earned fame here and abroad in the late 1970s by modernizing the use of bamboo in furniture—a feat that landed his line at Bloomingdales in New York, a first for a Filipino.

The hub has a modern design that blends with the Filipino setting, in this computer image.

Since then, the bamboo—its limitless potential—has been seminal in the evolution of the Budji Layug design.

Instead of using traditional bamboo, the Clark project will make prodigious use of sustainable glulam or structural engineered wood in the interiors.

“The coziness is achieved in the naturalness of the material,” says Layug.

Pineda stresses, “We didn’t want to create a cold terminal. We wanted the Filipino feeling. The interiors have the warmth of wood.”

The flooring will use locally sourced material, lahar from Mount Pinatubo. It will mimic a terrazzo or marble finish for an understated elegant look.

The pitched ceilings will create the grandeur of the outdoors. “They reflect the organic shape of the mountains. The different heights lend the feeling of dynamism and blending with the landscape. When you enter the space, you are in awe,” says Layug.

Pineda cites another design trademark of the firm—permeability or transparency and unimpeded flow of space. Vast expanse of glass will allow a majestic view of Mount Arayat.

The design is anchored on a function—to help alleviate the stress of visitors and travelers. The Clark terminal is to be completed in 2019.

The Tropical Plaza, in this computer image, has tree-lined open areas where visitors can loiter—a nod to the Filipino custom of welcoming and sending off loved ones.

Layug notes that when Filipinos leave the country, they are full of excitement on seeing new things abroad. But when they return, instead of feeling well-rested, they feel gloomy. “Everything looks so Third World,” says Layug.

For him, Clark Terminal 2 must herald a renaissance.

“This airport will make us happy to come home. Something like this signals that the Philippines is stepping up on its modernity. It will show the world that we are in business. Everybody will have pride that the country is moving forward,” says Layug.

Clark fire trucks respond quickly in hotel’s fire drill

By Reynaldo G. Navales

CLARK FREEPORT --- At least two fire trucks responded in less than 10 minutes after a distress call sent by executives of Park Inn by Radisson Hotel which conducted a fire drill on Monday.

Retired Air Force Colonel Francis L. Rosales, security of manager of Park Inn by Radisson Clark, said they created a scenario where firemen need to rescue several casualties trapped inside the hotel rooms.

Prior to the drill, hotel personnel informed their tenants to stay calm and cooperate with authorities during the conduct of the fire drill.

Hotel employees and some guests were evacuated into a command post for accounting and assessment.

PIRC general manager Zenaida Alcantara has underscored the need to practice the emergency procedure to be used in case of fire.

She said PIRC is conducting fire drills twice a year in order to educate its employees and guests about the things to do in case of fire and other disasters.

Rosales thanked the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) Public Safety Department for cooperating and immediately sending firemen and rescue teams during the fire drill.

After the fire drill, personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Angeles City conducted a lecture on how to douse fire using extinguishers.

World’s 1st nat’l emergency operation inaugurated in Clark

By Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario (PNA)

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga -- The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), one of the leading business networks in disaster management, inaugurated on Wednesday the world’s first national private sector-led Emergency Operation Center (EOC) here.

PDRF co-chairman and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT)-Smart Communications Inc. chief executive officer Manuel Pangilinan ,and PDRF co-chairman and Ayala Corp. chairman-CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala officially led the inauguration of the EOC –a self-sufficient operation hub geared towards training for disaster preparedness and the coordination of relief and response during major disasters.

PDRF communication officer Colleen Abesamis said Clark is the chosen location for the facility for it is one of the designated recovery sites identified by the government in the national contingency plan and an ideal place due to its proximity to the Clark International Airport and Port of Subic Bay.

In his speech, Pangilinan underscored that disaster management in the country should be a collaborative effort between the government and the private sector.

He also cited the PDRF’s effort for creating platforms in establishing a disaster-resilient Philippines.

“PDRF’s formation is premised on the conviction that disaster management is not solely up to the government. The despair of one must touch us all and everyone must help,” Pangilinan said.

The PDRF was established in 2009 as a public-private sector partnership in response to the devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy.

It serves as a critical link among government agencies, civil society groups, international and local government units for disaster preparedness, relief and recovery.

Accordingly, the EOC will complement government efforts and highlight private sector initiatives in all aspects of response and early recovery as it will provide alerts and updates to the PDRF network during emergency situations.

It features a command center which harnesses data from local and international sources to monitor earthquakes, tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions, and pandemics.

The center also maps data on public infrastructure to help protect them from hazards.

Meanwhile, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president Noel Manankil lauded the PDRF for choosing Clark as its location, which geared toward disaster preparedness.

Among the notable guests who witnessed the inauguration were former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. president-CEO Erramon Aboitiz, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad.

Devotees, tourists witness Angeles’ ‘Sabuaga Festival

(PR)

ANGELES CITY - Despite the weather uncertainty, a huge number of devotees from all walks of life trooped to Lourdes Northwest to witness the creative street dramatization that depicts God’s eternal love and sacrifice for all humanity dubbed “Siete Palabras”.

Translated as the “Seven Last Words” of Jesus Christ, the two-day act was performed by Angeles City-based theater group, Uyat Artista (UA), in partnership with the Angeles City local government and the Lourdes Northwest Barangay Council on March 29 and 30.

The two-day street dramatization was held in two parts: LNW’s Arevalo basketball court housed the staging of the Last Supper which was presented in the evening of Holy Thursday. On the other hand, the Crucifixion of Christ continued in the afternoon of Good Friday at the LNW makeshift Golgotha.

Tourism Officer John Montances recorded more than 20,000 attendees in the much-anticipated Siete Palabras 2018.

But more than its tourism value, Montances furthered that “the dramatic play, under the creative direction of UA’s Jason Pabalan, aims to remind everyone of the sacrifices that Christ has done for all humanity.”

“The play is a form of devotion especially to the actors and people behind the event who wholeheartedly put their time and effort to deliver this dramatization to the devotees,” Montances added.

For his part, Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan reminded the people that the Holy Week is a time for reflection.

“Angelenos are known for their deep devotion to Catholic faith and this grows stronger and more profound when we reminisce and look deeper on the sacrifices and death of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Pamintuan said.

“This event is our way of showing our faith and our devotion. We have been blessed thousand fold and we are giving it and sharing it with our own little sacrifices, and I think that is the essence of this Holy Week, to serve and give back,” the mayor added.

Meanwhile, the Tourist Police Unit, Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Angeles City Traffic Development Office, Ospital ning Angeles, City Engineer Office and service Army were actively present during the events of the Holy Week ensuring the safety of the devotees and tourists.

Assisting the City Government in maintaining peace and order are non-government organizations such as Tropang Crime Watch, Cobra, Kabalikat, Prompt, and the React who provided additional security aid and ambulances for emergency purposes.

CDC 25th anniversary celebration kicks-off

(PR)

CLARK FREEPORT — The 25th anniversary celebration of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) kicked off Monday, April 2, with flag-raising ceremonies and a motorcade from this Freeport to the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga.

Proclamation 80, which was signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos, designated the CDC as the implementing arm of Clark Special Economic Zone under the Republic Act 7227—the Bases Conversion Act.

The proclamation was signed on April 3, following the twin devastation wrought by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991 and the eventual pull out of the 13th US Air Force at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Aside from the flag-raising and motorcade, CDC has also prepared other events to commemorate the silver anniversary of the state-owned firm from being a desolated former US military base into one of the prime investment destinations in Asia today.

On April 6, CDC will hold a tree-planting event inside the Freeport, fun walk on April 13, and film showing on April 16 to 17.

On April 20, CDC will hold its anniversary celebration which will coincide with the service recognition of employees who have reached five years, 10 years, 15 years and 25 years.

On April 27, the state-owned firm will have its annual jobs fair where close to 100 companies here are expected to participate.

The Freeport is currently host to 949 locators and more than 108,000 employees.

Urban poor organizer nabbed in Pampanga

By Jhoanna Ballaran (Reporter, Philippine Daily Inquirer /lb )

An urban poor activist was arrested in connection with a 2010 murder in Negros Occidental province, a human rights group said Friday.

Karapatan said Ruby Lacadman, an organizer of the urban poor group Kadamay, was arrested by members of the police and military at her residence in Barangay Cacutud, Mabalacat City, Pampanga province.

She was apprehended based on a warrant of arrest issued on October 12 last year for the murder of a certain “Ruby Palabrica y Quitason” in Cadiz City, the group said.

Lacadman was then brought to the Mabalacat police station and was set to be transferred to Cadiz City in Negros Occidental, where she would be reportedly brought to the court on Monday, Karapatan said.

Lacadman is among the activists presumably included in the Department of Justice’s proscription petition, which contained a list of more than 600 names, the group said.

According to the list, Lacadman was allegedly a former member of the finance bureau of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ Komiteng Rehiyon ng Negros (regional committee of Negros or KRN) and a member of the Regional White Area Committee (RWAC).

Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay condemned the arrest and slammed the “unfounded” allegations.

Palabay said Lacadman worked then as the barangay secretary in Cacutud, then worked in a church-based program in Angeles City.

The filing of the proscription petition “gave rise to an intensified crackdown against activists and members of progressive organizations,” Palabay also said.

“Duterte’s vindictive government, through his fake terror list, is clamping down on the critics of his anti-people policies. This is an indefensible assault and a brazen curtailment of people’s civil and political rights,” said Palabay.

“The Duterte regime is weaponizing the agencies at his disposal – all the departments, the courts, the police and the military – to persecute all his critics, undoubtedly the mark of a tyrannical regime,” she added.

Palabay called for Lacadman’s immediate release and the junking of President Duterte’s “fake terror list.”