FOREX: US$=P44.4 UKL=P74.9 HK$=P5.73 BRUNEI$=P35.5 EURO=P61.6 JAPAN Y=P0.44 AUST$=P41.1 BAHRAIN D=P117.76 SAUDI R=P11.84 UAE DIR=P12.

09 SING$=P35.5

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BusinessPost
August 2014 / Vol. I, No. 3 / 11 Sections / 8 Pages

Visayan Business Post

P15.00 Nationwide

Local news for the global Visayan

website visayanbizpost.com

Ormoc fluvial parade amd procession

1B fruit trees for Visayas

A billion fruit trees AgAinst storms. Plans for a billion fruit bearing trees to grow along coastal properties is an ambitious proposal sought to be funded as
part of the rehabilitation of Eastern Visayas. The trees are expected to strengthen coastlines against ravaging storm surges. (Photo courtesy of OXFAM)

Inside
East Visayas economy to grow this
year-NEDA/p2
Naval gives incentives to BHWs/p3
Is DSWD a better
builder?/p3
The perils of fake
chargers/p7

Local Industry, p5

Analysis
The VBP News Team
Tacloban City, Leyte

If the historic proposed

reforestation program is
implemented
properly,
Eastern Visayas will become the top supplier of
various tropical fruits in
Asia, sustaining the regions own needs and lowering the price of fruits in
the country within a period
of five years.
If funded but not implemented appropriately, government will lose an enormous amount of resources
and the confidence of its
constituency in Samar and
Leyte.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Eastern Visayas
plans to plant a billion fruit
trees in the region.
This intention is carried
in a proposal that DENR
1 billion fruit trees/p8

Tax employees urged to work harder

The VBP News Team
South Leyte

MAASIN CITY Regional Director Diosdado

Mendoza of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue here have
urged tax collection workers of the bureaus Maasin
City office to exert more
effort to improve its collection even as he acknowledged Maasin City to be
one of the big contributors
to the regions overall tax

collections this year.

Atty. Mendoza who
graced the groundbreaking for a two storey P40
million BIR office building
in Maasin prodded the employees to do more, saying
that the region is still 30%
short of its collection target of P6.1 billion this year.
Revenue District Office
No. 90 employees together
with their officer in charge
Susan Golo listened as director Mendoza explained

the output performance

system currently being followed by the bureau in retaining the services of its
employees. To stay in BIR,
be performing, otherwise,
out you go, he said, citing
that the bureau cannot afford under-performers.
Mendoza also said that
they are closely monitoring the enforcement of tax
laws in the entire region,
maintaining that it is still
one of the key strategies

of attaining tax collection

targets.
BIR Region 8 ranked 5th
among the countrys top
performing offices in 2012.
The new 600 square meter BIR offices in Maasin
will be constructed in a
1,400 square meter lot earlier donated by the city
government in Barangay
Combado. Southern Leyte
Governor Roger Mercado,
city Vice-Mayor Maria
Tax employees urged/p2

Hilongos water
project soon to
be completed
The VBP News Team
Eastern Visayas

HILONGOS The local

government led by Mayor
Albert Villahermosa is
positive it will soon complete its Sagana at Ligtas
na Tubig sa Lahat (Salintubig) project for Barangay
Tuguipa where potable
Hilongos water/p2

Success of Mahaplag Inland Resort silences critics

VBP News Team, West Leyte

MALINAO, Mahaplag
Earlier critics of the
local government unit
operating a resort in Mahaplag has been silenced
with the continuous
increase of the resorts
annual revenue. It was
kind of unexpected considering the prior doubt
cast over the economic
viability of the project

three years ago, said Natural Resource Management

Specialist Mario S. Casas.
Inland Resort management revealed to the Visayan Business Post News
Team that the cool hideaway in this landlocked
municipality has been
drawing so many local and
foreign tourists that they
now have a constant shortage of rooms. Cabanas
that should house families
are also one of the present

demands. Plans for the

resorts building development will be an expected
expansion move if we are
to satisfy the resorts growing clientele, said Casas
who also currently stands
as resort manager.
Mahaplag Inland Resort
which now earns roughly
P2 million to P3 million
pesos in revenues annually, up from the anticipated P800 thousand yearly
when the project was first

funded by the Department

of Finance, also helps the
local economy by employing 21 locals. The resort is
self-sustaining and has given additional revenue for
the municipality, beamed
Casas, referring to the P6.8
million revenue raised by
the local government in
2013. Contrary to earlier
negative forecasts by some
of its detractors, the resort
is not and will never beMahaplag Inland/p5

Cool respite. Children frolic under a tree-shaded pool with crystal clear water in Mahaplags inland resort. (Photo by JnGrey)

August 2014

Topstories
NewsBrief
LTFRB 8 now
in Palo, Leyte

Road rage
kills VSU
bus driver in
Albuera

Editor John Alfred Kabalican

editor@visayanbizpost.com

The truth as it happens.

Eastern Visayas to achieve economic growth this year

By VBP News Team
Central Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY
The National Economic
Development
Authority
(NEDA) here is still optimistic that various development programs of the
government will help accelerate economic recovery
in Eastern Visayas.
The
implementation
of infrastructure, livelihood, housing, and other
rehabilitation and recovery projects in the region
through the Office of the
Presidential Assistance for
Rehabilitation and Recovery give a positive outlook
for the regions economy
this year, disclosed NEDA

director Bonifacio Uy.

Director Uy was referring to the anti-poverty
programs of the national
government now worth
more than P4 Billion.
The local anti-poverty
push will be placed under
an expanded version of
the KALAHI-CIDSS-National Community Driven
Development Project of
the Department of Social
Welfare and Development
including its existing 4Ps
program.
Uy said that the local
economy is likewise expected to strengthen with
the continued rehabilitation and reconstruction of
government buildings, new
infrastructure, permanent
resettlement projects, and

Tax employees urged

merce and Industry witnessed the lowering of the
Effie Sabandal, councilor time capsule to signal the
Antonio Cardoza, and Epi- beginning of the buildings
fania Sy of the Southern construction.
Leyte Chamber of ComFrom Page 1

For individually paying members

Benefit Coverage
Inpatient Coverage
PhilHealth provides subsidy for room and board, drugs
and medicines, laboratory exam, use of operating room
complex and professional fees for confinements of not
less than 24 hours.
(Please refer to the table of rate ceilings/maximum allowances for inpatient coverage.)

NEDA

Festival. Full of hope, locals recently took to the streets to celebrate life months after super
typhoon Haiyan devastated Tacloban City. (Photo by Aaron JP Almadro)

the building of new roads.

The projects are poised
to generate jobs for locals
as well as spur local spending. Some of the development projects are being implemented together with
non-government organizations and private entities.

Being given focus likewise are the agriculture

production and abaca industry sector. We want to
attain a resilient, inclusive
and sustained high growth
path for the region, said
director Uy.
Around 8.8 million Fili-

pinos including those from

Eastern Visayas who were
victims of super typhoon
Haiyan have rated themselves to having gone hungry or dirt poor in the last
few months based on anindependent survey by the
Social Weather Station.

Hilongos water project

From Page 1

water is still lacking to at

least 194 households. The
program is funded by the
General
Appropriations
Act provision for local potable water supply.
Soon to be finished, the
project will install 21 Level2 Spring Development
water system faucets that
can be commonly used by
at least 10 households per
faucet with an average of
five people per household
said project development
officer Avelino Lagaac of
Hilongos Municipal Planning and Development Office who is one of several
LGU officers manning the

project.
We are stepping up the
projects actual implementation to meet Mayor Villahermosas instructions
for us to accelerate the delivery of potable water for
the residents of Barangay
Tuguipa because the people there need it, added
Engineer Lagaac.
The project will have a
storage capacity of 18,565
liters at any given time and
uses gravity to transport
the water from its source to
its service areas. The local
government developed a
local water source for this,
Lagaac stressed.
MPDO Chief Catherine
Keith Fabular meanwhile

told the Visayan Business

Post News Team that the
potable water development project is only one of
several programs linedup
by Mayor Villahermosa as
he tackles the problem of
lack of basic necessities in
outlaying barangays of the
municipality.
Mayor
Villahermosa
who is on his first term is
seeking to enhance while
fasttracking the delivery
of basic social and economic development services in
this municipality, including road networks to agriculture areas, sanitation
and clean potable water
tapped from local sources
for its residents.

Outpatient Coverage
Day surgeries, dialysis and cancer treatment procedures
such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy in accredited
hospitals and free-standing clinics.
Special Benefit Packages
Case Rates
TB Treatment through DOTS
SARS and Avian Influenza
Novel Influenza A(H1N1)

Calubian barangay needs

immediate
evacuation

Exclusions
The following shall not be covered except when, after
actuarial studies, PhilHealth recommends their inclusion
subject to approval of its Board of Directors:
Fifth and subsequent normal obstetrical deliveries
Non-prescription drugs and devices
Alcohol abuse or dependency treatment
Cosmetic surgery
Optometric services
Other cost-ineffective procedures as defined by PhilHealth

Ormoc Urban Plans. Accomplished urban planner and environmental activist Felino Palafox, Jr. of

Palafox Associates recently visited Ormoc City. Palafox was asked by the city government to come up
with a modern urban plan for the proposed permanent relocation sites for typhoon Haiyan victims. Palafox firm is widely credited for various state-of-the-art buildings in Metro Manila. (Photo by Ormoc LGU)

> Your dream Our focus <

August 2014

Editor John Alfred Kabalican

editor@visayanbizpost.com

the metro

Is the DSWD a better Naval gives incentives to barangay health workers

builder?
By VBP News Team Leyte
MATAG-OB, Leyte
Residents here are
asking if this is the case,
as their core shelter
units built through the
Core Shelter Assistance
Program (CSAP) of the
Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) stood
the onslaught of super
typhoon Haiyan.
Other public structures like municipal
buildings,
bridges,
gymnasiums, barangay
halls, day care centers,
and school houses built
through congressional
pork barrel funds, and
even concrete paved
roads yielded to the super typhoon.
All 80 core shelter
units built as early as
1991 up to 2000 and
2010 in Barangays San
Guillermo,
Cansuso,
San Sebastian, and San
Marcelino stood after
Yolanda while many
houses in the municipality sustained different states of damage,
Enrique A. Odtuhan,
Matag-ob
Municipal
Social Welfare and
Development
Officer
(MSWDO) said in a
statement.
The units were built
to really withstand disasters even as strong as
Yolanda, he said.
Odtuhan, a 24year
veteran in the delivery
of municipal social services said he witnessed
the actual construction
of all the DSWD core
shelter units in his municipality.
We are very happy
that these core shelter
units have remained intact and still providing
safety to the family-recipients.
The town has built 70
more recent core shelter
units in the villages of
Bula, Mansahaon and
Naulayan.
Former Mayor and
now Matag-ob Vice
Mayor Michael L. Tore-

villas said the units were

really durable for them
to be able to defy Yolandas force. Yes, they
are standing despite the
heavy blow, Vice Mayor
Torevillas said.
In Boston, Davao Oriental local officials confirmed that 27 DSWD
core shelter units constructed in their town
also survived another
strong Tyhoon, Pablo.
In the aftermath of
typhoon Pablo, we noted that the surrounding
structures and coconut
trees were practically
smashed to the ground
yet the core houses in Barangay Carmen basically
remained whole.
only about ten units
whose roofing materials were slightly damaged was affected by
the storm, Municipal
Information Officer Judith Castres of Boston
reported.
The DSWD core shelter program is extended
to individuals or families
left homeless by disasters
or poor families living in
hazardous areas.
The program is a community
development
initiative utilizing the
principles of community
organizing, convergence
of services, and capability
building.
Core shelter beneficiaries are organized
into
Neighbourhood
Association for Shelter Assistance (NASA)
and participate in the
actual construction of
their respective units.
The recipients also undergo Values Formation
Orientation and other
capability building sessions to understand their
situation and problems at
hand and intently work
to arrive at solutions.
Having endured powerful typhoons, the core
shelter units proved their
strength and are being
studied as a model housing structure for future
relocation sites for victims of disasters.

By The VBP News Team

Leyte

NAVAL, Biliran Leyte -Naval in Biliran province

will be the first local government unit to give formal benefits and incentives
to barangay health workers. The incentive which
has been authorized by a
new municipal ordinance
will be given to accredited health workers in the
grassroots level, disclosed
Naval mayor Susan V. Parilla.
The implementing rules
of Municipal Ordinance 19
otherwise known as An
Ordinance Granting Benefits and Incentives to Accredited Barangay Health
Workers and for other
purposes was signed in a
formal ceremony attended
by regional officials of the
Department of Health.
The signing was a momentous occasion for barangay
health workers of 26 barangays in the municipality of Naval, Biliran who
witnessed the event at the
old Sangguniang Bayan

Historic
1999.

Hall.

The old town hall of Naval in Biliran was the seat of the local government until

session hall in this developing town.

This is the first local
legislation I know that
grants benefits to barangay health workers and we
support it in recognition of
the enormous sacrifice and
contribution of local health
workers to the development of health service delivery in the grassroots level, said regional director
Jose Llacuna of the Philippine Department of Health.
Local government units
must begin to consider the
volunteer health workers
whose benefits have largely

been neglected for some

time Llacuna added.
Naval councilman Gabino S. Velasquez, IV, a medical doctor by profession,
authored the municipal
ordinance which was ap-

proved by the Sangguniang

Bayan with the full support
of the local government
unit which will source out
the funding for the benefits
and incentives mandated
by the ordinance.

Tourism at its best!

Discover the beauty of the Philippines.

starTravel &Tours
Tune in to DYVL Aksyon Radyo for developing news from Leyte!

Libot Karahibot (12:00 nn --1:00 pm )

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

with broadcast veterans Thor Bibar & Hector Go

Because life is clear.

Hingyap han Leyteo (12:00 nn --1:00 pm ) Wednesdays

with Governor Dominic Mic Petilla & Thor Bibar

August 2014

businessWeek

Editor Andy Bevan

info@visayanbizpost.com

Employers reminded of health insurance obligations

The VBP Business Team
visayanbizpost.com

ORMOC CITY The

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) here conducted an
employers forum to discuss the health insurance
corporations
accounts
management strategy, new
premium payment schedule, health benefits and
programs with government
and private employers from
different parts of Leyte.
The forum was the first in
a regionwide information
dissemination campaign
that Philhealth intends to
conduct in Eastern Visayas.
Misael F. Paigan, Chief
of the Local Health Insurance Office in Ormoc told

the Visayan Business Post

News Team that the forum
focused on new requirements under the implementing rules and regulations of the National Health
Insurance Act of 2013.
The law calls for employers to prepare and
remit their employees
premium
contributions
on or before the date prescribed by the corporation Paigan stressed.
Reports involving contributions are now directed to be submitted within
five (5) days after payment.
Philhealth took the forum as an opportunity to
remind employers of an
existing provision in the
law prescribing monetary
interest and penalties for
an employers failure to ap-

propriately remit premium

contributions, Paigan said.
The Philippine Department of Health has mandated the implementation of frameworks for the
achievement of Universal
Health Care, otherwise
known as Kalusugang
Pangkalahatan (KP) Program, for all Filipinos.
The National Health Insurance Act mandates Philhealth to assign a unique
and permanent Philhealth
Identification Number to
all its members including
each of their dependents
for purposes of identification, eligibility verification and health insurance
utilization
recording.
Government has now
made it mandatory for
members of the so called

Formal Economy. Members of the formal economy composed of government and private employers listen intently to new requirements governing the health insurance law. (Photo by JnGrey)

formal economy such as

government
employees,
private employees, including workers render-

ing services as job order

contractors, project based
contractors, owners of private businesses, household

helps, and family drivers

among others to adopt
this system of recording for health insurance.

VistaGreen Builders helping to rebuild Pastrana church

VBP Business News Team
North Leyte

rEhabilitation. The church of Pastrana, Leyte (seen here before typhoon Haiyan struck)
will undergo reconstruction of its roof which was destroyed by the super typhoon in 2013.

PASTRANA, LEYTE
Leading Manila construction corporation VistaGreen Builders Inc. will
soon rebuild the roof of the
Catholic Church in Pastrana, Leyte.
VistaGreen
executive
Engineer Avito T. Opiniano told Visayan Business
Post that his company has
been tasked to design and
to execute construction of
the new roof of the church
that was utterly destroyed
by super typhoon Haiyan.
The firms services will
be for free, said Engr.
Opiniano who grew up in

Pastrana.
Funding for the P2.5 million project is currently being raised through various
donations with Rev. Fr.
Arthur T. Opiniano of the
St. Paul the Apostle Parish,
Diocese of Cubao, Quezon
City, leading the effort.
The St. Paul the Apostle Parish earlier adopted
Pastrana Leyte for various
rehabilitation and mercy
programs.
We have finalized the
engineering design for the
churchs roof with the end
in view of building better
and stronger, disclosed
Engr. Opiniano who added
that building materials for
the project will come from
Manila.
The town would also
welcome additional dona-

tions for the repair of its

pastoral center, Angelicum school building and
the parishs convent, all of
which were damaged by
the typhoon, Engr. Opiniano added.
The land-locked municiplaity of Pastrana Leyte
was one of the towns severely affected by Typhoon
Haiyan on 8 November
2013.

For your donations,

please contact the
local parish church
of Pastrana Leyte,
or visit The Opiniano Foundation on
Facebook

Godofredos Car Care Center

Repair and maintenance of all types of vehicle models including heavy equipment.

Services offered:

Engine overhaul
Body & chassis repair
Body work and repainting
Change oil and general engine work
Electrical, mechanical & car-aircon systems repair.

We repair Yolanda damaged vehicles.

Come and visit us at our shop at Maharlika Highway

(in front of Tacloban Ultrasteel), Tacloban City.
Contact: 0998-171-1428 or 0949-429-1868

Visayan Business Post

August 2014

Editor Regie Gratones

info@visayanbizpost.com

Local industry

Developing Governance

Mayor receives praise for building stalls for the poor

Tourism Visayas
By Jean Mamaspas
VBP Leyte

The VBP Business Team

North Leyte

ALBUERA LEYTE
Local citizens including
the fortunate recipients of
the first 18 small business
stalls set up by Albuera
Mayor Ramon Juny
Dela Cerna, Jr. near the
towns public market are
all praise to the effectiveness of this simple startup kit to help the poor.
All we wanted to show
was that a little kindness
can mean a great difference
for poor people who truly
want to help themselves,
explained Dela Cerna who
spent at least a hundred
thousand pesos of his own
money for the project.
Mayor Dela Cerna further said that the gesture
encouraged some undecided but business-oriented
citizens of the town to take
advantage of the opportuni-

Kuting Reef.

These are must-see places in Leyte,

the Visayas, Philippines! Help us promote these tourist destinations. Share
these pictures to your local and foreign
friends and visit Leyte soon!
Start-up kit. A happy customer checks out one of the stalls built by mayor Ramon Dela Cerna, Jr.
of Albuera, Leyte to help poor residents of his town start up small businesses. Mayor Dela Cerna,
(RIGHT) reading the Visayan Business Post, funded the livelihood project through his own salary as
a public servant. (Photo by JnGrey)

ty to start a small business.

Dela Cerna who spoke
to the VBP News Team
disclosed that he still
plans to add more of these
stalls to help interested

Mahaplag Inland resort

From Page 1

come dependent of the Internal Revenue Allotment

given these statistics,
stressed Casas.
Mayor Daisy Abuyabor
Lleve earlier told the Visayan Business Post that Mahaplag Inland Resort is an
essential staging point for
her administrations tourism driven programs.
Tourists staying in the

resort should soon have

the option to explore the
towns other places of interest, Mayor Lleve said.
The mayor started this initiative with an allocation
to build an access road to a
cathedral cave in Barangay
Paril.
Development will be
slow to come for these tour
sites if they remain hidden
from the news and tourism
map and we need to help in
this matter, said Lleve.

residents obtain livelihood. There is a need

to intervene so that poverty alleviation programs
that people really need
and can directly gain ben-

efits from will be delivered.

The municipal mayor earlier dispersed chickens and
ducks to farmer-recipients
who wanted to start a small
poultry or fowl business.

Hindan

Caves.

Cercado & Associates

Land Transportation, Franchising
and General Law Practitioners

Hindang Caves.

Download the Visayan Business Post Android or iPhone

app to get your Visayas tour
site alerts via our Twitter feed.

Carigara baywalk to promote local barbecue and tourism

The VBP Business Team
visayanbizpost.com

CARIGARA LEYTE
Carigara Leyte Mayor Eduardo Caega Ong is positive that the development
of the municipalitys boulevard facing the Carigara
Bay area into a baywalk will
promote the towns famous
nightly barbecue stalls as a
local tourism destination.
In a recent interview
with the Visayan Business
Post news team, Mayor
Ong disclosed that his administration is trying to
locally source at least P2
million for the development project which he
hopes to finish soon. The

mayor said that the LGU

will also accept donations for some portions
of the project, referring
to seats and other structures for the promenade.
Our plan is to transfer
all barbecue stalls presently operating in the
towns sidewalks to a
more appropriate space
in a Manila-style baywalk
complete with lights here
in Carigara, Ong said. At
present, there are at least
fourteen barbecue stalls
operating at various side
streets of this coastal town.
The intention is to make
the stalls more beautiful,
organized and presentable,
with the necessary sanitary
conditions. Uniform stalls

Development Construction. Carigaras baywalk, a local government tourism and industry project, will accommodate the

towns famous roadside barbecue stalls. (Photo by JnGrey)

will be made for all the locators so that the visiting
public will feel more com-

fortable, the mayor added.

Carigaras barbecue industry is one of the munici-

palitys many attractions.

The town is also known
for its knives and farm

blades locally known as

sundang that are crafted
by resident blacksmiths.

August 2014

Building a country with responsible

Opinion

The truth in perspective.

Editorial

The yaya sisterhood of

Philippine governance
President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III is
said to have retained with confidence the loyal
services of his embattled budget secretary Florencio Abad, despite the passionate opposition of
his three doting sisters, Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada and the legendary Kris Aquino.
The sisters individually worked hard, touring
vote rich provinces in 2013 to get their brother
elected to the presidency. In a country where the
dreams of a psychotic local artist about the death
of the president could make headlines, this seems
to be a normal occurrence. After all, family sticks
together like ill-cooked sago in the Philippines.
The presidents sisters, according to news
sources, wanted Abad out of the presidents official family after the Supreme Court markedly
declared by a 13-0 vote parts of the much debated
Disbursement Accelerated Program (DAP), allegedly authored by Abad, unconstitutional.
Of course, the President, in a telenovela style
disclosure at the Palace refused to accept Abads
purported offer to resign, with DSWD Secretary
Dinky Soliman, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, presidential adviser Teresita Deles, all cosy
friends of Abad, reportedly threatening to quit if
the president accepted Abads resignation.
The Aquino sisters who supposedly supported the Noy-bi (PNoy-Binay) faction in the 2013
election are now reportedly warming up to family
friend Jejomar Binay for 2016, to the horror of Liberal Party stalwarts who still believe in the possible viability of Mar Roxas for the presidency.
The result is that in a Roxas-Binay cornered
fight in 2016, any winner could properly protect
President Aquino from possible suits arising from
the DAP fiasco.
Aquino, who is reportedly not thinking positively about facing plunder charges after his term
is uneasy about hurting Abads feelings who
could spill the beans on him somewhere. However, with her sisters working the backyard, he may
not be too keen about preventing other members
of his cabinet from working for a Binay 2016
campaign.
As could be suspected, the presidents sisters
have been clearly influencing the Chief Executive
in the manner by which he steers his administration. Talk about family affairs.

sayan
i
V
BusinessPost
With Editorial and Business address at Rizal Street
Zone 21, Ormoc City, Leyte, 6541 Philippines
Publisher Urbano B. Mamaspas, PA (Ret.)
Editor-in-Chief Frank Villablanca
On-line Editor Elizabeth Bevan, News Editor John Alfred Kabalican, World Page Editor
Nicola Christeen Bevan, Business Editor & Web Administrator Andy Bevan, Columnists Joy
Martin, Guillermo Lopez & Luz Espacio, Entertainment Mean Flores, Editorial Consultant
Aaron JP Almadro, Marketing & Circulation Regie Gratones & Jonamel Cabalo, Finance &
Business Manager Jean Mamaspas, Legal Affairs Atty. Isidro Sarona Jr.
Our mission is to provide a link between communities, government, and businesses by
delivering constructive news and information that educate, motivate and inspire.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted by law, no part of Visayan Business Post may be
reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without its prior written permission.

Snapshot
Comedian Robin Williams recently died in an apparent suicide.
We remember Williams in Mrs.
Doubtfire as a struggling father who
would do everything for his children
against a system that declared him
misfit to exercise parental authority. The movie was both hilarious
and touching, reminding us about
the beauty and harshness of life for
those who have not found their place
in the world.
We remember Williams in the
Bicentennial Man a futuristic movie about an android home appliance

Death of a sad comic

who struggled to become and be
recognized as a human being. The
movie poignantly showed a critical
dimension in the human capacity
for creation, that there are limits to
what the human spirit can do.
These roles were played by Williams flawlessly. He was a great
and generous actor and comedian.
And we loved him for it. We followed his next movies and felt good
about them. A movie by Williams
was always expected not only to
entertain but to teach us valuable
lessons in life, about living, survival
and, more importantly, hope.
Learning about the passing of
Robin Williams brought us both
shock and sadness. But what

Managing detained plunderers

There are just too many famous inmates in the Philippines today that
the Philippine National Police and
the Bureau of Jail Management are
finding it hard what to ensure: the
security or comfort of the accused?
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong
Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada are supposed to be given some special handling owing to the duties they exercise as members of the Senate who
have not been convicted and are thus
presumed innocent.
The three senators cannot be prevented from conducting meetings
with their constituents, other government officials, their senate staff,

The Edges
Kapuso Primetime Star and FHMs
top 4 sexiest woman in the Philippines Jennylyn Mercado is coming
to the United Kingdom for a much
awaited concert at 5pm on September 13 at Hillcrest School Theatre
Hall, Stonehouse Lane, Birmingham,
West Midlands.
She will also sing to Filipino and
British audiences on 14 September,
6pm at Hammersmith Town Hall at
King Street, London.
We are happy that Malaya Entertainment Productions, which is fully
owned by Visayans in the UK, and
GMA 7, have come to produce this

families and friends.

Charged with non-bailable plunder, the prison cells of the senators
are plain against the snug environments they are used to. However,
these personalities are miles in comfort compared to the ordinary Jose
who is facing a robbery charge in
some gloomy prison in Samar.
We do not presume to know
what the law gives an accused in
the crime of plunder of the nations
wealth, but it does not seem right
that these individuals should be
allowed to hold court even under
custody.
It is criminal itself to think that

makes this sadness even more

painful was the personal story of
the man behind the role player.
We thought of Williams as
a blissful person living a very
contented, happy life with a
loving family. We would learn
later that he was, in fact, a very
sad man struggling with painful depression. He battled drug
addiction and, before his death,
entered a rehabilitation facility
in Minnesota to remain sober.
In the end, Robin Williams
was never able to realize how
much he gave to the world and
that millions of people truly
loved him and his work, that he
was not alone.

Distance
special holding facilities could
be afforded to people who
have possibly and comfortably
amassed millions in public funds
while some desperate citizens
killed themselves and their children out of miserable poverty.
Should it be proper to think
that these accused can be put in
regular jails while being allowed
to petition for more comfortable
prison conditions and not the
other way around?
What shameful justice this is.

Our Malaya connection

big event especially for us here in
the UK who seldom see Filipino artists perform in this part of Europe.
Yes, we get to read about Filipino artists through the net but it is
way different to see them in person.
Seeing fellow Filipinos perform in a
foreign country brings us joy. We
are proud to have our artists perform outside of their comfort zones.
It is indeed timely for Malaya Entertainment Productions to bring in
rising talents from the Philippines
into the UK. And as a columnist
of the Visayan Business Post, I am
proud that VBP is one of Malayas
active media partners here in the
UK for the promotion of this big
event in London.

I hope that Malaya will get to

promote more events of this nature here in UK.
Although I hear it is still in
the drawing board, I am excited
to learn that plans are seriously
being considered by Malaya for
the production of a beauty tilt
involving Filipino residents here
in the UK!
There are a number of beautiful British citizens of Filipino
descent and Filipinos working
in this country who would be
interested to participate in this
beauty and talent contest and I
pray that Malaya would really
push through with the plan. So,
good luck to Malaya and VBP!

Visayan Business Post

August 2014

Lifestyle&Entertainment

Editor Jean Mamaspas

visayan.bizpost@gmail.com

Parentis

psycho

By Beth Bevan

Fashionable child-rearing.

By Jean Mamaspas

Modern Family

Calming angry kids

We sometimes feel frustrated about dealing with
irate kids. To loosen the
pressure, we most often
give in to their small demands, ignoring their rebellion.
Most parents who want
a little peace at home control their children by giving
in to what they want.
But this strategy can
backfire in the form of more
misbehavior or outright
laxity in basic discipline
that can permeate into other aspects of our childrens
lives.
We have heard and read
about approaches to dealing with angry kids. Some
kids are easy to sort out,
some are level tricky.
However, how our children behave depends on us
parents. Their behavior at
home or somewhere else is
the result of how we successfully manage them.
Children who have tantrums may become physically or verbally aggressive.
There is a suggestion that
it is easier to manage this

Home Affairs

conduct rather than exert play time, when your child

control.
has begun to calm down,
ask him what made him
Here are some tips about mad. Listen to every detail.
calming angry kids:
Then explain to him what
happened. You will be sur1. Leave them be for a prised of the effect. Kids
minute or so. Let them cry can understand between
or be frustrated and feel reasons.
what they want to feel.
4. Make peace and comEven adults need space.
promise. Close your conThis is also a time to versation by finding a logicalm ourselves. An angry cal middle ground for you
child with a fuming par- and your kids. Make them
ent is a recipe for disaster! learn to compromise and
But do not leave an angry accept the things that they
child alone or he will feel cannot have. Tell them
neglected.
exactly what it is that you
See to it that he is not are not happy about their
destroying things, harm- behavior. They will learn
ing himself or other people. to take it and give in. ChilYou will know when to in- dren have minds too.
tervene.
5. Finally, give small re2. Make them laugh. wards. The best reward for
Humor is a good way of a behaving child is love, not
non-invasive
interces- material things. Give them
sion. Make sure they can a good massage, cook for
feel you are not mad about them, treat them to a leitheir outbursts. You know surely walk at the park or a
your kids fun sides. Play swim at the pool. Kids will
with them without giving love it. Make a rewards list
in to their unreasonable and give it to them one afdemands.
ter another when there is a
3. Talk to them. After good reason only.

Technology, technology, technology. That

is what society revolves
around these days and
will continue to revolve
around for the rest of the
worlds existence.
Technology undoubtedly brings people together. On the other hand
I believe that it is equally
responsible for the ever
growing family divide in
many peoples day to day
life.
Children are constantly
texting, checking what
their friends have posted
on Facebook or Twitter,
listening to their iPod,
surfing the web, and
watching television or
movies on their laptop.
The emergence of mobile technology now
means that these practices are no longer limited to
the home, but can also occur in cars, at restaurants,
and just about anywhere
that has a mobile phone
signal.

But it is not only the

children who are responsible for the growing divide between parents and their offspring.
Parents are also guilty of
contributing to the distance that appears to be
increasing in families.
Parents are also often
wrapped up in their own
technology, constantly
looking at their mobile
phones, checking their
Facebook accounts and
emails, or watching TV,
when they could be talking to, playing with, or
generally
connecting
with their children.
We have come a
long way from the days
when families ate dinner around a lampara,
or petromax lit table,
talking about the days
activities and the familys hopes and dreams
for the future.
Nowadays it is considered normal to
see everyone gathered

around the big, shiny Plasma

TV, watching some action
packed movie or teleserye
with a plate of food on their
lap!
Now dont get me wrong,
I like technology as much as
the next person. It has paved
the way for instant news,
advancements in medicine,
real time access to our hard
earned cash and generally
makes life better.
But perhaps we need to
step back from our busy
lives with technology and
see what is really going on
around us and talk to our
families face to face more.
Family is the most important thing someone could
ever have in their life time.
Let us cherish the time we
have with them because you
never know what is around
the corner.

Grow with us!

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Home Affairs

VBP UK team at London Barrio Fiesta

101

By Andy Bevan
Business Editor & Web Administrator

The perils of fake phone chargers

Mobile phone users
should take note of the
death of a 28-year-old Australian woman, electrocuted while using her laptop
and mobile phone.
Sheryl Anne Aldeguer
was killed on 23 April and
suffered extensive burns
to her chest and ears from
her laptop and earphones,
while using a counterfeit
mobile phone charger.
It is believed the phone
charger sent a high voltage electrical charge into
her phone, which she was
using at the time, and this
was conducted to the earphones connected to her
laptop.
The case is being investigated by Australian police,
and has prompted warnings about the dangers of
using fake USB adaptors.
The incident echoes the
death last year of Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old Chinese

flight attendant, who died in

similar circumstances while
taking a call on an iPhone 5
that was plugged into a nonapple USB charger
Last year a New York
woman claimed her iPhone
4S spontaneously melted,
oozing acid that destroyed
the handset and a UK man
was burned and thrown
across the room by an electric shock, when an iPad
charger exploded in his
hand.
In February last year, a
house fire in Oregon was
blamed on an overheated
MacBook battery and in
2011, an iPhone 4 caught fire
on an airplane flying over
Australia.
Its highly likely these,
and many other anecdotal
incidents, are all the fault
of poorly made counterfeit
chargers. Whilst there is
a clear temptation to save
money on buying fake charg-

ers for a fraction of the cost

of the genuine item, its a
saving that could prove very
costly in the long run.
Unlike a fake Rolex watch
or Louis Vuitton handbag,
these fakes can kill you!
The counterfeit chargers are usually made with
cheap and inferior components and leave out much
of the protective insulation,
resulting in a risk of electrocution or fire. They also have
less power than the genuine chargers, so take much
longer to charge your device,
putting additional strain on
the battery and can cause
overcharging.
There are, however, over
600million Apple devices in
use around the world with
only a few reported incidents. The use of genuine
Apple products is very safe,
but cheap counterfeit chargers are likely to add a very
significant risk.

Every year between June

and August, Filipinos in the
UK look forward to visiting
at least one of the several
Barrio Fiestas organized by
different Filipino organizations up and down the
country.
To us Pinoys in the UK
it is a special occasion for
all the family to enjoy. It is
a day to have fun, a chance

to meet friends and other

kababayans.
But most of all it is a
day to enjoy the many
varieties of Filipino foods
and products from the
Barrio Fiesta stalls not
normally found in local
supermarkets!
This year my family
(and the VBP UK news
team) went to the 30th

Philippine Centre Barrio Fiesta sa London which was held

in Apps Court Farm, in Surrey. And what a grand day it
was too! The event was sponsored by ABS-CBN Europe.
So it was no wonder that
many ABS-CBN stars graced
the two-day event to the
delight of the thousands of
Filipinos who flocked to the
venue. (Beth Bevan, VBP-UK)

God is Good!

We live and pass by His amazing grace.

The Gospel this Week
Ps 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62
Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Reflection: One of the most difficult
things to do is forgive. If the hurt is too
deep, it takes a herculean effort before
one can truly forgive and forget. And
only a few are capable of this. The vast
majority of us need time before we can
truly heal into wholeness and move on
without rancour and ill will on those

who have offended us.

That is why it is not easy to be the
Lords disciple. The demand is such that
we have to truly believe in order to overcome. We have to acknowledge first our
own sinfulness and believe that we have
been forgiven of our entuire debts. Thats
the only time we can forgive wholeheartedly. for what we dont have, we cannot
give. To claim that we have been forgiven
gives us the power to forgive others as
well.

Visayan Business Post

motoring

sports

August 2014

Editor Andy Bevan

editor@visayanbizpost.com

Powerful riders, engines dominate Ormoc jet ski tilt

By the VBP Sports Monitor
Manila

ORMOC BAY Christina Alburo led powerful

lady riders Erika Larrazabal and Yvonne Yap to
clinch the Ladies Open of
the Ormoc City Fiesta 2014
Invitational Jet Ski Competition.
Alburo who was second
in the 2-Stroke Open category also came in a strong
second in the 4-Stroke
Novice category of this
years spectacular water
sports at the historic Ormoc Bay.
Joseph del Socorro meanwhile exploited the sheer
power of his ride to dominate the 2-Stroke Open as
well as the 4-Stroke Novice
categories. The young Del
Socorro flaunted smooth
maneuvers even under unfavorable winds that made
the 6 lap circuit more difficult to race due to higher
than expected waves.
Del Socorros sharp but

flawless turns at the corner

buoys easily made him a
crowd favorite.
Meanwhile, McCoy Larrazabal was unfazed by Del
Socorros youthful competence at the Bay to show
actionpacked command
over the waves that would
secure him the 4-Stroke
Open championship.
McCoy showed experience and class while besting Del Socorro who came
in a reluctant second with
Bimbo Asensi after his heel
to gain the third place.
Newcomer Eman Yap
got in front early in the
2-Stroke Novice over novices Stephen Bobares and
Erika Larrazabal to get the
categorys first place after
6 laps around the circuit.
Bobares came in second
with Larrazabal taking the
third.The games Executive category was won by
experienced rider Allan Del
Socorro with Ruben Dahap
and Clifford Bensig coming
second and third place respectively.

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Contact us through
info@visayanbizpost.com

SPECTATORS to the recently concluded jet ski competition in Ormoc are wowed by the graceful skills of the riders and the sheer
power of their rides. Cristina Alburo (TOP RIGHT) easily won the Ladies Open for this competition. (Photo by VBP)

n
a
y
a
s
i
V
BusinessPost

Digital Edition

Analysis

1 billion fruit trees for Visayas

From Page 1

Region 8 has submitted to

its head office in Manila.
The proposal which is part
of the governments National Greening Program
aims to create a productive
natural buffer between the
sea and inner lands along
the regions entire coastline.
Provincial Environment
and Natural Resources Officer Ricardo Tomol who
heads the DENR in Southern Leyte announced that
the program aims to reforest the 40-meter no build
zone limits.
The no build zone are
currently being implemented in an inter-agency
effort along the regions
shorelines that have been
identified as high risk disaster or storm surge areas.
The local governments
are at the forefront of the
monitoring and deterrence
endeavor to make sure that
locals are precluded from

building human structures

and homes along the disasterprone areas.
The project is part of the
countrys Climate Change
Adaptation (CCA) program, Tomol said, adding
that planting trees has long
been proven to mitigate the
effects of erratic climatic
conditions.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide in the air and give off
oxygen for people and animals to breathe. They provide shade and act as buffer
against winds and waves
during bad weather, the
DENR executive stated.
The program seeks to
have private landowners
along the coastal roads
plant fruit trees. The seedlings will be provided by
the DENR but the landowners will have to choose
which varieties of fruit
trees they want to plant,
Tomol clarified.
Tomol revealed that
DENR have so far covered
more than 4,000 hectares

of timberlands in Southern
Leyte where close to 2 million trees of various species
have been planted with the
help of Peoples Organizations (POs) under the governments National Greening Program.
The Philippine government allotted more than
P6 Billion in 2014 for national reforestation which
is being implemented nationwide by the DENR. If
reports are to be believed,
as of this writing, the program has been able to plant
over 390 million trees covering less than 700,000
hectares of forest lands in
the country.
But the DENR still needs
to transparently publish
the specific areas covered
by these supposedly now
reforested lands as well
as identify and reveal the
capabilities of the various
contractors it engaged to
perform the tree plantings
so that these can be verified
independently.

There is a grave concern

over where much of the
funding for this program
has actually gone even as
local advocacies insist on
the conversion of the National Greening Program
into a livelihood opportunity not only for DENR
favored contractors but by
local residents in the various reforestation sites.
The argument gains
ground since reforestation
would need maintenance
and management if the
trees planted should be allowed to survive.
The proposal to reforest
Eastern Visayas coastal
lands with a billion fruit
trees is indeed tantalizing
if not mind blowing. Seeing fruit trees in full blossom along coastal highways in the coming future
would be a rosy dream
come true not only for
natural environmentalists
and organic nutritionists.
But the success of this
proposed program must be

Star fruit. Balimbing (Averrhoa Carambola) is one of the disappearing native fruit trees in Eastern Visayas. (Photo by Wikipedia)

viewed in constant evaluation of the actual facts surrounding the current National Greening Program
itself.
It is notable that land
owners to whom these
coastal lands belong and
whose rights to property
use and determination will
be affected will have to
choose which varieties of
fruit trees they want planted on their lands.
The fact that the fruit
trees project would also
be implemented under the
Office of the Presidential

Adviser on Rehabilitation
and Reconstruction for
Yolanda Areas gives much
to think about and brings
no additional comfort.
The rehabilitation office
is not a permanent feature
of the Philippine government whose actions and
expenditures can be subjected to the most stringent
accounting that would
be required for a tricky,
expansive and long-term
program such as coastal
reforestation involving the
massive planting of varied
fruit tree species.