BENGUET, MY DAD'S HOMETOWN, IS RICHEST PROVINCE IN RP

BENGUET is now officially recognized as the most prosperous province in the country and also the most improved in terms of human development.

The province, represented by Governor Nestor Fongwan, received the two top awards recently at the 2009 Philippine Human Development Report Convention held at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Hotel, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.

The awards were conferred by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Human Development Network (HDN).

Benguet was number one in the category "Gawad sa Makataong Pag-unlad para sa mga Lalawigang May Matas na Kaunlarang Pantao."

The runners-up were the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, and Bataan, respectively.

According to Fongwan, who was informed of the awarding ceremonies only two weeks before, he did not expect that their efforts would culminate to this event.

"I know we have been improving in the educational and health aspects because we've spent much for education and health, but I didn't expect this would put Benguet on top of the list, over Laguna even, which to me is the most industrialized province in the country," Fongwan beamed.

Benguet is the only province among the four that garnered outstanding grades in all the aspects comprising the human development index (HDI), namely life expectancy, education or literacy rate, and standard of living.

The combination of all these factors is the human capita index where Benguet garnered a grade of 0.787 percent, a mere 0.01 percent away from that of Metro Manila, which is 0.79 percent.

A good approximate of adult literacy rate is the high school graduate ratio or the proportion of high school graduates among individuals aged 18 and above.

Benguet topped all the other provinces at 76.6 percent or about seven in every nine adults have completed secondary education. Sulu ranked the last with only 23.1 percent of its population having graduated from high school.

It also ranked the highest in terms of its real per capita income which is around P33,706 versus the P 10,874 per capita income of a family in Tawi-tawi.

The province also garnered the top post in the category "Gawad sa Makataong Pag-unlad para sa mga Lalawigang may Malaking Pag-angat sa Kaunlarang Pantao" or the most improved province.

Biliran province was in second while Siquijor placed third.

Gains in education and in life expectancy were notable in Benguet and Biliran, thus the recognitions.

According to Fongwan, this is the very first time for Benguet to be recognized as such. "We are very happy, but this is also a challenge for us because receiving the award and sustaining the award is another thing."

The recognition of Benguet was based from a study conducted by the UNDP and the HDN, which showed that if the top five most developed provinces were countries, their income would be tantamount to that of the most developed countries in the world.

In contrast, the lowest ranking provinces in terms of human development were Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Maguindanao, Basilan, and Lanao del Sur.

According to Dr. Arsenio Balisacan, president of the HDN, a common factor among the lagging provinces is the prevalence of conflict, which continues to hamper the delivery of basic social services.

Economist Solita Monsod, founding president of the HDN, and UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer led the conferment ceremonies.

Fongwan stressed the Benguet government will continue to invest on social services and focus on how to improve programs for its constituents.

"We always tell our people that aside from infrastructure, human development is equally important. Human development is people development," the governor stressed.

REVENGE SERVED COLD

They say that "hell hath no fury than a woman (man) scorned," perhaps that must have been the case here. The recent reconciliation of estranged lovers Dr. Vicki Belo and Dr. Hayden Kho must have triggered the outrage of someone or some people, who got a score to settle with either Belo or Kho. It makes me wonder what would push someone to do something to that extent, meaning--circulate sex videos of Kho all over the internet. To them, assuming they were decent people--it must have been the last resort to knock off Belo from entering another fool's world.

Was it just for fun? I doubt it. Personal vendetta, certainly. Some sectors however, presume it was for the money. Another possiblity.

Now who can possibly be the culprits? Earlier reports say only four people had copies of those controversial videos. So it must be one of those four. Removing Hayden and Belo, only two people are left. This presumably includes the person or was it Kho's best friend, who initially informed Belo of her BF's treachery. Unless someone else post-Vicki-Hayden original era, had access to Belo's copies...

The possibilities are endless and also the debates, the curious eyes, the lingering stares, the scorn, condemnation and the perpetual shame.

Shame of the women exposed down to their very soul. Who had no idea their most private moments would someday find its way out into whole world to be feasted upon by millions. To be watched mercilessly by the cruel crowd, the leering mass, the callous mob, over and over and over...

Now what's the tragedy here? Well aside from the fact that our country still does not have a specific law punishing this sort of thing, one certain pervert totally undeserving of his profession, made a mockery of our women. Going to the first point, sadly, the women victimized here will not find the justice they hope to find, as yet. Poor Katrina Halili who has bravely met this storm in her life head on. Apparently the others have chosen to suffer in silence, like Dr. Maricar Reyes. What is otherwise a natural and sacred act between a man and a woman is now regarded as nothing but a show of obscenity and carnality. And as of now, Hayden's ilk can still roam freely in the streets waiting for their next prey. So women, please please use your minds, even when in love. Don't be too trusting and naive for goodness' sakes! It may spell your doom...

Philippine jurisprudence recognizes the innate/ inherent CHASTITY of women that's why we have a whole category of Crimes against Chastity under the Revised Penal Code. Violate a woman's chastity and you commit a crime. None other than the Supreme Court has said that men have no chastity, so they have nothing to be protective about.

In short, this buffoon by the name of Hayden Kho violated these women in the worst way possible. Clearly unworthy of anybody's trust, he has violated all rules of decency known to man. He has disregarded their honor and chastity and treated them with zero respect, just sex objects to be watched at will for his own maniacal satisfaction!

And so goes the same to the person/s responsible for uploading these videos on the internet. For your information, wala po kayong pinagkaiba kay Hayden Kho! Maglaho nawa ang lahi niyo!

JUSTICE FOR REBELYN

The savage brutality of how a young woman by the name of Rebelyn Pitao, aged 20, suffered and died simply took my breath away. In this day and age when human rights are regarded as nothing short of sacred-- a crime such as this is simply inconceivable and unimaginable. But then again anything is possible in the Philippines and so it has come to pass that a young defenseless and blameless teacher shall suffer tremendously and lose her life in the hands of shameless, conscience-less beasts.

I really wonder today how the men responsible for raping, torturing and murdering this girl ever go to sleep at night. What possible reason on earth can they have to justify their actions? No doubt up to this moment, the fading voice of sanity in their tiny minds is still trying desperately to convince them that they did the right thing.

Are they so inutile as to lash out at the innocent daughter rather than the father himself, who is presumably their enemy? What could they have eaten to prompt them to shed their humanity and attack and violate this woman who was living a quiet and respectable life and was just starting on a career of her own? What could have she done to deserve so much hatred? Was it having a father who fought for his radical political and socio-economic beliefs? Is this a crime? Well assuming for the sake of argument it was—then she was better off treated as a criminal because then she would be subject to the privilege of due process like the right to a hearing, Miranda rights etc. It seems she was guilty of something worse than committing a crime, if there was such a thing. Because compared to her, criminals were subjected to a far more humane treatment.

I said this again in the case of Mariannet and I’ve said it before in the case of the teachers who burned to death in a polling place in Tanauan—what kind of a country would allow its women and children to die so horribly? Don’t we have a Constitution? Don’t we have laws to prevent these kinds of things from happening? Sadly, the latest spate of killings only goes to show that the system in place does not work. It does not work because the protective power of the State as Parens Patriae still fails to benefit those who are in need of it the most--the poor, powerless and defenseless. This is a country still governed by men and not by laws. This is a country where brutes and bullies still abound, roaming and causing terror with impunity. This is a country where sweet innocent young women are abducted in broad daylight, loaded into vans to be raped, tortured and murdered and dumped into a ditch.

*photo courtesy of abs-cbn news

A Patriot named Francis

Last March 6, after coming from Robinson’s Ortigas, I was on my way to the ground elevators of the Medical City Hospital to visit my sister (who was confined on the 11th floor due to dengue fever), when a swarm of reporters blocked my path at the hospital lobby. I asked a security guard standing nearby who told me that Francis Magalona had died at around noon that day.

I was surprised at first because to my recollection, it was only recently that I saw him on television—alive and kicking. I, along with a lot of people apparently-- presumed he was winning his “happy battle” because in all the pictures we saw of him, he was always smiling. There never was a moment that this guy looked glum or in pain. Upon confirmation of this news, I was overwhelmed with sadness, not only in behalf of his beautiful wife and children—but because he was a great loss to the Filipino people as a whole.

I spent my pre-teen and teen years listening to members of my generation mouthing every imaginable version of the lyrics of Mga Kababayan Ko everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere--in the streets, at the school grounds, at home. FrancisM inspired and spawned countless young Pinoy hiphoppers from different generations. This was a guy I have never met or seen personally, but in a sense, it was as if I knew him. The rapper, composer, designer, photographer, the artist that he was—but above all—the Patriot.

It is rare to find an artist-patriot in the entertainment industry and FrancisM embodied this enigmatic combination with a compelling sense of integrity, originality and identity. His art was very true to himself and so was his sense of nationalism. Having died at so young an age makes his legacy all the more precious… What a good, great man. What a true Filipino. Disease may have vanquished him but his legacy shall live on for generations to come. His voice and message shall forever ring true. To all Filipinos-- may we never fail the legacy of FrancisM. May we continue it and never let perish…

Manila Street Scene

Whenever I find my way to the oldest sections of the country's capital that is The City of Manila, it never fails to strike me how different it is, compared it to its more cosmopolitan or contemporary sister-cities like Makati or Mandaluyong and even Quezon City. No matter how many high rise buildings grow in the area, i just can't seem to shake of its aura of rich (bloody?) history. Gives me goosebumps...
I don't only mean the National Library or National Museum but it's in the very place itself--the congested alleys, narrow streets, the way its people speak traditional Tagalog. Took a photo of this visually-impaired beggar impressively singing a sorrowful kundiman, and it just made me feel sad--and at the same time, happy to be able to live and experience it--be in the heart of the nation where our noble ancestors lived and died for freedom and independence...

Windy Day in QC

Perhaps the best project i've seen so far in Quezon City is the massive road widening and beautification program being undertaken in all its major streets. On a relatively cool day like in the past few weeks(thanks to the cold Siberian winds)you could actually stroll down these wide delightful newly-tiled and painted streets of QC.(Parking slots are everywhere!) Took a memorable stroll recently along Visayas Avenue on my way to Trinoma. It was windy and the air was fresh devoid of pollution! No headache causing traffic...Beautiful day everyone!

Manila's Ocean Park

Not as large and impressive as HK's and KL's Ocean Park but still feel proud of Manila's very own Aquaria (which opened mid-2008). At least it's a start for an archipelagic country that previously and ironically never had a marine zoo to call its own...and what a hit! Pinoys just love these sorts of pasyalans, especially the little tots. And along with the feast for the eyes, of course it also offers a treat for the mind. Only P400 per person, it's cheap compared to the whole new world of information and education it could give to your child (super endorse na toh, hehe) and to you as well, in case you've never seen deep inside the ocean! Alas, wasn't able to take lots of pics but here are two pics showing my fave ocean creatures...