Retiree sponsors PDI learning center

By Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:35:00 06/07/2010
INQUIRER.net

SORSOGON CITY—In a village named after its natural springs, her generosity gushes forth for poor children thirsty for learning.

Browsing through the pages of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rosalia Laganzo-Enerio, a recently retired government worker, found a way to help some 300 pupils of cash-strapped Bucalbucalan Elementary School.

She set aside part of her retirement money to sponsor a daily supply of newspapers and to put up an Inquirer Learning Corner (ILC) on the campus west of this city.

Having grown up in the same coastal village, the 66-year-old donor said it had long pained her to see the school still lacking books and updated resource materials, particularly those which could improve the students’ communication skills in English.

“By putting up a learning corner here in Bucalbucalan, the students will be provided with updated news and information. It will develop in them the good habit of reading,” Enerio said during Wednesday’s signing of a memorandum of agreement among her, the school and the Inquirer on Wednesday.

She said the majority of students here grew up without enjoying reading materials at home, items considered a luxury for their parents who eked out a living mostly as fishermen.

Education is close to Enerio’s heart. Before working for the National Manpower and Youth Council in 1975 and the National Housing Authority main office in 1981, she taught at Bucalbucalan Elementary School from 1968 to 1975.

Sensing the deterioration of the country’s education system, Enerio left teaching and found employment elsewhere in the bureaucracy.

The search for better pay also drove her to switch jobs. Public school teachers at the time were paid a measly P212 a month, she recalled.

But even after quitting teaching, Enerio continued to support various projects on education. She volunteered, for example, for the Alitaptap Storytellers Philippines, a group that promotes literacy through the art of storytelling.

Every graduation season, Enerio would also donate medals to different schools in Sorsogon City.

But soon she realized that she had to give something that would leave a lasting impact on the students.

Enerio came across the Inquirer’s Learning section and read about the ILC program, wherein public schools can get free subscriptions to the Inquirer courtesy of reader-sponsors. The newspapers are to be kept in a school corner called “Inqspot” for easy access.

First non-politician donor

The ILC program is aimed at creating a place in public schools where teachers and students can read the paper and discuss the day’s news or issues.

Enerio said she had been an avid reader of the Inquirer since its founding during the martial law years, when the Marcos regime dismissed the fledgling but stinging newspaper as part of the so-called “mosquito press.”

Inquirer senior product manager Roselle Fortes-Leung said Enerio had the distinction of being the first ILC donor who is not a politician.

The ILC in Bucalbucalan is also the first to open in southern Luzon, Leung added.

Three ILCs have been set up earlier in Quezon City and Zambales province, all sponsored by politicians.

In honor of parents

“This is my way of giving back to the community and to this school in honor of my parents,” said Enerio, daughter of Feliza Aquende and Restituto Laganzo.

She said her parents, who were not able to finish their studies because of poverty, always reminded her and her siblings about the value of education, saying it’s the only priceless legacy they could give them.

School principal Antonio Jintalan gratefully acknowledged Enerio’s contribution: “We’re amazed that someone from this village is able to help this school.”

Jintalan said the ILC would go a long way in helping develop the children’s love for reading and their awareness of current events.

Mere P5,500 budget

Jintalan noted that the school, which operates on a measly budget of P5,500 for maintenance and other operational expenses, could only afford to set up a small library with books that were rarely updated.

A pity, Jintalan said, since “80 percent of our learning still comes from reading.”

With about 350 enrollees, the school has been relying heavily on private sponsors for its improvements, he said.

Enerio may no longer be able to go back to her first love—teaching—but she nevertheless vowed to continue her advocacy and community work for education.

The retiree called on other private citizens to do their share for the benefit of today’s youth and future generations.

Dethroned beauty to regain crown if she gets passport

By Armin Adina, Ephraim Aguilar
Philippine Daily Inquirer

DETHRONED BEAUTY QUEEN MARIA Venus Raj can keep her title that was taken from her less than a month after her coronation as the country’s official representative to the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

In a statement sent Saturday to the Inquirer, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) said: “… After due deliberation, we have reassessed the situation pertaining to [Raj] and have decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, we will reinstate her as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe.”

Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who had sought an explanation for Raj’s dethronement, was very happy and thankful to the BPCI for reconsidering their decision.

Genny Marcial, corporate affairs and PR manager of Araneta Group, the parent organization of BPCI, said Raj would have until June to present a valid Philippine passport “because the Miss Universe pageant may be held in August.”

Word of Raj’s reinstatement spread quickly on the Internet. Online fans who had rushed to her defense were overjoyed and started blogging and uploading the good news on various social networking sites.

Joyce Burton-Titular, whose blogsite www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.com has been following Raj’s story since Day 1, said: “I honestly think it’s the grace of God working through all the bloggers, forums, Facebook community, and TV and newspaper coverage.”

Burton-Titular, herself a former beauty titlist, told the Inquirer that Rafa Delfin, director of the website for pageant aficionados, www.criticalbeauty.com, had sent an appeal to the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) on Raj’s predicament.

On his Facebook fan page supporting Raj, Delfin said he forwarded the newspaper article about Venus’ humble roots to MUO president Paula Shugart, to which she replied: “After reading this article, this young woman definitely deserves her crown back.”

“They were all moved because they felt the humility and honesty of Venus. Her story of being raised on a farm, in a hut with no electricity, graduating cum laude and winning pageants is powerful. And she still goes home to that same hut today,” Burton-Titular said.

Prayers answered

On the Facebook fan page, “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” there were mixed reactions about the reinstatement. The page has nearly 4,000 fans.

“God sees the truth and hears our prayers. Cheer up Venus, smile and show the world how beautiful you are inside and out,” one of Raj’s supporters posted.

“Petitions were heard, our prayers were answered,” another fan wrote.

However, a number of bloggers and Facebook users continued to criticize the BPCI, the local franchise-holder of the Miss Universe pageant.

“I’m overjoyed that BPCI is giving Venus a chance … [But] why is obtaining a passport posed as a challenge to her? Shouldn’t they help her with it?” one fan posted.

One commented on Raj’s problem regarding her birth certificate.

“It’s the same story for many poor Filipinos applying for overseas work. When they apply for a passport, they discover discrepancies in their birth certificate,” another fan wrote.

This is usually what happens in rural areas where birth registration is entrusted to midwives, who could give the wrong information to the civil registrar.

“Such are the travails of the rural poor. But did these people commit misrepresentation? No. Were they persecuted by law? No. Their records were simply corrected,” another fan said.

Inconsistencies

The 21-year-old Raj won the Binibining-Pilipinas-Universe title last March 6. She romped away with the special awards Best in Long Gown and Best in Terno, and was voted by her fellow candidates as Miss Friendship.

But on March 29, BPCI stripped her of her title for inconsistencies in her birth records. The organization also proclaimed second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson as her replacement.

BPCI told the Inquirer that Raj’s birth certificate stated that she was born in Bato, Camarines Sur, her father is a Catholic Filipino, and her parents are married.

However, it was learned that she was born in Doha, Qatar, her father is Indian and she was born out of wedlock.

BPCI said misrepresentation was the sole basis for stripping Raj of her title, and not citizenship or residency as in previous dethronement cases.


Raj disputed BPCI’s claims of misrepresentation. In television interviews, she said she never hid the truth. As early as November, during the screening for the pageant, she already told BPCI that she was born in Doha, Qatar, to an Indian father and a Filipino mother.

Raj said she did not have a hand in the filing of her birth certificate with the erroneous information. The inconsistency was a result of the delayed filing of her birth certificate.

Her aunt, Josephine Ramos, filed the document three years after she was born. Raj said her aunt did what she did to protect her family from embarrassment.

Raj said she only learned of the inconsistency when she was in high school and was applying for a scholarship. She added that it was poverty that prevented her from correcting her official birth records.

Prominent personalities expressed dismay—even outrage-when they learned of BPCI’s earlier decision. Among them were senator and vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda, Gabriela party-list representative and senatorial candidate Liza Maza, Commission on Human Rights Chair Leila de Lima and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption Chair Dante Jimenez.

Raj, who graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication at Bicol University, will attempt to become the country’s third Miss Universe winner, after Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973).

The last time the country placed in the pageant was in 1999 when Miriam Quiambao was proclaimed first runner-up to Botswana’s Mpule Kwelagobe. With a report from Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon

Dethroned Bicol beauty queen fights for dream

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 02:35:00 04/09/2010
INQUIRER.net

BATO, CAMARINES SUR—Streamers of congratulations still hang in Barangay San Vicente here for its instant celebrity-daughter, Maria Venus Raj, who would have represented the country in the Miss Universe pageant in August after winning the most coveted Binibining Pilipinas title.

But her reign had been cut short by organizers less than a month ago.

“My fight is now more than just chasing a dream. It is about clearing my soiled reputation. It is about standing up for people who are poor and born out of wedlock. It is a fight for acceptance,” Raj said in an interview at her house made of wood, bamboo and “anahaw” leaves.

She has been living in the house without electricity for 21 years.

Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) took back her crown when it discovered false information in her birth certificate—that she was born in San Vicente, Bato, Camarines Sur, when she and her mother said she was actually born in Doha, Qatar; that her father is a Catholic Filipino when, in fact, he is an Indian; and that her parents were married when they were actually not.

Mother is OFW

During the pre-pageant’s panel and individual interviews in November last year, Raj had said she was born in Qatar, where her mother, Ester Bayonito, had worked as a domestic helper from 1986 to 1988, and was brought to the Philippines a month later.

Raj has professed her innocence, saying she had nothing to do with the information her aunt put in the document when her birth was registered three years after. She discovered the inconsistency when she applied for a college scholarship at the Francis Papica Foundation, which had not been corrected until she was dethroned.

Raj said she and her mother had no idea that she would someday be joining a national beauty pageant and that they were not able to correct the errors in her birth certificate because this would entail extra expenses.

Local contests

The youngest in a brood of five children, Raj started joining local beauty pageants when she was 17 years old, as well as oratorical contests at San Vicente High School.

“Whenever I won, I would give the prize money to my mother, who saved it up to buy seeds for the planting season,” she said. Her mother, now 59, is a tenant farmer, dressmaker and “hilot” in their village.

“My dream, more than to be a beauty queen or a model, is to just really give my family a comfortable life,” said Raj, who graduated, cum laude, with a journalism degree at Bicol University.

Raj was Miss Bicolandia in 2007 and Miss Philippines-Ecotourism in the Miss Philippines Earth pageant in 2008. With her winnings, she started buying land on installment basis for her mother.

“We moved from one place to another … about four times. It was hard not to have your own place. When there were conflicts we were always forced to leave,” Raj said in Bicol.

Ma. Lourdes Pili, Raj’s English teacher at San Vicente High School, said she used to coach Raj for oratorical contests.

“What always amazed me about Venus was her determination to succeed. Whenever she joined contests, we would borrow uniform and shoes because hers were old and faded. But she was never discouraged,” Pili said.

Resign or be dethroned

In a press conference in Naga City on Wednesday, Raj recalled how hard she cried when she was told about the decision of BPCI officials to strip her of her title.

Her predicament, she said, started a day after she was crowned on March 6 when Stella Marquez de Araneta, pageant head, supposedly expressed shock when she learned that she was born in Doha.

Raj said she was given two options—resign or be dethroned.

She said she was coaxed to sign a letter of resignation and was advised not to talk about the reason for it to protect her and her family from “judgmental people who would belittle them because of her past.”

When she told the organizers that she could not just sign a document without the presence of a lawyer, they met again for several hours only to tell her that she would be dethroned, she said.

Raj’s replacement will be the contest’s second runner-up, Helen Nicolette Henson, as the first runner-up, Dianne Necio was only 17 years old then.

According to Miss Universe pageant rules, the winner of the title must be 18 years old.

Poor girls’ dreams

Anjo Santos, Raj’s talent manager and mentor, said he was shocked at the sudden decision of BPCI. “It killed the dreams of poor beautiful girls like her who came from poor families to pursue their ambitions to succeed.”

She was never given due process, he added.

Because of embarrassment over her dethronement less than a month after she was crowned and the fear of being the talk of the town, Raj and her mother would not go out of their house.

Raj’s name is now all over the blogosphere. Fan pages on the social networking site Facebook were created to petition her reinstatement as the “country’s rightful candidate in the Miss Universe pageant.”

Free legal support

Lawyer Francis Padua Papica, who sponsored Raj’s college education, and another counsel volunteered to defend her for free.

A netizen, who requested to be identified only as King and a student of Bicol University, said his fan page would average around 300 interactions a day and had more than a thousand members.

One of Raj’s friends, Christian Jay Millena, 21, of Daraga town in Albay, believes BPCI has not dealt with Raj’s case with tact and decency.

“Take note that the BPCI even failed to properly inform the public and even the persons concerned of the real issue why Venus was dethroned,” he said.

Even Dante Jimenez, chair of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and also a Bicolano, pledged his group’s full legal support during the press conference held at Avenue Plaza Hotel in Naga.

‘Handiwork of losers’

“I think this is the handiwork of losers who wanted to dethrone a legitimate winner,” Jimenez said.

Some 50 children from poor communities welcomed Raj with flowers to dramatize her roots and support from fellow Bicolanos. Before leaving, she told them not to give up on their dreams even though how poor they were.

“She is an inspiration to ordinary girls with beauty and brains who are just daughters of poor farmers or fisherfolk. She is a perfect inspiration to ordinary Filipinos who can tell the whole world that economic status is not a hindrance to fulfill a career using their God-given talent,” said Santos, Raj’s talent manager. With a report from Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon

Business booms while waiting for big bang

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
INQUIRER.net

LEGAZPI CITY--With more than 75,000 volcano-watchers flocking into Albay province this month alone, there were no vacant tables at the Small Talk Café on Sunday.

The Hotel St. Ellis, an expensive establishment that opened only this month, had just one room left on Tuesday night. Hotel Venezia was fully booked for five days until the 29th.

Taxi drivers say they’re averaging only three hours of sleep and car rental services are on round-the-clock operations.

Business is booming in Albay as thousands of adventure-seeking tourists are drawn to the restive Mayon Volcano with many even risking their lives to get close to the spectacular flowing lava, according to provincial authorities.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said 2,400 tourists a day had been pouring into the area since the famously active volcano started oozing lava on Dec. 14, compared with about 200 a day before.

“All the hotels are fully booked, even the cheapest ones,” Salceda said.

He said the tourists typically only stay overnight to view the crimson lava oozing from the volcano’s crater in the dark.

“It is like a slow-moving meteor show. You really feel awe when you see it,” he said.

Courting danger

However, Salceda said many tourists were also slipping past security patrols to enter the 8-kilometer danger zone around Mayon to get a close-up experience of the slow-moving lava column.

“There are enough thrill-seekers and, when you combine them with some enterprising local guides, they find their way in,” he said.

The military heightened security around Mayon on Monday after two foreign tourists were seen over the weekend riding all-terrain vehicles toward the volcano.

Salceda warned that although the lava was slow-moving, there was still a danger from volcanic ash that could mix with rainwater to form a lethal, fast-moving mudflow.

Such a confluence had claimed hundreds of lives in the past, most recently in 2006.

“It’s a big problem. I think the first violation of the zero casualty [record] will be a dead tourist,” said Salceda.

“At the moment of eruption, the local guides will have a better chance of getting out. The hapless tourist will be left behind,” he said.

Businesses here claim that their revenues have increased by as much as 30 percent since Mayon started becoming restive as tourists are drawn to the volcanic show.

Soaring revenues

At the Small Talk Café, diners came nonstop on Sunday. Café owner Bernadette Peralta said it was like Valentine’s Day, the only time of the year when sales would triple.

“We have even surpassed last year’s December sales when there was less competition,” said Peralta, noting that the café experienced similar high sales in 2006, when the volcano last erupted.

One of Small Talk’s specialties, Pasta Mayon, has also become some kind of attraction. The dish is made from the triangular ravioli pasta arranged to resemble Mayon’s nearly perfect cone. It is topped by a sizzling red sauce that looks like flowing lava.

Round-the-clock service

There is round-the-clock demand for car services from tourists asking to be driven to Ligñon Hill whose deck affords a full view of Mayon as well as a 360-degree vista of the city and neighboring Daraga town.

Harvey Santos Mayores, manager of the Early Riser Taxi Services, who drives one of his own units, said he is usually on the road until 2 a.m.

Edward Belda, a driver for the Benmar Transport Services, has been hiring himself out to media organizations covering the natural disaster by day and to lava-watching tourists by night.

The flag-down rate for taxicabs here is P30. Car rental rates range from P3,500 to P4,500 per day, depending on the length and duration of travel.

Tour guides

On ordinary days, 60-year-old Benny Rodriguez is a golf course caretaker in Barangay Padang. Now he earns extra as a tour guide.

He said many tourists wanting a closer view of Mayon would negotiate the rough climb to the Legazpi Golf Course, which is inside the 8-km extended danger zone. The course is just within the 5-km radius of the volcano.

Not being a regular guide, Rodriguez, whose clients include media people, tourists and celebrities, does not charge a fixed rate and accepts whatever the customer is willing to give.

He said local tourists tend to be more generous. Recently, a famous golf-playing television host paid him P1,000.

Chopper rides

Misibis Bay Raintree, a luxury island resort in the Albay Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, has noted a significant increase in revenues from its A-list market.

The resort on Cagraray Island offers to high-end clients a volcano adventure tour package, which includes a one-hour chopper ride or an ocean cruise to view Mayon from a safe distance.

Manager Ian Varona said there are precautions to take to ensure the safety of tourists but Mayon, one of the world’s wonders, should not be feared.

He said letting tourism thrive will help boost the local economy, generate more jobs and bring long-term benefits.

Losses suffered

Political economist Carl Ala of the University of the Philippines-Manila, who is now based in Bicol, said that increased business revenues because of the Mayon eruption were still nothing compared to the losses suffered.

“We should also see the calamity’s damage to crops. Many farmers were not able to harvest. The government’s relief spending amounts to P1.5 million daily,” Ala said.

Salceda, who earlier said that disaster tourism was not one of his government’s development strategies, estimated that 75,000 tourists came to Albay in December alone.

This one-month figure has already surpassed the number of tourists that arrived in the province in 2008, he said. With a report from Agence France-Presse

Tourists look for best view of Mayon

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 01:24:00 12/28/2009
INQUIRER.net

LEGAZPI CITY—Hotel Venezia is fully booked until Tuesday.

When tourists—from Asia, America and Europe—come, they would ask the front desk which part of Legazpi would give them the best view of the erupting volcano, especially at night.

Gail Narramore, a British-South African missionary, has found Mount Mayon a stunning sight when evening falls.

“It looks like a Christmas tree,” said Narramore, who founded the Albay-based charity group Tiwala Kids and Communities.

Front desk officer Pearl de Guzman told the Inquirer that guests checking into the 40-room hotel had increased since the 2,460-meter mountain started spewing lava two weeks ago.

Digvijay Ankoti, 29, came all way from India just to see the eruption. He drove from Manila to Legazpi with two other Indian friends, one of them married to a Filipino.

It was Ankoti’s first time to see a volcano on the brink of a possibly hazardous blast.

He and his companions have gone lava-watching, going to the top of Ligñon Hill, which offers a full view of the volcano when the sky is clear. The hilltop also offers a 360-degree view of this city and neighboring Daraga town.

Barred from danger zone

Marian Lacson-Singh, 32, one of Ankoti’s companions, said the lava trail was “magnificent,” which made their long drive from Manila worthwhile.

Ankoti said his group once tried to venture into a danger zone—an area within an 8-kilometer radius from the volcano’s flaming mouth—hoping they could get a closer look of the eruption.

The military barred them.

Other tourist sites

Manuel Montiero, 57, from Luxembourg, who also went Mayon-watching at the observatory, said he had seen the Taal, Pinatubo and Bulusan volcanoes but found Mayon most captivating.

Montiero voted for Mayon in the 7 Wonders of the World online search.

Tourism department offices were closed for the holidays and the exact number of tourists, foreign and domestic, who have come to Albay to watch the spectacle of an erupting volcano were not immediately available.

Aside from Mayon, other tourist destinations in Albay are the Misibis resort, Embarcadero commercial complex, and the Tiwi and Manito geothermal sites. Neighboring Sorsogon province offers whale shark-watching in Donsol town.

Disaster tourism

While tourists may have been drawn to the sight of lava cascading down the slopes of Mayon, the provincial government is not keen on encouraging “disaster tourism,” Gov. Joey Salceda said in an earlier interview.

“Disaster tourism is certainly not within the contemplation of the provincial development strategy, even if disaster risk reduction and tourism are integral components,” he said.

Salceda said the sudden surge of tourists was an unintended consequence of a volcanic eruption.

He said the increased tourist arrivals were reflected in the number of visitors Mayon-watching at the observatory (where the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or Phivolcs is located), in increased visits by nongovernment organizations and sociocivic groups to evacuation centers, and in wider media coverage of Albay.

Bicol Tourism Director Nini Ravanilla described Mayon as a timeless tourist attraction.

The volcano has erupted 49 times since records began, claiming thousands of lives. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed as lava buried the town of Cagsawa.

Deceptive calm

Alert Level 4 remains hoisted over Mayon, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible within days.

Volcanologists yesterday reiterated that while Mayon might be showing less visible signs of unrest, this could be a deceptive calm before a deadly eruption.

“Do not become complacent. The people only see what is coming out of the crater and that is often cloud covered. It is not just the observed phenomenon that matters. We also look at the quakes, the gas emitted and the swelling of the volcano,” warned Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum.

“We are telling the people, ‘Do not just count the number of quakes or what you see from the crater.’ It may look calm but it is not calm. It can still explode,” Solidum said in a radio broadcast.

“You might think it is taking a break but the volcano is still swelling,” he said, after the restive volcano produced fewer ash emissions on Sunday than in previous days.

2006 pattern

Solidum said the volcano could stay active for as long as two months, similar to its last eruption in 2006 when it simmered for months, dumping tons of ash on its slopes.

No one was killed by the eruption itself but in December of that year a passing typhoon dislodged the ash from Mayon’s slopes, turning it into a fast-moving mudflow that covered villages and killed about a thousand people.

More than 47,000 people have fled to 29 evacuation centers, although some villagers are known to defy Army security, sneaking out to periodically return home for supplies.

Still restive

Phivolcs said that based on observations over a 24-hour period, Mayon was still in a state of high unrest, unleashing nine ash explosions accompanied by rumbling sounds.

The blasts produced dirty white to brownish ash columns, with lava fragments, that reached heights of up to 1,000 meters above the summit. Forty-four volcanic earthquakes were recorded.

The sulfur dioxide emission rate has decreased from the previous 8,993 tons per day to 2,304 tons per day.

Communications equipment

As part of intensified preparations for a major eruption, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional office has issued additional communication equipment to Task Force Mayon (TFM).

According to Capt. Razaleigh G. Bansawan, TFM spokesperson, a total of 900 Motorola handheld radios with complete accessories have been issued to the task force.

The radios were distributed to nine military checkpoints within the danger zones.

Officials said forced evacuation of villagers seemed to be working, especially in view of government assurances to residents that their property would be protected during their absence. With reports from Rey M. Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon, and AFP

‘Damayan’ spirit alive amid threat of big Mayon eruption

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon

LEGAZPI CITY—In a world that has gotten smaller for the 47,000 evacuees from Mayon Volcano, everything has to be shared—from food to sleeping mats, from bathrooms to the air they breathe.

And they are living together after escaping a common danger—a possible major eruption of Mayon that, scientists Saturday warned, remained a real threat because of the buildup of magma, clogging the volcano.

In their now smaller world in an evacuation center at Albay Central School, 367 displaced families from Barangay Matanag receive the same amount of food from relief agencies—regardless of the size of each family.

It is in such situations that the damayan (sharing) culture among Filipinos comes to the fore, sociologists say.

“Smaller families would share what they have with bigger families. We would help one another,” evacuee Cynthia Aydalla, a mother of four, told the Inquirer.

“We would buy vegetables from other evacuees. They would bring their harvests here in the evacuation center rather than sell them in the market,” she said.

Sharing little they have

Matanag is one of more than 30 villages within the 8-kilometer danger zone whose residents had to flee their homes to escape the threat from Mayon.

Once it happened that the Aydallas received six kilograms of rice, four packs of noodles, eight canned goods, and a 25-gram pack of coffee that were supposed to be good for three days.

That was also the same ration that Alex Abellena and his family of seven children received—an amount that wouldn’t last them more than two days.

Such a discrepancy has fostered a feeling of generosity among the evacuees.

One big family

In the cramped classrooms of San Roque Elementary School, lack of a comfortable sleeping space was also a problem.

The solution: The evacuees put together, like jigsaw puzzle pieces, whatever mats they had. In the absence of mats, they shared cardboard cartons to shield themselves against the cold floors.

“All evacuees would sleep together like one big family,” said Josie Perez, 41, of Barangay Mabinit.

Since a classroom houses as many as over 100 people, some would sleep in the hallways, Perez said. Others, including a one-month-old baby, slept on a stage.

Upon waking up, over 1,000 evacuees would form long queues to the only two functional bathrooms in the evacuation center.

“Some of us would wake as early as 1 a.m. to avoid the long queues. Others found it more convenient to go back to their houses in the danger zones to clean themselves up,” Perez told the Inquirer.

Culture of generosity

Dolly Laguilles, a sociology professor from Bicol University in Daraga, Albay, said: “It is true that crisis creates a political climate for giving. But in the evacuation centers, it may be more than that.”

She said the tales of generosity from crowded evacuation centers were real and deeply rooted to the Filipino way of life.

“Generosity is a Christian deed. Filipinos are innately generous people,” Laguilles said. “Calamities like this would simply test generosity, a value that has always been there, though, at times, it just has to be revived.

She added: “The damayan culture becomes a source of strength for the refugees. It helps them cope and stand strong.”

Uniquely Filipino

Laguilles said Filipino sociologists have unique terms to describe similar rural values of sharing—“pakikisama, damayan, and bayanihan.”

“These are unique Filipino values deeply embedded in the Filipino’s familial culture.”

She said the damayan culture preserved in rural communities was something urban Filipinos could learn from.

“Urban Filipinos value their space and privacy so much more than the rural folk,” Laguilles said. “That is why the refugees could adapt in crowded evacuation centers and could easily share what they have with one another.”

The sense of being faced with the same danger—that posed by an angry mountain—may have reinforced that communal feeling.

Buildup of magma

Volcanologists on Saturday said that while fewer earthquakes had been recorded from the volcano in recent days, magma continued to build up inside and any lull in activity could be followed by a bigger eruption.

A hazardous eruption remains possible within days, and residents who live near the volcano’s slopes should not be misled into leaving the evacuation centers and venturing back to their homes, warned volcanologist Ed Laguerta.

“The number of volcanic earthquakes has gone down, but this is just part of the eruptive cycle of Mayon,” he said.

1984 lesson

The number of quakes decreased from 871 recorded during the 24-hour period ending Friday morning to 406 recorded during the next 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Laguerta said instruments showed the volcano remained inflated despite having spilled more than 20 million cubic meters of lava over the last two weeks. That means the lava being released is being replaced by magma coming from beneath the volcano.

“We are looking not only at what Mayon is presently exhibiting because that fluctuates. We are also looking at its past characteristics,” he said, recalling that in 1984, a four-day lull was followed by a sudden, big eruption.

He added: “What is becoming clear is that (the volcano) is getting clogged. That is when the lava is rising but cannot get out.”

“Just because the volcano looks calm … it does not mean its activity is decreasing. We cannot be off our guard. After this calm period, it could explode with even more force,” Laguerta said.

Hissing, rumbling

Showing no letup in its “high level of activity,” Mayon hissed and rumbled, ejecting ash columns a kilometer high from its summit, Phivolcs said.

It said the rumblings continued to be heard at the Lignon Hill Observatory in Legazpi. A total of 406 earthquakes also shook the mountain and emissions of sulfur dioxide remained high at 8,993 tons per day.

Alert level 4, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible within days, remains enforced and no one is allowed to venture within the 8-km danger zone from the summit, it said.

“Areas just outside of this (danger zone) should prepare for evacuation in the event hazardous explosive eruptions intensify,” Phivolcs said.

Gov. Joey Salceda is offering P100,000 in cash to any barangay affected by the continuing eruptions that doesn’t suffer any casualties.

“If we achieve the zero-casualty target, then it would entice investors to come in because it is proven that we can move on in the mid of calamities, yet Albay is still worth investing,” Salceda said.

The 2,460-meter has erupted 49 times in recorded history. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed as lava buried the town of Cagsawa. With reports from Alcuin Papa, AP and AFP

Mayon evacuees keep alive spirit of Christmas

By Rey M. Nasol, Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon, and Alcuin Papa in Manila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
INQUIRER.net

LEGAZPI CITY--In the shadow of a rumbling volcano, they shared a noche buena (midnight repast) of donated noodles, fish and fruits, opened presents and laughed at clowns.

Even in times of adversity, many among the 47,000 villagers who have sought shelter in evacuation camps to flee the wrath of Mayon Volcano in Albay province tried to keep the Christmas spirit alive.

But fear of the deadly mountain is never far away. Its booming sounds could be heard even in this city, 15 kilometers away.

Five days after raising to 4 the alert level around Mayon and declaring that a hazardous eruption was imminent, volcanologists yesterday warned that Mayon was erupting with more force—hurling lava higher into the sky—and that the danger of a big blast was not over.

“The flow of lava is continuing. The tremors are continuing. So the notion that a big bang is no longer going to happen doesn’t hold. It’s clear the activity has been sustained with more force,” Director Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) told the Inquirer.

Christmas is for children

Solidum said the relatively lower number of earthquakes coming from the volcano the past few days should not be misconstrued as a waning of its fury.

But children in the evacuation camps seemed oblivious of the dangers and didn’t seem to mind that their world had become smaller.

If the 21 children in Room 29 at Albay Central School sounded excited on Christmas Eve, it was because they were celebrating a bigger noche buena than they were used to.

While their parents were preparing for a potluck feast, the children cavorted around as any other kids would do during holidays.

Ten-year-old Erah Mae Abellana of Barangay Matanag said she was happy even if their family had to spend Christmas away from their home.

“I am happy because we have many playmates here and we also received food rations,” Erah said in Bicol.

She said the only thing she and her friends had not been able to do was sing carols in their neighborhood.

Thankful they are safe

Mother-of-two Cris Arquero, 28, was busy cooking spaghetti on a charcoal stove. Hours earlier, a politician had come visiting and given away noche buena packages.

“Just a little get-together meal for us this Christmas,” Arquero said.

Other mothers planned games for children.

Arquero said that although this Christmas was unusual for them, it was not a reason to be unhappy.

“We could only be thankful that we are safe. What is important is that we still could all be together,” she said.

She added the calamity had also given her a chance to teach good values to her 5-year-old daughter.

“Here, she learns how to live harmoniously with other people. She also learns the value of sharing our blessings, no matter how little we have,” Arquero said.

Santas and clowns

Milagros Aydalla, 48, was glad she had something for noche buena, although it was “not as happy as our Christmas last year.”

On Thursday night, Masses were celebrated in the centers. Evacuees received gifts or were entertained by soldiers in Santa hats who belted out songs.

Still the mood at times was subdued, with many evacuees opting to sleep before midnight.

“We have to give them Christmas Eve midnight meal so at least while in the evacuation center, they can also feel the Christmas celebration,” said Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal.

Gov. Joey Salceda distributed P100 bills to children to be spent any way they wanted.

‘They are stubborn’

The celebration continued Friday, with a clown’s magic tricks and parlor games bringing laughter to the children in one elementary school that has been turned into a temporary shelter.

Still, despite the dangers posed by Mayon, many families chose to stay in their homes near the volcano, spending their Christmas Eve in areas that had already been declared a no man’s land.

In a neighborhood in Barangay Matanag, children played in the streets while a karaoke machine rocked with music. A baby on a crib was on a doorstep while sari-sari stores were in business as usual.

Soldiers said they had never stopped warning villagers to flee.

“But they are stubborn. They would tell us they knew the volcano better than us,” Army Pfc. Rennel Madla said.

Higher lava fountains

Mayon’s explosions continued yesterday, showing “more force in terms of lava fountaining,” Solidum said.

The fountains of lava, which had risen as high as 500 meters above the summit before, yesterday soared to a height of one kilometer, he said.

Ash explosions got stronger, too, reaching a maximum height of two kilometers.

Solidum said rock falls were also occurring. Rock falls are caused by the detachment of lava fragments from the summit and the upper slopes of the volcano.

These rock falls can generate dangerous pyroclastic flows, or flows of volcanic ash, dust, rocks and debris that rush down the slopes at speeds of 100 km per hour, with temperatures of up to 420 degrees Celsius, Solidum said.

Health risks

Solidum also warned against health hazards from ashfall on the southwest side of the volcano. He said the white ash blown into residential areas could cause respiratory ailments.

Sulfur dioxide emission rate was still high at 2,738 tons per day.

Active river channels and those identified as lahar prone in the southern sector should be avoided, especially when there is prolonged rainfall, Phivolcs said.

Dangerous lull

Solidum told reporters that Mayon’s sustained high level unrest had eliminated the possibility of a series of quiet eruptions such those that occurred in 2006, which were largely harmless to residents.

“Rumbling and booming sounds are now audible even as far as the city proper of Legazpi, which is 15 kilometers away from the crater,” Solidum said.

Resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta said the volume of lava deposits on the slopes had exceeded the Phivolcs estimate of 20 million cubic meters.

He recalled that Mayon showed similar activities prior to its violent eruption in 1984, which was preceded by a four-day lull.

At the time, people thought the volcano had quieted down, only for them to be awakened and sent scampering by a big blast at dawn.

At least 125 rumbling and booming sounds from the volcano were heard at the Lignon Hill Observatory and in Legazpi during a 24-hour monitoring period ending yesterday, Phivolcs said.

Seismic activity remained high, with instruments recording a total of 871 volcanic earthquakes.

Forced evacuation

Forcible evacuation continued in villages within the danger zones. Soldiers sealed entry points, allowing only the exit of people.

Salceda supervised the distribution of cash gifts (P100 per child) in all evacuation centers.

“Instead of giving the children things (in kind) it is wiser to give them the equivalent so that they have money in their pockets which they may use to buy their gift of choice, be it food or toys,” he said.

With reports from AP and AFP

No rescue for Mayon holdouts, gov warns

By Rey M. Nasol and Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon and Alcuin Papa in Manila

LEGAZPI CITY—ALBAY OFFIcials yesterday warned villagers that no one would come to help them if they refused to evacuate and Mayon Volcano erupted violently, but the holdouts said they preferred to spend Christmas in their homes than in government centers.

Gov. Joey Salceda issued the warning as troops launched a hunt for the hard-headed ones amid threats of a major eruption by the most active Philippine volcano.

“If you are there, you die there. There is no way of rescuing people (if) rescuers would also be killed,” Salceda said in a press briefing.

In a yet another frightening display of its power, Mayon boomed 124 times over a 24-hour period, while belching out ash columns towering 2 kilometers over its summit, higher than its previous ejections.

But hundreds of villagers still ignored appeals for them to evacuate.

“After field validation, 179 more families are still within the danger zones. This excludes those who have returned without our knowledge,” said Salceda, chair of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).

Officials recalled that 77 farmers and thousands of animals were scorched to death by scalding volcanic materials in Bonga, Buyuan and Mabinit villages in this city during a series of Mayon eruptions from February to April in 1993.

Taking chances

Despite President Macapagal-Arroyo’s order of forced evacuation, some residents within the 8-km extended danger zone would rather take their chances than leave their possessions and animals behind.

“We have lived here for a long time, we know the volcano. We’d rather spend Christmas here than in the crowded evacuation centers,” said Cris Mendioro, 34, of Barangay Matanag.

Mendioro, whose house is just a few meters from an Army checkpoint, said he and the others had packed their belongings and were ready to leave should a major eruption come.

Volcanologists have placed Mayon—which began spewing ash and lava on Dec. 14—under alert level 4, meaning a hazardous blast could occur within hours or days. The highest alert, level 5, means a major eruption is under way.

Wailing of dogs

Aside from Mayon’s productive soil, cattle, crops, and attachment to pets—like dogs—impel villagers to risk their lives and hang on in their residences, instead of living in evacuation sites.

“We are already listed at the evacuation center but heads of families, like me, come back to feed the pigs and pets,” Arnulfo Marcellana, 43, of Barangay Mabinit, told the Inquirer yesterday morning during the forced evacuation.

“The dogs are pitiful to hear every time we return here. They wail in hunger. If only they will assure us that they will feed our animals, things would be much easier for us,” the father of three added.

On one of his returns, Marcellana decided to just untie his 4-month-old pig so it could look for its own food.

“I just hope it is still there when we are allowed to come back,” he said. “Imagine if their cries are heard at the evacuation center. We would wonder if our pets and animals were having anything to eat.”

Marcellana said the thought kept haunting him and his family now that they were heeding warnings not to return home just yet.

‘I am used to this’

Luis Esquivel, also of Mabini and a relative of some of the farmers killed in the 1993 eruption, said that although he kept coming back to his village, he could not sleep.

He said he was always on the alert, closely watching Mayon’s crater while he tended his crops.

“I have my motorcycle always with me for a quick escape,” Esquivel said. “I am used to this. I have experienced these things six times in my life since childhood.”

He added: “What we are afraid of is the ‘uson’ (pyroclastic flows), which killed farmers here.”

Forced evacuation

In Barangay Bonga, 8 km from the crater, hundreds of people still roamed the streets as if nothing was happening with the volcano.

“Barangay Bonga will be our next target for the forced evacuation simultaneously with other areas in the northern and eastern side of Mayon,” said Capt. Razaleigh G. Bansawan, 901st Infantry Brigade and Task Force Mayon spokesperson.

Mila Atun, 45, a mother of 6, said she came back not only to get firewood and kitchen utensils but also to fetch Mariel Alaurin, an 8-year-old neighbor left behind by her parents, who are now at an evacuation center.

Alaurin, in tears, said her father was working in the rice field when he was taken to the evacuation center. She was left alone at home.

Atun said: “We have gotten used to this kind of situation—evacuating even if we are safe here.”

No entry

As early as 5 a.m. yesterday, Task Force Mayon, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and local government units began implementing Ms Arroyo’s evacuation order.

“A platoon of soldiers from the task force and CHR-Bicol and three military vehicles were sent to the villages within the 6-8-kilometer danger zones to enforce the directive,” Bansawan said.

“As soon as the mission is completed 100 percent, all roads to the restricted areas will be sealed off,” Bansawan said.

No exceptions

Col. Marlou Salazar, commanding officer of the 901st Brigade, briefed the enforcers on the rights of the people and the troops’ responsibilities after everyone had been taken out of the danger zones.

“They will have to patrol the area against thieves because the residents have left some of their belongings, some animals, like pigs, and their pets,” Salazar said.

“Forcible evacuation has been ordered, no more exceptions and operations have commenced,” Salceda said.

He added: “We have patiently explored and employed all means, all ways, just to get the 10,000 families out of danger. We could have completed the task in one day, instead of nine days, but did not due to the 179 families still out there, excluding those who have returned without letting us know.”

He said dogs would also be evacuated, as well as cattle, carabaos, pigs and pets.

New phase

Harmonic tremors from within the volcano have been replaced by more frequent explosions.

Volcanologist Alex Baloloy said these changes, noted since 4 p.m. Wednesday, might indicate a new phase in the volcano’s activity.

Lava fountains reaching a peak height of 500 meters were seen at least four times.

But even if the number of volcanic earthquakes have dropped to 815 from Tuesday’s 1,051 and the sulfur dioxide emission rate have fallen to 5,737 tons a day from 6,737 tons, Baloloy said a hazardous blast was still possible.

“These figures are still very high. There is no lull in Mayon’s volcanic activity,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) scientist said.

Many of Wednesday’s ash explosions were not visible as Mayon was mostly covered with clouds but 124 booms were heard.

Lava at plantations

Lava continued to flow down, reaching flat areas along the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi, and Lidong channels—all in the volcano’s southeast sector covering this city and the towns of Sto. Domingo and Daraga.

Baloloy said the lava front could have already reached coconut and vegetable plantations, but it was expected to travel more slowly henceforth, having hit flat areas.

In Manila, Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said the decreased number of earthquakes was not a sign that Mayon would quiet down.

“It is the tremors that is more significant. Tremors and the rumbling sounds are longer and more vital... To say the volcano is on its way to quieting down based on the number of recorded earthquakes would be misleading,” Solidum told the Inquirer.

He said volcanic earthquakes, tremors and rumblings were not the only basis in considering the activity of a volcano. Other factors, he said, like ash explosions and lava flow, should be considered.

Dark Christmas for fleeing Mayon folk

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
INQUIRER.net

LEGAZPI CITY—Albay officials have begun moving thousands of villagers out of harm’s way near Mayon Volcano after it oozed lava and shot plumes of ash late Monday.

Officials said the villagers would probably spend a bleak Christmas in an evacuation center.

Government volcanologists raised the alert level on the cone-shaped, 2,460-meter volcano overnight to two steps below eruption after ash explosions and dark orange lava fragments glowing in the dark trickled down the mountain slope.

Nearly 50,000 people live in the “hazard areas” within an eight-kilometer radius around Mayon, and authorities were ordering them to leave in case the volcano erupts, Gov. Joey Salceda said.

In Barangay Matanag, the first batch of evacuees, made up mostly of women, children and the elderly, boarded a police truck at 3 p.m. Tuesday. They clutched luggage, plastic bottles of water, mats, pillows, blankets, firewood and kitchenware
“We cannot disobey this order. We are one with the provincial government’s zero-casualty goal,” said Bienvenido Belga Sr., the barangay captain.
20,000 evacuated
‘As of 6 Tuesday night, 4,552 families or over 20,000 people had been evacuated, officials said.
Salceda said he decided to cancel a trip to Copenhagen, where he was to attend a UN climate conference to discuss his province’s experience with typhoons and other natural disasters.

He said he would appeal for foreign aid to deal with the expected influx of displaced villagers into emergency shelters.

The first of 20 vehicles, including Army trucks, were sent to villages to take residents to schools and other temporary housing, according to Juke Nuñez, a provincial emergency management official.

“It’s 10 days before Christmas. Most likely people will be in evacuation centers, and if Mayon’s activity won’t ease down we will not allow them to return to their homes,” Nuñez said. “It’s difficult and sad, especially for children.”

Worsening state

Magma had been rising in the volcano over the past two weeks and began to ooze out of its crater on Monday night, but it could get worse in coming days, said Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

“Now lava is trickling down, but if the ascent of magma is sustained there will be lava flows,” Solidum said. “There is also the possibility of an explosion.”

Belga said 362 families in Matanag had to be evacuated to the Albay Central School in the city.

The villagers hardly slept since Monday night. “Everyone is anxious about the volcano,” Belga told the Inquirer.

Most people are afraid of Mayon, which brought tragedies in the past, Belga said. In 1993, the volcano erupted and killed more than 70 people.

Belga said barangay officials had been making the rounds overnight to warn people through a megaphone to stay alert because the volcano could erupt anytime.
The order to evacuate came the next day, Belga said.

Early preparations

Melyn Lascano, 43, said her family had packed their belongings as early as August when the volcano was showing signs of unrest.

“It’s better to always be prepared because Mayon these days is so uncertain,” she said.

Aside from clothes, the Lascanos brought with them food and cooking utensils.
“We were told that relief goods will not yet be distributed tonight (Tuesday) so we made sure we would have something to eat until tomorrow morning,” Lascano said in Bicol.

Adelina Atun, 60, knew as early as Sunday that she and her two children were likely to be evacuated.

Mayon’s rumblings have become louder, Atun said. “Sometimes, the volcano would sound like an airplane,” she said, adding that the intense crater glow would make her feel nervous.

Atun’s husband, however, like most of the menfolk in the village, was left to guard the family’s property and farm animals.

When the first batch of evacuees from Matanag arrived at Albay Central School, the classrooms had already been emptied.

10 families in 1 classroom
The school will also accommodate 362 families from the village and 84 more from Barangay Padang, said Evelyn Bachiller, assistant camp chief.

Ten families, regardless of size, will share one classroom and comfort room.
Bachiller said there were not enough water sources in the school grounds. “We only have one water pump available because the rest had been stolen. But we expect the city government to set up water stations soon,” she said.

Some classes were suspended indefinitely near the danger zone. Officials will find a way to squeeze in classes in school buildings to be used as shelters, Salceda said.

About 30,000 people were moved when Mayon last erupted in 2006. Typhoon-triggered mudslides near the mountain later that year buried entire villages, killing more than 1,000 people.

Most violent eruption

Mayon’s most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried a town in mud. A 1993 eruption killed 79 people.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. Twenty-two out of 37 volcanoes in the archipelago are active. With reports from Alcuin Papa in Manila and Associated Press

Cowboy Manny spooks horses, guests in rodeo

By Ephraim Aguilar
INQUIRER.net

MASBATE CITY--Talk about a dramatic entrance.

A helicopter descended from the heavens, stirring up dust, while a political jingle played at full blast. Senator Manuel Villar, who came dressed as a cowboy, alighted from the chopper and was brought to the grandstand by a mob of aides and supporters.

This happened in the middle of the opening ceremonies of the annual Rodeo Masbateño festival here on Wednesday, disrupting a speech by a top local tourism official.

Five horses, spooked by the chopper’s landing, dashed around the stadium like mad creatures and ran over a boy who was injured and rushed to the hospital.

Dr. Adolfo Almanzor, provincial health officer, said the boy arrived at the hospital semiconscious and was found to have suffered abrasions on his face as well as cerebral contusions.

Meanwhile, the star-struck masses howled as cowboy Villar paced closer and started shaking everyone’s hand.

Villar, who is running for president in 2010, later delivered a speech.

Respect culture of place

For most people, the senator’s entrance was too grand to ignore.

But for education supervisor Erusita Rosero, cultural coordinator of the Department of Education in Masbate City, Villar’s behavior was not proper.

“No one should disrupt an activity like that. Visitors should properly respect the culture of a place,” Rosero said.

“Since he (Villar) was invited by politicians, there could also be something political behind his visit,” she added.

So sorry

Rosero said all guests were welcome to Masbate. She added there was nothing wrong with inviting Villar but his visit should not be used as an opportunity to campaign.

Throughout the opening rites, Villar was repeatedly referred to by emcees and other politicians as the “next president of the Republic of the Philippines.”

Asked for comment, Villar said he had no intention of disrupting the event and apologized to those who felt offended.

“From what I know, there were some [safety] issues but the pilot was able to land without too much disruption. Nevertheless, if some people were inconvenienced, I apologize. The very warm reception of the crowd on that occasion encourages me to return to Masbate soonest,” he said.

Not intentional

Masbate Governor Elisa Kho, who was with Villar during his late entrance, said the circumstances were not within the senator’s control.

She said they already apologized to Maria Ong-Ravanilla, regional director of the Department of Tourism, for unintentionally disrupting her speech.

“I think it was not being disrespectful,” Kho said in a phone interview.

She added that the 2010 elections were not that far off and politicians tend to grab every opportunity to introduce themselves to the public.

“It cannot be avoided,” Kho said.

She also said that Villar pledged support for the annual rodeo festival and to Masbate province once he was elected president.

Why not the airport?

Local trader Carmelito Fajara, 37, said there were varied reactions from Masbate residents. Some were offended, while others couldn’t care less.

“But since the city has an airport, I think it would have been wiser if [Villar] had landed there so he could quietly enter the stadium,” Fajara said.

“It’s only now, after many years, that I have witnessed such a scene during the rodeo festival!” he added.

“Dili pa ngani siya nagiging presidente (He is not even president yet),” was another comment from a local resident.

RP-US ‘Balikatan’ goes to Bicol; no war games

By Ephraim Aguilar and Roy Gersalia
Inquirer Southern Luzon

LEGAZPI CITY—WHILE NO ONE CAN predict how a Barack Obama presidency will affect ties between the Philippines and the United States, a US Navy officer thinks the time-tested “good relations” are not likely to change.

Proof of this, according to Capt. Kelly Schmader, commander of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, is the 2009 RP-US Balikatan military exercises that will be held in three Bicol provinces—Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon—in April.

Schmader visited the Bicol region yesterday to see to the final stages of surveying and planning for the Balikatan (meaning “shoulder to shoulder”), which is now on its 14th year in the country.

“My commander in chief is President [George W.] Bush. Nobody knows at this point what might happen beyond his administration. But personally, I do not expect that the good RP-US ties will change,” Schmader said at a press conference.

The Balikatan is part of the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States, he pointed out.

In Sorsogon on Wednesday, Schmader and 30 other US soldiers had a three-hour dialogue with Sorsogon Gov. Sally Lee and Juban Mayor Maritess Guab-Fragata to formalize arrangements for the exercises to be held in the Pacific Board area near Albay and Sorsogon.

The deployment of an engineering battalion and medical mission groups was among the points discussed.

Purely humanitarian

Last year’s Balikatan was held in Mindanao. Its primary objective was to improve the “interoperability” of the two countries’ armed forces for mutual defense.

This time, some 400 American doctors, engineers and nurses, predominantly belonging to the military, will join the monthlong exercises to provide humanitarian aid to depressed areas in Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon, Schmader said.

These provinces are considered hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region. But Col. Ariel Bernardo, commander of the Philippine Army’s 901st Infantry Brigade, said there would be no war games in the coming exercises.

Intervention suspected

“The Bicol Balikatan shall only comprise humanitarian projects in the form of medical missions and engineering works,” Bernardo said.

But Greg Bañares, spokesperson of the communist-led National Democratic Front in Bicol, said in a press statement that the US soldiers might intervene in the armed battles between government troops and New People’s Army guerrillas.

He also warned that the “fake” humanitarian missions could be used to survey the Philippines’ rich lands and seas or to spy on revolutionary movements.

Bernardo dismissed these accusations, saying the aims of the exercises were peace and development.

“We are [conducting] development projects in depressed communities because we recognize poverty as the root cause of the insurgency,” he said.

Bernardo said the insurgency in Bicol was reduced to a manageable level in 1995 but eventually saw a resurgence because of poverty.

“We do not want that mistake to happen again,” he said.

Local materials

Engineering work (involving the construction of roads and water facilities) and the medical missions are scheduled to begin in the first and second weeks of April, respectively.

Schmader, himself an engineer, said all materials for the engineering work would be acquired locally in order to boost local economies.

Neither the American and Filipino military officials specified the costs and funding source of the 2009 Balikatan despite direct questions from reporters.

But Schmader said the costs would be shared by the countries. He estimated the engineering work to cost around $450,000.

Mayon trail run tackles global warming

By Ephraim Aguilar, page one
Inquirer Southern Luzon

LEGAZPI CITY—SOUTHEAST Asian Games gold medalist Allan Ballester looked straight at Mayon Volcano’s amazing peak as he treaded a trail.

Ballester, 34, is one of those who took part in the first Mayon Trail Run (MTR) in Albay yesterday. The event was part of an awareness campaign against global warming.

More than 150 runners negotiated a shaggy hill laden with manmade obstacles, a river crossing, and a pile of volcanic rocks in the 5-kilometer fun run and 18-km adventure foot race.

The race was organized by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) and Northface, an international brand of sports apparel and outdoor equipment. JCI is a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs whose members are more popularly known as Jaycees.

Even for the most experienced runners, some of them holding national and international titles, the MTR was one of the most grueling and unusual races.

The race started from the Peñaranda Park in the city to the top of Ligñon Hill in Daraga town, then down to a newly created back trail traversing the Yawa River to the Bonga Gully, one of the main pathways of volcanic debris swept by heavy rains.

Reaching the lava front, the racers made a U-turn and climbed back to Ligñon.

In his 14-year running career, Ballester said it was only in the MTR that his race plan became erratic.

“In my past races, I would stick to one race plan till finish. But here, I had to change it because the trail was packed with unexpected challenges in every segment,” he said.

The race also required great endurance and the application of different skills, he said.

“I just kept looking at Mayon’s peak as it felt like the sandy and rocky trail never ended. We had to climb rough terrain and slippery wooden stairs, and cross a river,” Ballester said shortly after he crossed the finish line.

Winners

Ballester said most of the runners were used to road races on smooth and flat pavements, making the MTR really different.

The winners, who came from different running teams, were—Male: 1st, Elmer Sabal (1:09:30); 2nd, Allan Ballester (1:10:08); 3rd, Cresenciano Sabal (1:10:35).

Female: 1st, Leszl Gitarueles (1:32:26); 2nd, Merlita Arias (1:45:07); 3rd. Ellen Tolentino (1:49:08).

The oldest runner was 71-year-old Vicente Caurez of Los Baños, Laguna, who was well-applauded when he finished the race standing strong.

Trail running as an adventure sport is more popular in Europe, according to Ballester. He said Albay’s trail run opened doors for the promotion of this endurance sport.

Provincial tourism officer Joe Briones said the trail run could be held annually and could draw more tourists.

These days, many tourists are looking for new sites for ecotourism and adventure sports. Briones said it would be good to have them both.

Yves Eli Yu, MTR project chair and vice president of JCI-Legazpi, said the trail run also sought to promote awareness of climate change.

Global warming

He said runners in the event and the spectators were made to realize the effects of global warming by making them experience nature.

“Taking part in this trail run is like touching Mayon’s soul. Your run toward its lava front reminds you of the lahar that killed and displaced over a thousand people at the height of Supertyphoon ‘Reming,’” Ballester said.

With the damage and floods caused by Reming on Nov. 30, 2006, Albay officials linked the disaster to the changing climate.

A2C2 campaign

After the tragedy, the provincial government launched the “Albay in Action for Climate Change” (A2C2) campaign, a pioneering local climate change adaptation in the Asia Pacific.

Yu said the JCI-Legazpi was jubilant that the MTR took place a day after 10 lawmakers from Asia, Europe, Africa and South America signed the Manila Declaration on Climate Change, which calls on rich nations to create a global fund to help reduce disaster risks brought by rising sea temperatures.

The five-page document, titled “The Manila Call for Action of Parliamentarians on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation,” was issued at the close of a two-day consultative meeting at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Yves said that for developing countries like the Philippines, it would be a big help to start small through awareness campaigns like the MTR.

Caramoan finds fame on YouTube, French ‘Survivor’

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon

POWDERY WHITE SAND, CRYSTAL blue waters, lush vegetation, rock formations, marine life and yes, fabulous sunsets—these are scenes from “Koh-Lanta Caramoan,” the French edition of the popular TV reality game show “Survivor,” shot entirely in the Caramoan Peninsula in Camarines Sur and now showing on YouTube.

Another website features a breathtaking view of Caramoan from a helicopter—the contestants’ first glimpse of the peninsula. Other tourist spots in the country are featured like the Mayon Volcano in Bicol, the Banaue Rice Terraces, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, and Donsol, which is promoting itself as the butanding (whale shark) capital of the world.

Caramoan has been getting a lot of attention since the French edition of “Survivor” started airing in the first week of July. Already, tour packages to the peninsula’s white sand beaches and pristine islands, have proliferated on the Net.

Internet-savvy Kristina Gadaingan, who hails from Bicol but works in Manila, has already seen some episodes of the latest season of “Survivor-France” on YouTube.

She is excited to see the show because it was shot entirely in Caramoan, touted as the next Boracay.

“I’ve always wanted to go to places like Boracay or Palawan. I never knew there’s such a beautiful place close to home,” says Gadaingan of Legazpi City.

“Koh-Lanta Caramoan” started airing this month in French-speaking countries across Europe and in Canada. At least 10 million people are expected to watch “Survivor-France.”

Filipinos, who may not be able to see the French edition of the reality game show, are turning to the Internet to access what they can through the popular video-sharing site, YouTube.

Early post

A quick search of YouTube listed several interesting videos—some are trailers of the French reality game show while others are clips from actual episodes.

One of the earliest clips which was posted by user “kohlanta20081,” a week after the pilot episode aired in the first week of July, has been suspended, probably due to copyright infringement.

Another user, “kohlanta20083,” has posted two 30-second teasers of the latest episodes last Tuesday. No one knows, however, how long this could evade copyright watchdogs.

Longer clips

If you prefer longer clips showing more of Caramoan’s beauty, then check out http://2008-koh-lanta.skyrock.com. The blog has more clips of “Survivor-France” and more information on the contestants, however, since the site is in French, it may be a little difficult to navigate.

Another site, http://vodstream.tf1.fr/tf1divertissement/koh_lanta_8/episode_1/catchup1_ WMV9_464Kbit_etf1_169.wmv, opens with aerial views of Caramoan shot from a helicopter. Again, it is in French.

If you’re lost in translation, the site, http://babelfish.yahoo.com, translates foreign web pages into English and vice versa.

Virtual tours

Try googling “Caramoan” and you will find many references and links. First on the list is http://caramoan-paradise.blogspot.com.

Click on the link and this is what you get: “Need a worry-free, fun, exciting and adventurous stay at Caramoan? Been wanting to experience Philippine’s Secret Paradise? Eager to explore Camarines Sur? We can help you make your travel special. Please get in touch with me and let us start planning on your stay.”

YouTube user “danymous” has posted random video clips of Caramoan, added some music and the result is a music video showcasing the peninsula’s scenery—a musical virtual tour, so to speak.

YouTube user “TomFRules” has listed 10 of the peninsula’s best islands and beaches in his clip titled “10 reasons to go to Caramoan.”

Poor town hopeful

With all the exposure Caramoan has been getting, Mayor Constantino Cordial Jr. says he foresees his fourth-class municipality achieving second-class status within five to 10 years.


According to Cordial, Caramoan residents are also looking forward to the P320-million infrastructure projects pledged by President Macapagal-Arroyo through the Camarines Sur provincial government.

According to the mayor, the amount will cover expenses for the road networking, seaport repair and airport construction.

“We are in favor of all the development projects. But we have only one plea—that nature be preserved at its best,” says Cordial in a mobile phone interview.

Gota beach, which was closed to the public by the provincial government last summer because of the “Survivor” taping, has been reopened to the public.

However, Caramoan residents are now charged an entrance fee of P150 and tourists, P300. Cordial says the amount is quite expensive especially for the locals.

Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte has said that once development projects are in place, the entrance to Gota beach may not always be free.

He also says Caramoan residents will benefit from the development of Gota beach in terms of employment opportunities.

Second time

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, during his visit to Caramoan on May, said this was the second time “Survivor-France” chose the Philippines for its location.

“Survivor,” a popular TV reality game show produced in many countries, isolates its contestants in the wilderness to compete for cash and prizes. They are divided into tribes and they vote off other contestants until only one is left.

The show is known to choose locations in exotic environments.

Last year, “Survivor-France” was shot in Palawan and after it was aired, the number of French tourists arriving in Palawan increased by 23 percent, Durano said.

Ferry sinks; 700 missing

Bodies floating, kidswailing, says survivor
By the Inquirer Staff

WAVES AS TALL AS MOUNTAINS BATTERED THE MV Princess of the Stars and within 15 horrifying minutes, the ferry carrying more than 700 people sank in typhoon-tossed waters off Sibuyan island, one survivor recounted.

“There were many children trapped inside the boat. I could hear them wailing before the boat sank,” said Renato Lanorias, a crew member of the 23,824-ton ferry who survived by clinging to the rope of a life raft until he hit land, along with three others.

Lanorias said he could not forget the hundreds of bodies floating at sea and the cries for help from the victims as the ship keeled over and went under.

Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, reported 10 deaths from the vessel. But details were skimpy. It was unclear if the six bodies, including a man and woman bound together, that were swept to Sibuyan were among the fatalities.

The other passengers and crew were considered “missing,” said Gordon. “It could be that the others were trapped inside the ship. If that’s the case, they could still be alive and can be rescued.”

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescue vessel, battling stormy seas and strong winds, reached the ferry yesterday afternoon, one end jutting out of the water upside-down, more than 24 hours after it lost radio contact. There was no sign of survivors.

“They haven’t seen anyone. They’re scouring the areas. They’re studying the direction of the waves to determine where survivors may have drifted,” said Lt. Arman Balilo, PCG spokesperson.

‘I hope many are all right’

PCG Commandant Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said more rescuers were dispatched to nearby Cresta de Gallo Island south of Sibuyan yesterday. “They will be scouring the other coastal areas to check for the other passengers,” Tamayo said.

“I hope and pray that many are all right,” he said.

However, Tamayo said rescuers on Cresta de Gallo reported late last night that “unfortunately they did not see any body.”

“They’re going to check nearby islands,” Tamayo said.

It was potentially the worst sea disaster to hit the country since the ferry MV Doña Paz collided with an oil tanker in 1987 and left more than 4,000 people dead.

The Princess of the Stars, owned by Sulpicio Lines, sailed from Manila at 8 a.m. on Friday on a 22-hour trip to Cebu City with 626 passengers and 121 crewmen. Among the passengers were 31 infants and 20 children.

Sulpicio Lines, however, said that the ship’s manifest had 725 passengers.

The Coast Guard gave the ferry clearance to depart in spite of storm warnings because it was over 23,000 tons with a capacity of 1,992 passengers.

The other survivors found in Sibuyan with Lanorias were passengers Jesus Cica, Oliver Amorin of Olango Island, and Jessie Boot of Siquijor province, according to Mayor Nanette Tansingco of San Fernando town on the island.

Ferry sank at 11:45 a.m.

Tansingco said most of the survivors had contusions all over the body and lacerations in the head.

She said she also sent a speed boat to check the ill-fated vessel. “They saw the boat upside down with a big hole in the hull.”

Tansingco said at least four bodies were found and children’s slippers were scattered on the shoreline.

Lanorias, in mobile phone interview, said he remembered hitting his face on a rock upon reaching Sibuyan.

He said the overturned ferry sank at around 11:45 a.m. yesterday. Strong winds and big waves apparently broke the lashing that tucked the cargo, causing the ferry to sink, Lanorias said.

A hole in the hull was seen as the ferry lay submerged about a kilometer and a half from the shore of Sibuyan, where it was apparently swept after it listed and toppled farther away—up to 11.2 nautical kilometers (7 nautical miles) off the island, according to the Coast Guard.

‘Abandon ship’

“The waves were almost the size of a mountain,” Lanorias said in a shaky voice. “At around 10 a.m. the ship slowed down and started to dance. I noticed that it was running tilted,” he said in Filipino.

Lanorias said when the captain announced “abandon ship,” many hysterical passengers jumped in the storm-tossed water. He said all 14 lifeboats of the Princess of the Stars were let down but big waves still engulfed some of them.

“We were on a lifeboat for four hours before we reached Barangay Mabini,” Lanorias said in between coughs.

Chief Petty Officer Benito Vidal of the Southern Tagalog Coast Guard Station said his office received reports that the boat had sunk “seven nautical miles, north-southwest of Sibuyan Island, Romblon.”

He said that the ferry had sent a distress signal, saying it had “engine trouble” and “listing,” quoting a report received on Saturday at 12:55 p.m.

Vidal said he had yet to receive reports regarding the current condition of the ferry or the actual cause of its sinking. If the vessel was reported listing, he said that would usually mean the boat really had a hole and was taking in water.

Sulpicio’s last contact

Manuel Espina, Sulpicio Lines spokesperson, said the ferry’s captain, Florencio Marimon, made his last contact with the office at noon on Saturday.

He said the company could not speculate on what happened, saying only that Marimon was a very experienced officer.

Regional Coast Guard officer Cecil Chen said the Princess of the Stars was cleared to leave the port of Manila on Friday morning shortly before the typhoon changed its northwesterly course and slammed across the western islands.

With the typhoon approaching, the vessel was radioed to take shelter, and “the captain attempted to do that,” Chen said. However, the engine failed and the vessel was left stranded in the water off Sibuyan’s southeast coast as the typhoon barreled across the country with peak winds of 170 kph.

“The engine conked out and (with) the vessel dead on the water and no immediate assistance could be rendered on the vessel, it suffered the consequence of drifting to the shallow portion and was grounded,” he said.

Life jackets and debris

Melanie Rotoni, a Sibuyan resident, said she had seen one body as well as debris but no survivors so far.

“Life jackets and debris litter the store. I saw a dead woman in her 40s along the shore, but she was the only body I saw. There is no one else,” she told dzMM radio.

Philippine Navy spokesperson Marine Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said that at 10:30 a.m., the Navy dispatched two patrol gun boats—one from Masbate and the other from Roxas City—with frogmen to help in the rescue operations for the sunken ship’s passengers and crew. With reports from Nikko Dizon and Leila B. Salaverria in Manila; Madonna T. Virola, Jaymee T. Gamil and Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon; Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas, and AP, AFP

‘Ka Bel’ dies in fall while repairing roof

By Volt Contreras,Norman Bordador aand Ephraim Aguilar

ANAKPAWIS REP. CRISPIN Beltran bolted the Marcos prisons, emerged bloodied from many a street demonstration, and, even in his advanced years, continued to fight the government and face threats of arrest.

From joining a taxi drivers’ union in the 1950s and leading campaigns for higher wages across five administrations, to becoming a three-term lawmaker representing militant labor, Beltran cut an unflinching, if gaunt, figure.

But “Ka Bel” also took these battles home and turned his otherwise private struggles amid the rising costs of living into an extension of his lifelong protest against the system.

His sudden death yesterday at 75 after an accident at 6 a.m. at the family home, a barely finished bungalow whose roof needed repair in time for the wet season, brought to full light the proletarian path he had embraced.

It was his daughter Ofelia Ballate who made the grim announcement of the man’s passing: “Patay na po si Congressman Beltran.”

Ballate was briefing reporters outside the emergency room of the Far Eastern University-Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation Medical Center in Fairview, Quezon City, on her father’s slim chance at recovery when she was told of his heart failing yet again after a fifth attempt at resuscitation.

“My mother and I agreed that if after resuscitation his heart again collapses, he’ll no longer be revived,” Ballate said at 11:35 a.m., breaking into tears.

She said her father appeared to be experiencing pain breathing each time he was revived through an injected medication.

The family was also told, she said, to come to a decision on efforts to revive her father because he appeared to be hanging on to life only as a result of the life-support drug.

“Our family’s decision in case he again went into cardiac arrest is to let him go. We all know that Ka Bel lived his life to the fullest,” Ballate said.

“He was able to raise all of us his 11 children. He was a labor leader, a parliamentarian, an activist, and a very good father,” she said.

Personal is political

Listed as one of the House of Representatives’ “poorest” members since winning a party-list seat in 2001, Beltran refused to pay his electricity bills in April 2002 in protest against the Purchased Power Adjustment rate (PPA) charged by Manila Electric Co.

Then living in a depressed area near the Batasan Complex in Quezon City, Beltran agreed to pay only for the basic charge and not the PPA that accounted for half of his bill, and refused offers of financial aid from friends and supporters.

By October 2002, with his unpaid bills amounting to around P14,600, Meralco cut off his power supply.

It was not the last time Beltran’s politics and personal money problems would become intertwined.

In July 2007, after 15 months of treatment at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), Beltran had incurred bills of over P1 million.

He was then under “hospital arrest” on rebellion charges filed by the administration, which linked him to an alleged plot to oust President Macapagal-Arroyo in February 2006.

The Supreme Court later voided the charges, clearing Beltran and five other Left-leaning party-list representatives then collectively dubbed the “Batasan 5.”

In his 2007 Statement of Assets and Liabilities that the Inquirer obtained from the House yesterday, Beltran wrote that he still owed the PHC P42,000 as of 2007.

His assets stood at P64,750, including his P50,000 house in Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City. He reported his net worth as P22,750.

Strong heart

Dr. Arnold Corpuz, one of the doctors that attended to Beltran at the Fairview hospital, put the time of Beltran’s death at 11:48 a.m.

He told reporters that Beltran had a laceration on the right side of the head and broken ribs, but the cause of death was “head injuries secondary to a fall.”

Corpuz said Beltran was already in a coma when he was admitted to the Fairview hospital. He said the head laceration was sutured at the North Caloocan Doctors’ Hospital where the lawmaker was taken for initial treatment.

“He had a strong heart. But the head injury was so severe that his breathing and heart kept stopping [after each resuscitation],” Corpuz said.

Beltran’s body was later brought to the hospital’s Room 311 to allow his family to grieve privately.

According to Renato Reyes, secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Rosario “Ka Osang” Beltran thanked her husband for everything he had done for her and the rest of the family as she held him in a farewell embrace.

“She thanked him for raising their family. They lived a simple life. You could see how much the husband and wife meant to each other,” Reyes said.

During Beltran’s detention under Marcos, it was Ka Osang who delivered her husband’s speeches at rallies. She joined other activists’ wives in campaigning for the release of political prisoners, according to an account of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

The couple were married for more than 50 years. In the past few years, they lived in a house in Baragay Muzon in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

Man for others

Beltran was “hands-on with household work,” said his daughter Ofelia Ballate.

“They had a very simple life, with no household helpers... It was not the first time that he went up the roof,” she said.


In Bacacay, Albay, Beltran’s birthplace, his younger sister Gerodia Beltran-Mirafuentes remembered him as a helpful man.

“As long as there was something he could do to help, not just his family but also other people, he would not refuse to do it,” Mirafuentes said.

She said Beltran worked hard even while studying so he could help their parents—farmer/fisherman Paciano Beltran and housewife Valentina Bertes—provide for their schooling.

The second of 10 children, Beltran was born on Jan. 7, 1933.

He spent his childhood in the island village of Tanagan and completed his early education at the Bacacay East Central School and the Tabaco National High School in Tabaco City.

“He tended the school’s poultry farm when he was in high school so he could be free from tuition and lodging expenses,” Mirafuentes said.

He moved to Metro Manila and went to college at the Far Eastern University.

But he had to work, first as a gasoline boy and then as a taxi driver to support his studies.

Beltran also took up labor management at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

He studied in the day and worked at night, Mirafuentes said.

“Our father worked so we would have something to eat. The food we ate were the fruits of his hard work as farmer and fisherman,” she said, adding:

“Growing up to these realities, my brother always wanted to help our parents. He sacrificed for the welfare of his younger siblings.”

Mirafuentes said it was Beltran’s simplicity and service for others that distinguished him from most politicians.

“If we needed to get rich, our family could have long been rich. But he refused all [offers]. Since the Marcos regime, he always got imprisoned for standing for his principles,” Mirafuentes said.

“Even if my brother was a political prisoner, we were happy, because we knew he was able to help many people,” she said.

Labor organizer

From being a member and eventual president of the Yellow Taxi Drivers Union and the Amalgamated Taxi Drivers Federation, he rose to become a full-time labor organizer in the ‘60s.

During the Marcos regime, Beltran was among the political activists incarcerated. He escaped on Nov. 21, 1984, after two years of detention.

He was said to have been sheltered by the communist New People’s Army and waited for the overthrow of Marcos in 1986. That same year he became chair of the KMU, taking over after the murder of Rolando Olalia, and later chair of the Bayan in 1993.

In 1987, he ran for senator under the Partido ng Bayan ticket and lost.

At the time of his death, Beltran was on his third term as a party-list representative.

The 14th Congress credits him with authoring bills seeking a P125 across-the-board wage increase and the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law, instituting reforms in the coconut industry, and declaring Jan. 22 as National Farmers Day, among others.

Free man

Beltran’s relatives in Bacacay expressed gratitude that he died a free man.

“We are thankful that he faced a natural death, that he did not die in prison or from a bullet,” they said.

Said Mirafuentes: “He was a politician of the poor. He died a poor man.”

4th-class town seen to achieve celebrity status

08 May 2008, A1

By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon

CARAMOAN, CAMARINES SUR—IT was not too long ago that only backpackers and the locals knew of this remote peninsula’s pristine beaches.

But the fourth-class municipality is expected to achieve celebrity status soon enough, with foreign productions completing filming and development projects in place. Even now it is being touted as the next Boracay.

About 10 million TV viewers in Europe and Canada are expected to watch the French edition of “Survivor,” which was shot entirely on Caramoan’s white-sand beaches.

The eighth season of “Survivor-France” will be aired in France and other French-speaking nations like Switzerland, Belgium and Canada from July to September, their summer season.

“Survivor,” a popular reality game show that isolates its contestants in the wilderness to compete for cash and prizes, is known to choose locations in exotic environments.

Gota beach, the gateway to Caramoan’s other beaches and islets, was rented for exclusive use by the French production outfit starting late February until early this month.

According to “Survivor-France” TV director Corinne Vaillant, the powdery sand, the coconuts on Gota beach and the neighboring islets are a “dream” for the French people.

“We chose Caramoan because it’s really wide. It’s necessary that contestants don’t see anything other than nature for them to believe that they’re really lost in the wilds,” Vaillant told the Inquirer.

With the filming completed, members of the production crew prepared to leave Gota beach yesterday.

Overnight stay

President Macapagal-Arroyo, some Cabinet officials and congressmen visited Caramoan on Monday and stayed overnight at Gota beach.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, who was in Ms Arroyo’s party, said the wide viewership of “Survivor” would surely boost tourism in Caramoan.

Durano said it was the first time in the TV show’s history that two seasons were consecutively shot in one country.

He said the seventh season of “Survivor-France” was filmed in Palawan last year, and that after it was aired, the number of tourists arriving in the province from France alone was up by 23 percent.

While the Department of Tourism, which brought “Survivor-France” to Caramoan, shouldered the fuel cost to keep the location powered with electricity, the provincial government took care of the development of the site.

There are now 73 foldaway cabanas at Gota beach, imported from China and worth P60,000 each, said a source who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak to the media.

A total of 20 regular-sized cabanas can be assembled by two teams in a day.

Ms Arroyo stayed in one of the largest cabanas during her overnight stay, the source said.

Filipinos in crew

One of 10 Filipinos hired as production assistants in “Survivor-France” told the Inquirer that the work was a demanding and challenging experience.

“We also had to hop with the whole production team from one beach or islet to another,” said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was bound by a confidentiality agreement.

He said Gota beach was tightly guarded to keep kibitzers away, and that the production assistants were among the few who were able to see the contestants being filmed.

“Survivor-France” also hired more than 120 laborers and visual artists, the source said.

He said the laborers were paid P250 a day; the visual artists, as much as P800 a day; and the production assistants, at least P1,000 a day.

P20M to prov’l gov’t

A source close to Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. said “Survivor-France” reportedly paid the provincial government P20 million for the exclusive use of Caramoan’s beaches.

The memorandum of agreement to develop and manage Gota beach was signed between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the provincial government, and the municipal government apparently does not have a share in the revenue.

The provincial government gained the right to manage and administer the Caramoan National Park, specifically Gota beach, which covers about 298 hectares, at the signing of the MOA on March 16, 2005, according to a copy of the agreement furnished the Inquirer.

The signatories were then Environment Secretary Michael Defensor (for the DENR-Protected Area Management Board) and Villafuerte (for Camarines Sur).

Durano thinks there is nothing wrong with the agreement.

“Well, the municipality is under the province, right? So the local leaders here and the provincial government would just have to talk about it.”

In a phone interview late last month, Villafuerte said Caramoan residents stood to benefit from the development of Gota beach in terms of employment opportunities and infrastructure.

He said the provincial government was implementing a P200-million development plan in Caramoan, which included road networking and the construction of an airport.

The governor also said “two Hollywood films were in the works for possible shooting” on Caramoan’s beaches.

With no filming contracts in the meantime, he said Gota beach would be reopened to the public in June.

Rumors

There’s a chance that the American edition of “Survivor” will be filmed next in Caramoan, according to an employee of the provincial government who was at Gota beach preparing for Ms Arroyo’s visit on Monday.

But the employee, who refused to give her name, said nothing had been finalized.

As for talk of Hollywood stars, reportedly including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, coming to shoot, a ranking officer of Gota beach could only flash a noncommittal smile.

Villafuerte had earlier said that Caramoan could be the next Boracay, with a difference: Development projects would be carefully planned so it would not become like the now world-famous resort—“overloaded” and plagued with sewage problems.

But Durano said it would not do justice to Caramoan if it would be viewed only from the Boracay perspective.

“We should always improve on what we have based on what we’ve learned from [tourist] destinations. Maybe we should say that this will be better than Boracay,” he said.

Durano also said it was important that development be done slowly:

“Since nature is the main asset and attraction here, it must be preserved. Everyone must be careful not to overdevelop the place.”