MANILA, Feb. 4 — In line with its effort to create productive and God-fearing citizens, Valenzuela celebrated "Bible Week" with the theme “Proclaiming God's Word Towards National Transformation” early this week.

Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian said they were aided in this endeavor by the Valenzuela Pastoral Network (VPN).

VPN secretary Pastor Alan Numbrado, who led the reflection, emphasized the ”transforming value“ of the Bible through ”four marked evidences” which he calls the ”SALN,” which stands for ”Standards of Admonition, Love and Nourishment.”

The event was part of the nationwide celebration of the National Bible Week organized by the Philippine Bible Society.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod, through City Ordinance No. 025, series of 2005, declared the celebration of the Valenzuela City Bible Week every last week of January. (PNA) DCT/PFN

MANILA, Feb. 3 – Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras has made a surprise site inspection in Pampanga to ensure that the sitio electrification program is onstream.

Almendras visited Barangay San Pedro in Magalang, Pampanga. San Pedro is not a far-flung area as it is near some commercial sites but its constituents enjoyed the benefits of electricity service only last year.

San Pedro is one of the 1,520 beneficiaries of the Sitio Electrification Program of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) along with some volunteer electric cooperatives.

For this year, the government plans to energize 833 more sitios nationwide to be able to achieve 90% household electrification by 2017.

Investing in the countryside is one of the key goals of the government as it will significantly contribute to the Philippines’ “inclusive” growth, in which money invested in rural areas will eventually redound to the benefit of the population centers thus, creating a dynamic economic cycle for the country. (PNA) RMA/ASF/utb

LAOAG CITY, Feb. 2 — The month-long Pamulinawen Festival reeled off in Laoag City on Feb. 1 to showcase the city's culture and tradition.

Highlights of the festival include street dances, trade exhibits, parade of colorful floats, competitions and thanksgiving.

Now on its 15th year, the annual festival forms part of a tribute to Laoag's patron, St. William the Hermit.

The theme of this year's festival is "Marching Valiantly to the Future".

Since it was launched in 1998, the festival helped anchor the tourism industry and other economic activities of Laoag, which gained the title ‘Sunshine City of the North.'

The name "pamulinawen" is derived from an old Iluko term which means a hard stone — by oral tradition abundant in the northern part of the Ilocos in an earlier time.

Laoag, which became a city in the mid 1960s, is the second oldest city of Region 1, next only to Dagupan.

Top tourist attractions in the festival include the St. William Cathedral, the Sinking Bell Tower, the Tobacco Monopoly Monument, Provincial Capitol of Ilocos Norte, the public market for authentic Ilocano crafts, farm products and culinary delights.

Apart from street dancing, other attractions are the horse-drawn rigs and floral parade, "dulang" (low table) festival, sports adventure, a tribute to the city’s Mamang drivers and other socio-civic activities. (PNA)

DCT/hbc/lvm/rma/utb

By Ben Serrano

GINGOOG CITY, Feb. 2 — Close relatives of 104 passengers who died in the February 2, 1998 crash of Cebu Pacific Flight 387 visited on Thursday the shrine at the foot of Mt. Sumagaya in Claver, Misamis, Oriental to once again remember their loved ones and relatives.

“It is 14th anniversary today of the crash that killed my relative Ricardo Oca. I and some members of the Oca family will go to the shrine at the foot of Mt. Sumagaya to lit candles and maybe recall the fateful day of February 2, 1998 and pray,” Dominador Oca Talan told PNA in a brief interview Thursday afternoon.

Talan was about to ride a single motorcycle heading for the shrine at the foot of Mt. Sumagaya that he rented in this city.

Mt. Sumagaya, although belonging to the Misamis Oriental town of Claveria, can be seen and reached by more than an hour overland trip from this city.

Considered the worst air disaster in the country at that time, a monument was also built at Oro Gardens (Pryce Gardens Memorial) which is about two kilometers away from Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City.

Talan said relatives of the other crash victims from all over the country are expected to visit the shrine to offer prayers for their dead.

Members of rescue teams that helped in the search and retrieval of the victims are also attending the event marking the tragedy.

“Others may be will just go to Oro Gardens in Cagayan de Oro City where a monument was built to say prayers and lit candles for their departed relatives and loved ones,” Talan said.

The Cebu Pacific flight was then carrying six crew members, including the pilots and 98 passengers, from Manila's domestic airport bound for Cagayan de Oro City when it crashed. (PNA) LAM/BS/utb

MANILA, Feb. 1 – International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu urges all operators of tourist cruise lines to ensure that their current national safety regulations and procedures are being implemented fully and effectively, including those aiming at ensuring safe operations on board.

And in the spirit of the IMO’s continuing proactive approach to passenger ships safety, Sekimizu said that the organization had opened a channel of communication with passenger ship operators – through the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) – immediately following the capsizing of the passenger cruise liner "Costa Concordia" which killed 16 people last Jan. 13,

He said that CLIA has responded positively to the IMO’s request to hold meetings with him to discuss the safety of passenger ships in general and, in particular, any findings and recommendations from its own, internal, review of current practices and safety procedures in the operation of passenger ships

Sekimizu also said that he had included an additional item on “Passenger Ship Safety” on the agenda of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, which meets for its 90th session this May 16-25 this year.

This will provide an opportunity for IMO members in the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) to consider any issues arising.

Sekimizu added that he appreciates any initiatives of member governments and the industry to improve safety and encouraged them to put forward their contributions to MSC 90.

These moves come against the background of a raft of safety measures already under review at the UN agency, including work going on in several sub-committees to further improve safety measures for ships, including passenger ships. (PNA)

RMA/PFN

MANILA, Jan. 31 —Twenty-five Filipino military and police personnel have completed a 10-day Community Relations Training (CRT) program in Indanan, Sulu province in Mindanao, with support from the British government’s Department for International Development (DfID) through the Asia Foundation.

British Deputy Ambassador Trevor Lewis, who attended the graduation ceremony in Camp Bud Datu, lauded the initiative.

He said he was “very impressed to hear about this project where we see cooperation between the military, the police and civil society working together to build a bridge with law enforcement agencies and the local community.”

Lewis also said that the CRT program "will contribute to creating an environment that will support whatever government structure the future brings to this region."

It is part of the reflective reform program of the Philippine armed forces for combatant units currently deployed in Sulu to enhance the security sector’s relations with the community. <br>It is the first of six in 2012 which will cover all AFP units and their PNP counterparts currently deployed in Sulu. This effort was spearheaded by the Philippine Marines Sulu Island Command and their civil society partners which comprise the "Task Force Kahanungan Network."

Soldiers and policemen are tasked to protect the communities they serve, striking a delicate balance between getting rid of lawless elements while engaging their communities in a positive way and respecting human rights in all their undertakings. The former requires them to undergo rigorous combat training while the latter entails a different approach, moving from the old stance of winning the war to the new and far more positive one of winning the peace.

Armed with a deeper understanding of their role in peace-keeping and peace-building in the community, the participants have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and positive attitude in engaging local communities while in support of community-empowered peace and development efforts.

The CRT Program is the first peace building initiative where the Armed Forces of the Philippines engages in broad collaboration with the civil society immersing with the grassroots at community level.

With a locally conceptualized, designed and assessed curriculum, the development of the training was based on the identified essential tasks of a typical Marine deployed in Sulu, including engaging Muslim communities for peace and development efforts.

Col. Romulo Quemado, Deputy Commander of the 9th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) said: “We need the help of the people of Sulu for the AFP to understand the over-all context of our operational environment while enhancing our community relations to achieve better understanding of the people we have sworn to serve and protect.

"The CRT project contributed a lot in changing the image of the AFP and in restoring broken relations brought about by long standing conflicts between the military and the people.”

The CRT series has no current equivalent course in the AFP and is expected to be an integral part of the over-all effort to enhance the security sector's relations with the communities it serves. To attain a multiplier effect, the program will delve on a "train the trainers" concept, and video or audio recordings of key lectures will be disseminated as field augmentative instructional materials for far-flung detachments.

Among the training outcomes of the program included the understanding of socio-cultural, religious and historical context in Sulu and superimpose this during community engagement opportunities; development of self-awareness in relation to the over-all peace campaign for Sulu; establishment of a sustainable partnership with key sectors of the local community; participation in community dialogues or informal/casual engagements; facilitatation and partnership over community-empowered socio-economic development projects based on community needs assessments and dialogues; and holding of effective advocacy in support of community peace-building efforts.

Aside from Lewis, other guests included Ky Johnson, Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation to the Philippines and the Asia Pacific; Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and Bai Yasmin Busran-Lao, members of the GPH-MILF panel in the Mindanao peace process, Wilfredo Torres, Project Officer of the Asia Foundation; Vice Admiral Armando Guzman of the Sulu Task Force Joint Island Command; and Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps. (PNA) <br>RMA/GJB

BAGUIO CITY, Jan. 30 — A thousand pupils garbed in the most colorful apparel are expected to give resplendence and festive mood during the grand opening parade of the month-long Baguio Flower Festival on February 1.

City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the pupils come from 17 elementary schools not only in this mountain resort but from adjacent La Trinidad and Tuba towns, Benguet.

The festival known as "Panagbenga" is the biggest eco-tourism event here since 1995 drawing a million visitors regularly since Baguio's tourism slump recovered from the devastation of the 1991 "killer quake."

For more than a decade, the festival not only boosted the agriculture sector in the area but also the commerce and industry because of the enormous crowd gathered by the unique and culture-oriented festivities.

Domogan has asked all residents here to help assure the success of the festival. (PNA)

DCT/FFC/AAG

ROME, Jan. 30 — Former Italian president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro died on Sunday in Rome at the age of 93, according to a statement issued by the Italian president's office.

In the statement, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano praised Scalfaro as an example of "moral integrity" who "faced one of the most difficult moments of our history firmly and steadfastly."

The statement also said Scalfaro "made a tremendous effort to hearten the country and reassure international observers of the solidity of Italian institutions" during his presidential term.

Scalfaro was elected president on May 25, 1992 and became a senator for life in 1999 after completing his term as president.

Born in the Piedmont town of Novara on Sept. 9, 1918, Scalfaro won a seat with the Christian Democratic party in 1946 in the Constituent Assembly that established the Italian Republic, and two years later he was elected to the lower house in the country's first general election.

Scalfaro was elected lower house speaker in 1992 before being elected president.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Scalfaro was a junior minister and then a minister in several governments. As interior minister from 1983 to 1987, he drafted several international accords to fight terrorism and organized crimes. (PNA/Xinhua)

DCT/jnc

ILOILO CITY, Jan. 28 — The Regional Development Council (RDC), chaired by Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco, has given the green-light to government agencies and other public institutions in Western Visayas which intend to join the 4th Best Public Sector Projects Awards.

Tanco said the search for the best public sector projects aims to determine and recognize good practices among government institutions in the region that can be replicated by similar institutions in the region and in other parts of the country.

The focus of the awards this year will be on projects that effectively contributed to the realization of the goals of the Regional Development Plan for 2011-2016 and to President Aquino’s “Social Contract with the Filipino People”, said the RDC chair.

The awards will cover development programs and projects of the following institutional categories: National Government Agencies – all regional offices or affiliate offices of national agencies, government corporations and financial institutions operating in Region VI; State Universities and Colleges – all 12 SUCs in the region; and Local Government Units – all 6 provinces, 2 highly urbanized cities (Iloilo and Bacolod), all component cities and provincial capitals.

Participants have until March 15, 2012 to prepare and submit their entries to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office in Iloilo City.

The awards were launched in 2006 and were again conducted in 2007 and 2009. Additional information can be obtained from the RDC Secretariat through Atty. Raul S. Anlocotan, RDC Secretary. (PNA) RMA/ajp/JSC/vlo

MANILA, Jan. 28 — Fifteen outstanding Filipino students have been granted postgraduate scholarships by the New Zealand government under its New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Program with funds from Wellington’s development aid program in Manila.

The postgraduate studies (diplomas, masteral and doctorate) are in agriculture, governance and public management, environmental management, and renewable energy, according to the New Zealand embassy in Manila.

At their send-off party, New Zealand Chargé d’Affaires Andy White congratulated the awardees, saying “the selection process is a competitive one, and it is an achievement for all who have been selected.”

“I encourage you to make the most of your time in New Zealand, to enjoy what the country has to offer, and also to work hard so that when you return you are better able to contribute to the development of the Philippines,” he added.

Engineer Alvin Libay of First Gen Corporation, a scholar on renewable energy, said the program “will provide me with a unique learning experience in the field of renewable energy resources that will be valuable in contributing to the development of the energy sector in the Philippines.”

The New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Awards are open to eligible candidates from the public, private and civil society sectors.

This acknowledges the significant contribution of the private and civil society sectors to the country’s social and economic development, but also recognizes the New Zealand Aid Programme’s objective of supporting the Philippine government to strengthen public service capacity. (PNA) scs/GJB