Kalam: A GMA Documentary

Hello! :-)

I just want to get this off my chest. Last night I watched a special documentary of GMA titled "Kalam" which tackles the food crisis here in the Philippines as well as the current situation of the rice farmers.

First part of the program, Vicky Morales interviewed some people, I don't know where that is but for sure it is here in Manila, maybe in Payatas or some other depressed area. And how depressed they really are! Imagine, kumakain na cla ng panis na kanin sa sobrang mahal ng bigas. Some eat bread once a day because they can't afford to buy rice. Nagtitinapay na lang yung iba isang beses sa isang araw dahil kulang ang kinikita, yung iba wla pang trabaho. There was a mother of two kids na ang husband nya ay wlang trabaho. Mga anak na lang daw muna nila ang unang pinapakain kung kapos ang pagkain. Minsan daw sinabihan ng husband nya ang dalawang bata, “O si mama na muna pakainin natin kasi kelangan din ni mama kumain pra sa baby." Imagine buntis pa sya! I don't know if magagalit ako sa kanila or maawa. Wla na nga silang mapakain sa kanilang dalawang anak, gumawa pa ng isa!

Hay naku, eto din ang isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan kung bakit tayo ay may food shortage, sobrang lumobo ang ating populasyon that our food production can't cope up. In fact, every year, nagiincrease naman daw ang rice production pero mas malaki pa ang increase ng population.

Naisip ko nga minsan, ayaw ko nang magkaanak. First, because I fear for the future of my child. Life on this earth is geting harder. Even if I can provide for his/her needs, still I can't control his future environment. Sa ngaun nga, ang dami kong linyang nakkita: linya sa pagbili ng NFA rice, linya sa Landbank for power subsidy ( yung tig 500 pesos). Iniimagine ko ano nalang kaya in the future? I don't want my child or grandchild to experience any of this. Second reason, I want to do this as my share for the world, one less child means one less mouth to feed. Hindi ako magsasalita ng patapos ha, malay mo magaasawa din ako pagdating ng araw. Eto naisip ko lang.

Dapat talaga, maging seryoso na tayo sa population control. I am Catholic but I support family planning by any means, except abortion. Because I believe that being a Christian is being responsible. And the gift of life is not just by bringing a child unto this world but also providing that child a nourishing environment.

Back to Kalam. The other part of the program, they showed the situation of rice farmers. Pinakita doon that yung technology and machinery na ginagamit nung 1960s eh yun pa rin ang gamit ng mga farmers natin ngayon. Isn't that ironic? We have IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) right here in our backyard ( in UP Los Banos) and our Asian neighbors were trained here but how come it seems we haven't establish the edge in rice farming? The Thais, Vietnamese and Cambodians admited that IRRI has done so much for their rice farming.

Meron nga isang farmer, nagtry ng hybrid rice or eto yta ang tinatawag na miracle rice, nalugi pa sya because he was not taught how to plant it, his knowledge wasn't enough. So one of our problem is we lack information dissemination. Also, we have different soil and weather conditions throughout the country and one method of planting might not be effective for all.

The next problem is lack of machinery. Tractor na sa ibang bansa, sa atin kalabaw pa. Ang mga thresher ay inaarkila pa ng mga farmers so bawas na naman ito sa kanilang kita. Sa Cambodia, ang typical rice farmer ay may sarili ng mini-gilingan (mini mill). Huwag nlang tayo magulat that one of these days, mas mayaman pa ang CAmbodia kesa sa Pilipinas. In 1970s they were still in war. I had some Cambodian students before sa CATC, sobrang behind sila sa educational qualifications and skill. Pro bakit mukang mas may promise of progress pa sa kanila kesa dito? Ang bilis nila nkarecover. Tayo parang stagnant ang development. Minsan pa nga mukhang paurong pa. Bakit kaya ganito?

Next, we lack infrastructure in irrigations. Ang dami nating lands na hindi mataniman because it is dry. Sayang din ang mga lands na yon. It could produce additional rice to feed us. Eto sure na akong kasalanan na ng gobyerno. Either the government didn't prioritize agriculture or napunta na sa ibang bulsa ang pera pang irigasyon. Sa Vietnam daw, nag invest tlaga ang government ng infrastructure for farming, now, they are the second biggest exporter of rice in the world.

Eto ha, may isang farmer natuwa kasi may subsidy ang gobyerno if magtanim ka ng hybrid rice. Kaya nag hybrid rice naman sya. But he found out later that ang price ng subsidized hybrid rice from DA is the same with those bought outside so parang wla ding nangyari dba. Bili nalang sya sa labas. As usual, overpricing na naman. Naalala nyo pa ba ang fertilizer scam?

Isa pang factor is ang kawalan ng control sa land conversion. Sabi ng mga supervisors ko, dati daw puro palayan ang makkita mo sa tabi ng mga daan lalo na sa north bound and dito sa bandang Las Pinas...ngayon puro na subdivision. Biro ng Supervisor ko if alam lang daw nya san kukuha ng buto ng bahay kukuha daw sya kasi ang bilis daw tumubo hahahaha Seriously, dapat kasi ang agricultural land hindi kinoconvert sa commercial/residential. Dun tayo manirahan sa hindi mataniman dba. Eto kasalanan na naman ng gobyerno. Either walang pakialam at hindi nag-iisip sa future or nabigyan lang kaya napprove. Yung isang presidentiable dyan na ginawang subdivision ang karamihang palayan...sana wag nyo na iboto.

Thailand is the number one rice exporter; we are the number one rice importer. According to a Thai exporter, if the Philippines come into the market, it affects the whole market kasi malaki ang volume na kinukuha natin. Kamakailan lang dba, nagmakaawa pa c PGMA sa Vietnam to maintain their supply of rice to us. Paano if darating ang time that hindi na nila tayo mabigyan dba? Ang Thailand and Vietnam, inuuna nila ang local need nila. Vietnam has imposed a ban to export rice for two months early this year to prevent local prices from spiraling upwards. Pano na tayo pag galit galit na at nagkagipitan na tlaga?

Ano magagawa natin? Ewan ko, simula kagabi parang sasabog na ang dibdib ko at utak ko sa pag iisip. Feel ko wala na tayong pag asa sa patong patong ba naman na problema. Pro kahit na ganon, let us still act and do something in our own little ways. Ako nagstart na ng no rice for breakfast and dinner. Hahaha. Find other staple food, mag saging nalang or camote. Mag one child policy. And sana ang gobyerno noh maging matino na sa paggawa ng trabaho nila. Sana wala ng mangikil. Wish ko lang lahat ng magnakaw sa gobyerno, ang anak nila at mga apo magkabulutong sana ng pagkadami-dami at pagkalaki-laki. Kung pwede lang sana makulam ang mga kurakpt noh...malay nyo pwede, o mga mangkukulam dyan eto nalang contribution nyo hehehe

All That Juice!

I tried this when I went home last April. What I can't forget about it was that as soon as I took a sip of the durian shake, I felt like I suddenly ascended to heaven :-) no kidding...ask Choi, it's all seen on my face. And I exclaimed, " Wow! Naa gyod ko sa dabaw!"







No, it was not captured on this picture...sayang.
















Me, my langga, the juice and the scars






Believe me, durian shake in davao is the best!

All That Juice has a stall in Gaisano Mall, 3rd floor, near the going down escalator. No, this is not an advert, just a raving of a satisfied customer. ;-)

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!

I missed multiply. (Tagal ko din nag absent hehe.) First, I had chicken pox, wla akong gana magonline, lalo na my mom was here, talking with her was my form of entertainment.:-D Then, we went to Bohol for our family (clan) reunion. When I came back here, Choi was here so I was again busy. (Ewan ko ba pag andito yan si Choi, panakaw atensyon yan sa online activities. Sino ba yan ha?....hehe) It's just that my online world stops when he is here.

Want to see my face with all the blisters and crusts? Yuck, dont you dare. It sucks. I'll just show you the Bohol pics ok? ;-)

My promise

As promised here are some details I can share with you regarding the Manila Ocean Park.


The Manila Ocean Park is a marine themed park that will bring together in one place a mall, an Oceanarium, open water marine habitats, restaurants and a hotel. It located at the back of the Quirino Grandstand, where the former Boardwalk stood. On the main entrance, you can find the line for the ticket to the Oceanarium, which costs 400 for adults and 350 for kids.

The main attraction of the park is the Oceanarium that features a wide variety of marine animals like fishes, sharks and invertebrates. The Oceanarium is divided into six areas : Agos (Flow), Bahura (Reef), Laot (Fishing Ground), Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean), Ang Kalaliman (The Deep), Pagi (Overhang Tank of Sting Ray) and the Pating (Shark) Tank.

The first part of the tour is in Agos, where one can see the natural flow of water from land to sea. The first fish to greet you is the giant Arapaima, which is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It is only found in the Amazon River Basin of South America.

Next, you enter Bahura, where you can watch the fascinating animals of our coral reefs like the colorful Boxfish ( Takba or Kaban-kaban), Porcupinefish (Buteteng Laot), Lipstick Tang Labahita/ Indangan/ Isdang Ilong), Flashlight fish, Reef Stonefish, Ribbon Eel, Snowflake/Starry Moray Eel ( Igat / Payangitan), Butterflyfish (Paru-parong dagat), and many more.

Flashlight fish have luminous organs called photophores beneath the eyes. The light is generated by bioluminescent bacteria that live special pouches (this is similar to the glow produced by fireflies).Reef Stonefish is the most venomous fish in the world. It has thirteen stout spines in the dorsal fin which can inject highly toxic venom. They are extremely camouflaged, looking like an encrusted rock or lump of coral.

I got this information from the name plates in each tank. You can really learn a lot if you take time to read. That is why the Oceanarium is a great learning experience for children (and not -so-young ones). You can also learn by listening to the audio narration or asking the guides, who are scattered around to answer inquiries from guests.

Then there's the Laot, where you get to see the fishes in the deeper waters of the sea. You can’t use much of your camera here because the area is dark and flashing is prohibited as it scares the fishes. At the center is an overhead round projector or LCD that shows different marine presentations. Underneath it are sofas, where you can rest for a while.

The most exciting place is the Living Ocean, where you can experience underwater life through a 25 meter-long tunnel that showcases different kinds of marine animals. Here, you can learn how each animal interacts with one another. During our visit, we witnessed a diver feeding the fishes.

Next is the Kalaliman, where different kinds of schooling fish are shown like the barracuda.

You can see after Kalaliman the overhang tank of the sting ray, where you can view their eyes and mouths and some holes, which I do not know what they are called, but is shaped like a smile; it would appear the sting ray is always smiling down on you.

The Last Tank exhibits the sharks. They are still small sharks, averaging only five feet long so they are cute, not intimidating.

This is the end of the Oceanarium, so you can retrace your steps back to Agos and begin the journey again. As for us, we haven't noticed that we have already consumed two hours just watching these sea creatures and we realize we were hungry so we were ready to hit the exit. Once you exit, you are not allowed re-entry.

On the second floor, you can find the fish spa, where you can soak your feet underwater and allow small fishes to nibble, swim and collide on it. You can avail it for an additional fee. You can also view the sharks here because their tank is extended up. Beside the sharks’ tank is the fish feeding area, where you can volunteer to feed the sting ray.

In their map, it says there is a boating ride entrance, but we didn't venture in that part so I'm not sure if the boating facility is already open.

There's a restaurant, Ozeano, just before the main exit, where you can eat for 250 per head. That would include your chosen two main courses from the four they prepared, a dessert, a soup, and maybe rice and appetizer. That still does not include your drinks. :) As for us, we ate at a restaurant on the front of the park, Ocean Park Bistro, which we later discovered was such a bad idea (more of it on my review) , but we didn't have much choice then.

Before you can finally exit, you can stop by the souvenir shop, where you can choose from many novelty items to bring home as a memento or as a gift or pasalubong.

It was still a hot, hot afternoon when we went home bringing with us the memory of the beautiful underwater sights we just witnessed and the wonderful feeling of togetherness.

I got most of the information from their guide map shown above. More pictures on my photo album, check it out.

http://liezlmacas.multiply.com/photos/album/14/OcEaN_ParK_Manila

I'm Off to Baguio this Holy Week!

Yup, I’m visiting Baguio again this Thursday. I’ve been there a couple of times so I actually don’t have the intention of going. The idea just came when I knew my family would be visiting us here in Manila to attend my sister’s oath taking. I made a promise to my sister before that I would treat her of a trip to Baguio if she passed the board exams; she did and so I have to fulfil my end of the deal but now, with the entire family! Luckily, she offered to split the expenses between us. I thanked God for the blessings! :-D

For the past week, I’ve been busy making arrangements. Its Holy Week next week so a lot of lowlanders are going up there. I know we can go there without reservations and just rely on some ‘manongs’ that will offer us accommodations as we get down from the bus upon our arrival. But maybe there would be less options as the good and affordable ones were reserved in advance. Thanks to technology, I just searched the net and came upon various ads and listings for transient houses, most with pictures and mobile contact numbers. Many were already reserved when I made inquiries but I have managed to find one that suit our needs and budget. Most require down payment to make reservations so I just deposited the amount required to their BDO cash card. It’s amazing how technology made our life easier.

At first, I am reluctant to deposit; they might run away with my money. But since their DTI registration number was also posted in their website, I had it checked through the DTI hotline, and it was legitimate. Well, I really hope that I won’t be scammed, I’ll update you next week after we go there :-D

Before, I didn’t have to worry about accommodations. The first time I went there in 1994, I was a participant in the national secondary schools press conference (NSSPC). We were billeted in Teacher’s Camp. It was my most memorable visit because it was then that Baguio captivated my heart. It was really cold then. The place is full of pine trees, with lots of flowers blooming everywhere. Fewer structures were built. It was so beautiful.

The second visit was with my classmates in college on a factory tour of Texas Instruments (TI). We stayed at Hotel Supreme. The water supply then at that hotel was not so good. I remembered some of my classmates toured without taking a bath yew!:-D I also remembered my classmates who were occupying the basement have hair-raising experiences.

The third time, I was already here in Manila training for basic ANSS course. We had a break for the Lenten season and my parents didn’t buy me an airline ticket to go home so I went with a co-trainee to Baguio instead. We stayed at her sister’s boarding house.

A year after that, I went to Baguio again with this same girl, who attended her sister’s graduation. She was already my office mate, friend and one of my flat mates. This time, SM Baguio was finished and I consider it then the most beautiful of all SM malls because of its top location, 360 degrees overlooking the city. Baguio captivated my heart once again because of the picturesque view on SM. It was also during this visit that I went back to Manila all alone. No big deal, it’s just two rides to my apartment – one six-hour bus drive and one jeepney ride. J

My fifth trip was in November 2005, after we went to a batch mate’s house in La Union. Most of us are from ATO so we made arrangements to stay at ATO staff house at Loakan airport. I brought along my mom with me since she was here in Manila that time.

On each of those occasions, we toured and visited attractions. Although I got so familiar and bored with visiting usual places, there’s always something new each time I visit so I think that’s what makes me go there again and again.

For my sixth, I know it will be different because it will be a family affair. I think this will not be my last time; I have viewed some pictures of those who visited Asin Hot Springs and I want to go there on my seventh visit haha ;-)

My Dream

One of the secrets in attaining your goals, according to Bo Sanchez in his book 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich, is that you have to write down your dreams, read it everyday, apply the Power of Focus and apply the Power of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction states that you attract to your life your predominant thoughts. It is because thoughts create things.

In the Law of Focus, Bo's example was Jim Carrey. He wrote ' When Jim was a struggling, broke stand-up comedian in small comedy clubs, he wrote a $10 million check with the words, "For services rendered" underneath. He read his check every day. Years later, Jim Carrey would be earning $20 million per movie".

I want to apply the Power of Focus.

Can this do for me?

Yehey, CAAP at last!

PGMA signed into law the other day Republic Act 9497, which created Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines or CAAP. CAAP will replace my current agency-employer, Air Transportation Office. This is good news for us in ATO as well as to the whole aviation industry in the country.

The new law grants fiscal autonomy to the CAAP, which means that most of the funds collected by the agency would be used solely for our operations. Lack of funds or budget has always been the hindrance in the development of ATO. We cannot upgrade to better facilities and equipment as well as hire new personnel to augment the vacancies in different technical positions. There have been problems in the payment of our overtime services since October 2004. In fact, overtime services rendered since January 2007 has not been paid. Many of our equipment are outdated and unreliable.

One example is the RADAR in Tagaytay, which is used for more than 20 years, as surveillance and aid for Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) at Area Control Center (ACC) in controlling aircrafts beyond the 60 mile radius of NAIA. As of now, it is very unreliable. Targets on the screen would appear and disappear anytime. Sometimes, one or two aircrafts would go missing at a time. The ACC ATCs have to resort to procedural process of controlling airplanes, meaning they just have to rely on their minds to picture the airplanes in the air without the aid of a radar screen. It’s like we are back in the ancient times. What an alarming thought. The fact that these ATCs could manage it really amazes me and I really admire them. They have a right to demand higher pay for their skills. Anyway, procurement of new radar is already under way, but this should have been done five years ago, considering the time for installation and initial testing.

I do not know if you were aware with the news last year that there were delays in flights. Higher authorities turned deaf ears to the recommendations for a replacement of the then outdated AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telephone Network), the system used to send/receive flight data to other countries’ airports. If not for the broadcast of those delays, AFTN would not be replaced/upgraded to CADAS (Comsoft Aeronautical Data Access System). Often times, disaster has to occur before ATO is heard. If we were not downgraded by the FAA, I’m not sure if approval of CAAP would be fast-tracked. We’ve been lobbying for it for the past years just to have fiscal autonomy. Now, finally, we wouldn’t have to deal with so many bureaucracies in planning and implementing projects. . For as long as CAAP would not be mismanaged or infested with corrupt, self-serving officials***, like in NAPOCOR and other government corporations, it would lead us to a safer, reliable, world-class aviation.

As an employee, I am glad because also included in the law is that technical personnel would be exempted from the government Salary Standardization Law so that the agency could compete with the private sector in hiring qualified personnel. This is sound. In our department alone, lots have resigned for the past two years to go abroad or transfer to the private sector for bigger pay. Also, the prospect of upgrading the facilities and equipment is to my advantage. Who would want to maintain outdated equipment, right? Plus, I know it would professionalize the personnel and modernize our operations. I am thrilled to have a better working environment. As of now, the bosses are still busy drafting proposals for the implementing rules and regulations. Hopefully by the second half of the year, we would start to feel the changes. I am just excited and hopeful.

*** This is my biggest fear. Considering projects in ATO, from airports to equipments, involve big amount of money. Income of ATO is also in billions of pesos. Now that CAAP is free from DBM, I hope it wouldn’t be just one source of funds for the election campaign in 2010. I also hope that our board of directors, which will mostly be political appointees (DOTC, DOJ, DOF, DFA, DOT Secretaries), will have great management skills and true dedication to the advancement of Philippine aviation.

I know that you may think I am too paranoid or having read too many conspiracy-filled stories, but we know that these things happen in our government today. I am just keeping my fingers crossed.

No More People Power

I’m not sure if I heard it right that Jun Lozada threatened to give up his Catholic faith if CBCP continues not to support him. I am disappointed by his latest action although I greatly admired his courage to blow his whistle and I believe there's some truth in what he said. I also sympathize with the difficulties he was going through and the threats he faced but what was he thinking now? I think everyone or every institution/organization has their own personal opinion and individual stand regarding this issue. He should not take it against the CBCP if it does not share in his sentiment to call for GMA’s resignation. I agree with CBCP that the truth should not be hindered to surface and people guilty should be held accountable for their misdeeds. I agree with CBCP that GMA has a big role to make this happen. I believe she still could make reforms, if she really wanted to, especially in the dysfunctional areas of the procurement process of government projects. Two years is enough time for her to redeem herself, clean up her act and of those around her. Everybody knows she has knowledge of the culprit/s in this NBN scandal, so instead of protecting the criminals, she should help to expose them. I am no fan of PGMA, in fact, I hate her but this time, I think it’s wise to make her stay. I think it is not a good time to rock the boat considering our economic situation. We couldn’t allow politics to jeopardize whatever progress we are making. And who would replace her, anyway? Can we think of someone who has the will and the courage to set up the needed reforms in our government to fight graft and corruption? The answer is clear, there’s no one. Therefore, it is not worth another people power, another extra-constitutional means to unseat a leader and install a new one. Let’s just wait for two more years and hope and pray that PGMA would be enlightened to forget her "utang na loob” to certain people and make them accountable.

Kung Hei Fat Choi to everyone!

Our fresh start would be complete with the kicking off of the lunar new year this midnight. I don't usually celebrate this event but I look forward to it because of the festive mood of our Filipino-Chinese community. I love watching the lion dances and and the fireworks. Also, I look forward to the yearly forecasts and feng shui tips. But I also did some preparation like cleaning my room and getting rid of old things.

While walking around MOA yesterday, I bumped into lots of people flocking around a column in the main mall atrium. It turned out that the column was painted (or wall-papered, I'm not really sure) with the forecasts of each of the twelve animal signs. The people around were reading their luck for this year as well as taking notes of the items that will bring them good luck or prevent bad luck.

The general forecasts are created by feng shui expert Marites Allen, president and CEO of World Feng Shui Philippines.Well, based on her forecasts last year, which I read on the Philippine Star, some went true for me so I think it is worth your time to go through her readings. She will offer "Feng Sui Updates 2008" on friday, 4pm at MOA. You can attend that event or you can just read the 12 month forecast on the Philippine Star tomorrow. If you want to learn more in detail, you can visit their boutiques at The Podium, SM malls (North, MOA and Cebu) and Serendra; or visit the site www.wofs.com.


According to the forecasts, the Horse is the only animal sign that is unlucky this year. Horse-born people, including me, are filled with mishaps, bad luck, obstacles and misfortune. It said that it is important that I apply the required cures and remedies. Woh! But I am awed with all the items I should wear or have and where to put them. I guess I have to put my fate to the ultimate power that is above feng shui, the one who controls the bad and negative energies. I believe that God is above these all so I put my trust in Him. I believe that He would not allow any misfortune/mishaps to happen to me just because I have bad luck this year. If I am indeed to encounter obstacles and suffering, it is intended to strengthen my character or return my attention to Him or to fulfill my part in His divine purpose. I should not be afraid to the extent of surrounding myself with all these items. I have the most powerful weapon and shield, my God, to take care of me and I know I will be alright.

Well, there's no harm in trying to get as much help as you can to have good luck. Even Mari tess Allen had said that we should not rely on feng shui for everything because it is just one third of our luck; the remaining two thirds are: heaven luck, which is something we are born with and the luck we make for ourselves. As for me, I just do not want to spend effort and money or stress myself too much over that one third.

Back to fresh starts, this is a perfect time to start anew because the rat is the first of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle and it symbolizes new beginnings. Have a great lunar new year everyone!

28.9% passed Architecture Licensure Exams

238 out of the 798 examinees passed the Architectural Licensure Examinations held last January 17, 18 and 20. The topnotcher was from St. Louis University in Baguio. The results were published online yesterday at inquirer.net and philstar.com. It is on print today at Manila Bulletin.

Congratulations to the new architects of this country most specially to my sister,
Arch. Nellie S. Macas. I am so proud and happy for you. Big hugs and lots of cheer!

For complete list of examinees you can go to this links:

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Exam%20Results&p=49&type=2&sec=8&aid=20080204197

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/examresults/ARCHITECT/20080204/