“Ondoy” devastation. I survive!

One of the main topic discussed in United Nations meeting this year is about climate change.   Sad to say, the Philippines have at least 20 typhoons/storms in a year and yet the government has no enough contingency plan during calamity time.  The typhoon “ondoy” that hit Manila last September 26, opened my mind that it’s time for a real change in managing our environment.   The hard-hit towns of Cainta and Marikina City was flooded due to the heavy rains and water releases from the near dams and water sheds that made a billion-worth devastation including the near towns.  According to authorities, the rainfall for six hours last Sept. 26 is nearly equal to the average monthly rainfall.

In Taguig, some areas were also affected and, today, I’m in the office again just like nothing happens.  But, when my classmate (Andy N.) reported that “grabe” talaga ang nangyari sa Marikina area (around 90%), as he witnessed  his nephew’s family situation there.  My mind opens for a campaign fund drive to help this flood victims but I don’t know how to start it.  I guess this message is the starting point in helping them and the mother nature.  For more info. and pictures of typhoon “Ondoy”, click here.

Helping the victims:

1. Donate what you can, but its nice to give them drinking water and foods that are easy to cook.
2. It would be better if you can send it directly to them but you may also course through your donation thru rescue hotline numbers (courtesy of bulitas.blogspot.com).
3. Sharing infos. like Dam Status monitoring and weather text alerts.
4. Maybe, design a t-shirt about climate change.

As of Oct.1, there are 247 died already and the picture above is a symbolic remnant of this storm that was almost the same 4o years ago.    I think it’s time for all Filipinos also to make serious action on waste segregation. A simple way is to lessen the use of plastic materials (e.g. use paperbags and baskets when going to market).

To our mother nature, I just wish and pray that you may learn how to forgive like the above Almighty.

Recycle your phone

I’m not a Nokia celphone user but I like their green campaign in recycling Nokia celphone and its accessories.  For more information, visit the site,

www.nokia.com.ph/get-support-and-software/repair-and-recycle/recycle

and, I just hope others celphone makers will have the same program for the sake of environment.

Philippine Robot Olympiad

MEDIA ADVISORY

Attention: EDITORS REPORTERS PHOTOGRAPHERS

We would like to invite you to the press launch of the 8th Philippine Robot Olympiad (PRO) to be held on Friday, June 19, 2009 at the Department of Education Bulwagan, DepEd Complex, Meralco Ave. , Pasig City at 3PM.  The Philippine Robotics Olympiad is an annual science educational event that primarily aims to challenge the intellectual skills and critical thinking of elementary and high school students.  Your presence is cordially requested. For inquiries, please contact Mr. Mark Ivan C. Roblas at Cell. No.: 0917-8044213, Tel. No.: (632)837 – 1925, 832071 loc. 2384.

2009 New opportunies for long weekends

For 2009, here are the 10 Long Weekends declared by Malacañang Palace Under Proclamation No. 1699:

1 April 4 to 6: Araw ng Kagitingan Weekend
2 April 9 to 12: Easter Weekend
3 May 1 to 3: Labor Day Weekend
4 June 12 to 14: Independence Day Weekend
5 Aug. 21 to 23: Ninoy Aquino Day Weekend
6 Aug. 29 to 31: National Heroes Day Weekend
7 Oct. 31 to Nov.2: All Saints’ Day/ All Souls’ Day Weekend
8 Nov. 28 to 30: Bonifacio Day Weekend
9 Dec. 25 to 27: Christmas Weekend
10 Dec. 30 to Jan. 3: Rizal Day/New Year’s Weekend

It’s history in the making but it sounds “no work, no pay” for me. I guess this is a great opportunity in doing business with our colleagues and friends. So, let’s start the ball rolling this February.

Lost & Found (‘Not my kid!)

In 1997, I bought a CD entitled Lost & Found 80’s New Wave that includes 19 tracks song collection. This CD title was so saleable that time, wherein it made 6 series here in Manila. It includes the song “Don’t you forget about me” which was popularized by Scottish rock group Simple Minds. This song title is now used by Google’s most popular video website, Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/Dontyouforgetaboutme), to find missing children. This project in partnership with Google’s Youtube and International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), in collaboration with the Find Madeleine Campaign to realize that every year, a lot of children go missing around the world and some are abducted to other countries.

There’s no cost in posting the video of a missing child on the said website. The instruction and criteria for submitting a video can be also found at www.icmec.org site.

Bill on Family Life and Responsible Parenthood Filed

Source: http://www.nast.dost.gov.ph/pr1mar05_population.htm

Nueva Vizcaya Representative Rodolfo Agbayani has recently filed a bill promoting responsible parenthood and family welfare. House Bill 3422, or the “Family Life Act of 2004″, was crafted with the assistance of the Task Force on Population organized by the National Academy for Science and Technology. The Task Force based their recommendations on analyses of studies on population and family life by leading demographers, economists and other social scientists. They also consulted theologians of all faiths and other persons interested in the improvement of family life and responsible parenthood in the country.
 
House Bill 3422 seeks to establish a “Family Life Program” to “support the family and contribute to its stability and harmony and to educate and inform married couples, the youth and the public at large on responsible parenthood and information on all modern family planning methods, including Natural Family Planning.”
 
The bill promotes family planning as a means to help couples determine the size of their family and the spacing of their children.
 
The bill proposes that the Family Life Program be created in the Office of the President and that a “Family Life Fund” of two billion pesos be allocated for the program. A Presidential Adviser on Family Life and Responsible Parenthood will head a council that set priorities and criteria so that local government units, religious organizations, non-governmental organizations and business groups can access and match the funds for their local programs. Such programs will recognize them as partners of the State in maintaining the stability of families and the sanctity of the family as a social institution.
 
“Scholarly studies have shown that our citizens identify an unmet need for family planning.  This Bill attempts to respond to that need in a moral, responsible and effective way that recognizes the role of faith and conscience in this very important family decision,” stated Rep. Agbayani in his explanatory note.

The Family Life Act of 2004 further elicits the cooperation of non-government and civil society organizations, national agencies, local government units and religious institutions.  In particular, the bill proposes that these organizations set up “Family Life Centers” in their respective jurisdictions.  The projects under the Family Life Program will be implemented through these centers.
 
According to Agbayani: “Since the advent of devolution, many LGUs have already taken the initiative to effectively tackle the unmet need for family planning in their respective areas.  This bill will provide them additional impetus to enhance family life in their communities.”
 
Agbayani added that on a national level, the work involved in the Family Life Program focuses on policy making, giving financial awards, and standard-setting and monitoring.
(last updated 04.03.05)

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my site. I hope you will find it interesting. Just be patient ‘coz it’s under development. I’m still grasping this new type of technology.  Also, I’m viewing this for you to have an idea of my network that ultimately seeks collaboration among my relatives, friends and novo vizcayanos. -VR