sandHED vol1 no1

8/9/2019 sandHED vol1 no1

1/8


2/8

I Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr.s assassination occurred in the newmillennium, it would have stayed on the ront page in all newspapers in thecountry or several weeks or even months. elevision and radio would havecovered any developments regarding the assassination more closely. In the

internet, record-breaking hits could have been recorded in blogs and newssites. Unortunately, in his time, it wasnt.

As we all know, the assassination happened 26 years ago. Yes, it hasbeen that long but 26 years seems like jus t yesterday. On that day, August 21,1983, history turned a page and altered the lives o millions o Filipinos.

Tose who experienced the vindictiveness o the martial law days neverorgot what they went through. Te atmosphere was ominous, depressingand chaotic. Te media was censored and mued. Tere was no reedomo the press. Newspaper stories were screened. Pro-government stories werepublished while anti-government articles were scrapped.

At that time, the editors waited or instruction rom the palace on howto handle the story. Is it dierent rom todays media? Right now, governmentocials cannot get away with the medias scrutiny. One wrong move and their

uture will be ruined.

Media is indeed powerul and timeless. Even at the time o Marcos,he had recognized its power that can make or break his regime. Tat was whyhe took control o the mainstream media. But it did not stop the publicsoutcry o reedom. In act, it triggered the so-called peoples march thatshowed unity o the Filipino people.

Unlike beore, reporters, writers and newspaper organizations arealready on our side. No more dictators. No more censorship o the truth.

Te death o Ninoy has truly reed media and all o the other sectors rom adictators grasp.

The media 26 years ago

Te failure to develop a trulydemocratic and electoralparty system has made itpossible for the continuingdominance of political clansin this country.

Philippine society has alwaysbeen resilient to change,andso do these DeMOCKraticdynasties.

Story by Ronnie Alonzo

ACROSS

1: Unresisting

5: CEO, CFO, etc.

9: Get a glimpse of

13: World War II partnership

14: Unusual collectible

15: Meter reading

16: Popular ABC adventure series

17: Putting to work

18: Leaping insect

19: Hard to brush off

21: Barely ows

22: Female domestics

23: Basic beds

24: What planets do

27: Foils cousins

29: Ease off

30: Compares prices

32: Trite

34: Dont stop

35: Attache case carriers

36: Film follower

37: Soup veggie

38: Look-sees

39: Greek letter

40: Annoys a spouse, in a way

42: Old undergarment

43: De ___ (too much)

44: Character assault

46: Ostrich look-alikes

48: Apparitions

52: Bounded area forming partof a whole

53: Anatomical hinge

54: Ripped off

55: Major pain, slangily

56: Curved moldings

57: Roof rim

58: Waiters tote

59: Pantheon residents

60: Girls books hero Nancy

Source: http://freecrosswordpuzzles.com.au/

DOWN

1: Ankles, anatomically

2: Neural ber

3: Debutante, typically

4: Contractors calculation

5: Was lost in thought6: They may accompany

winks

7: After-dinner candy

8: Dress fancily, with out

9: Decadent

10: Goods locations

11: Warm up, for short

12: Senate votes

14: ___ pie

20: Stuff to the gills

21: Wails

23: Mortarboards

24: Stadium passage

25: Reed instruments

26: Lively Italian folk

dance

27: Tipplers

28: Ghostbusters goo

30: Litigates

31: With it

33: Blast!35: Leak slowly

36: Provided commentary

38: Lions and Tigers and

Bears

39: Bearded mammal

41: How many medicines

are given

42: Coppers

44: Drew back

45: Crowning glories, ofa sort

46: Proof of pmt.

47: Junior, usually

48: Okefenokee Swamp

inhabitant of ction

49: Glide high

50: Turn in chess

51: Place at an angle

53: Slow running pace|14|


3/8

Prevention is better thancure. It sounds so amiliar butnever inculcated in our minds andshowed in our actions. I it reallydid, why did the deadly typhoonstransormed thousands o amiliesrom happy homes into homelessones?

yphoon is a natural

phenomenon. Once it enters thePhilippine area o responsibility,the Philippine Atmospheric

Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) instantly noties the public and the government. Evenbeore a typhoon hits the country, the public, experts and thegovernment are already aware when it pays a destructive visit.

So i everyone was aware, why werent there anypreventive measures such as unclogging o drainage and buildingo higher dikes in areas near rivers or bays? S igns o preparednessrom the government were not elt. Tey could have anticipatedthe need or a decent evacuation center, allocation o budget orthose aected by calamities or at least more rubber boats orrescuing.

But wait, believe it or not, the government has thisNational Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). What doesit do or what did it do exactly during the onslaught o typhoon

Ondoy and Pepeng?

NDCC emerged only when the foods and landslideswere already evident and apparent. It just came into rescue whenmost people were on top o their houses reezing and dying ohunger. Some amilies took days (even weeks) to be rescued.Others depended on themselves to save what was let to be saved.A ew were not ortunate enough and did not make it.

Lesser damage could have been possible i onlyNDCC aimed on prevention and preparedness. No one needsan organization who will take action when the damage has beendone. Even during the relie and rescue operations, NDCC hada hard time.

Even the people rom the island o Mindanao did notescape the wrath o a cloudburst. Cloudbursts are quite similarto typhoons because it brings heavy rains that result to foods andlandslides. In act, last January, many parts o Misamis Orientalexperienced non-stop rains or several days. As expected, manyproperties, most especially the agriculture lands, were damaged.

Aside rom the lives o people being endangered,catastrophes wipe out livelihoods and eventually, the utureo amilies and children aected. Since Philippines is anagricultural country, most o the ordinary Filipinos are dependenton agriculture or their ood and daily needs. Indeed, naturalcalamities devastate and destroy everything you have.

Prevention. Preparedness. Anticipation. I believe thatthese will save us or the upcoming typhoons this year and the yearsto come. At this point, we expect much rom our government but

unortunately, there are lapses. We must learn to depend solely inourselves.

Leadership is a quality a lot o people want toposses. It is not only because it denotes power and position,but also because o the prestige and honor o having peopleollow your ideals.

Leadership may also mean the power to infuenceindividuals to action and to make t hem part o somethingextraordinary. It sounds like big shoes to ll, yet in ourseemingly disrupted and deprived countr y, the leaders that

we have are not the leaders depicted and described in thesetexts.

Te leaders we have are money-minded capitalistsdisguised as sugar-coated aristocrats, simply known aspoliticians. Since time immemorial, the Philippines havebeen subject to impressive speeches and sweet promiseso politicians. In the history o this country, people havebeen mesmerized by eloquent and charismatic wannabe-leaders.

A true leader transcends the temptations o money,ame and power. A person with a silver tongue with a packo ollowers cannot be called a leader.

What separates leaders rom politicians is that politiciansneed the position to be eective while a leader doesnt.Moreover, politicians want their acti on to be seen public ly

while leaders, usually, worksilently. A leader is naturalin dealing with people andproblems. A leader is someone

who nurtures, not demean. Aleader is someone who looksover, not stay above everyone.Unortunately, in this nation,politicians dominate. Inthe real sense, we can all be

leaders. It is innate within us.And or crying out loud, we desperately, dreadully andurgently need a leader, not a politician.

We are on the crossroads o our history. Anotherpresident will mark another chapter. Te upcoming electionis a critical decision or our nation. It is either we moveorward or go deeper down the well. As the old sayinggoes, when you choose something, choose the lesser evil.But I think it s more like, pick your poison.

In a race where all the contenders or the p ositionhave hidden agendas and black propagandas hidden insmiles and waves, lets choose someone who is more likea leader. Te ate o our nation is in our hands. Choose

wisely.


4/8

Lansad 3 launches Himamat CdeO

Te Development Communication DC89 studentslaunched the third Lansad Photo Exhibit in XU history.

Te event ormally commenced with a red-carpet openinglast October 5 at the XU-AVR 1 Lobby and has beenattended by notable guests like Mr. Roel Ravanera, theDean o the College o Agriculture, and Mr. Hobart Savior,the Director o the Xavier University Oce o Cultu re andthe Arts. Te DevCom Department decided to hold theexhibit with the theme Himamat Cdeo.

Tis exhibit will be brought to dierent parts o Cagayande Oro, says Ma. Teresa Rivera, DevCom Chairpersonin her welcome remarks. Te exhibit was showcased rom

October 5-10 at the same venue.

Tis years photos are captured rom the our corners oCagayan de Oro City. elling the untold stories o thecity immortalized in photographs. Te photographs weretaken during the classes exercises on various subjects suchas composition, action, and photojournalism. Photographsrom the city esta were also included.

DC96 students show

With the theme,Mulat (which means awake),

aspiring lmmakers rom the DC 96 class o the

Development Communication Department showcased

their developmental videos and lms during the second

Estreno student lm estival on October 6-9 at the XU-

AVR 1.

Tree lm categories were shown during the

lm estival: photomontage, experimental lm and

documentary lm. Te rst lm category shown was the

photomontage containing videos with successions o

photographs that tells minimal yet jam-packed stories.

Te next set o lms shown was the experimental lms.

Te experimental lms were done in black and white

moving shots and characters but without any sound,

music or narration in order to create a dramatic mood.

Lastly, the documentary lms were shown. Te class was

divided into groups and was partnered with dierent

organizations. Some groups even reached as ar asTonga-tonga in Bukidnon or their documentary lms.

A real lmmaker is when he/she captures the

heart even with only one o his/her audience, shared

Ma. Teresa Rivera, DevCom Chairperson, in her

opening remarks during the premiere night o the lm

estival. Te lm estival ormally closed with an awards

night on October 17, 7PM at the XU Little Teater.

|3|

NEWS by James Michael Flordeliz and Ancheden Pacamalan

The DC 96 class were all-smiles after their awards night on October 17 at the XU Little Theater.

XU hails new agriculturists

Xavier University College o Agriculture (XUCA)has something to be proud o. Sixteen new agriculturistspassed the recent Licensure Examination or Agricultureheld last July 6-8. Te XUCA graduates acquired a 66.7%passing rate compared to the 38.3% national passing rate.

Ater months o r igorous preparation and review, itwas a sweet victory or the examinees.Te XUCA graduateswho passed the exam are Lourdito Achas, Philip AndrewAguhob, Dexter John Banaynal, Carlo Cagalitan, JanineCeriales, Silvestre Gorre Jr, Elton Chris Griaga, WilsonGule, Millan Miculob, Cezar Leo Pagapular, Lorraine AnnPalaylay, Karleyo Pangilinan, Jeselou Ranar io, Ernesto JoseRosedo, Lorna Sajol and Ma. Santinena agaro.

So ar, this was the highest passing rate that thecollege got since it started its agriculture program.

Students of DC 89 stare in amazement as their photos were displayed at the XU-AVR1 Lobby.

Since the pre-Spanish colonization,

Filipinos practicebackyard agricultureor arming. Teygrow vegetables andspices in their ownbackyards and later,

harvest them or ood on their tables. In this modernera, urbanization did not aect the long-time Filipinopractice o backyard arming. Tey still grow vegetablesnot in plots but in pots.

Filipinos love to eat. Here in the Philippines,we are lucky enough to choose a wide array o Filipinocuisines because it is part o our rich tradition. Someclassic Filipino dishes are still cooked and served inour homes today.

Balikbayans are excited to go home becausethey say that nothing beats the taste o Filipino ood.During iestas, amily gatherings and other specialand important occasions, we just couldnt miss dishinglechon, kare-kare, adobo and other Filipino classics inour banquet.

In this modern age, dierent people aroundthe world rom all walks o lie, including Filipinos,are getting conscious o what they eat. Delicious asthey may look and taste, many o the oods, i notall, contain high cholesterol, saturated at, sugar andpreservatives that i taken in large amounts, may causediseases.

What is the new trend in diet? It is

vegetarianism. Nowadays, the vegetarian diet hasincreased in popularity. Many people are vegetarianbecause o cultural, religious or ecological reasons.Vegetarianism is a more recent phenomenon not justhere in the Philippines but also in other countriesaround the world. Te term vegetarian is usedmostly to describe persons ranging rom true or pure

vegetarians to lacto-ovo and semi-vegetarians.

Te vegetarian diet includes plenty o wholegrains, ruits and vegetables. It also provides ber,

antioxidants, nutrients and phytochemicals whichplay an important role in the prevention o chronic

diseases. More evidently, organically grown vegetablesprovide even more nutrients and minerals. It is highin carbohydrates and lower in at content than meals

with meat and other animal products.

People who are indecisive towards a vegetarianood-style are called semi-vegetarians. Tese peopleare eating less animal-produce oods but are not readyto give them up. Eggs, milk products and partialamounts o sh, chicken and sometimes meat are stilleaten.

More and more people convert to vegetarianismbecause o its health benets. Te vegetarian way oood style has been called a healthier way to eatbecause o many reasons.

Based on researches, vegetarian diets canprevent the severity o heart disease, hypertension,colon, prostate, breast and lung cancer. It also thwartsthe development o gallstones and osteoporosis. Tehealth benets o vegetarianism go beyond simplyhaving better eating habits. For many years, religiousollowers o vegetarian diet are healthier because theyavoid or control their intake o alcohol, preservedoods and caeine. People also embrace the totalityo a healthy liestyle including being more physicallyactive, being non-smokers and having less stressulliestyles.

Now, are you a vegetarian?


5/8

I theres one word to describe mosto the hit telenovelasand drama series o ourtime, I would choose

UNEXCIING. Not because o the chain odramatic and tearul scenes, but because everythingis just so usual. Picture this: a man and a woman aretruly inseparable yet the world is always at odds; ora boy and a girl got so hooked with each other butin the midst o everything theyve been through,theres this one hindrance, a third party perhaps,

whos obsessively rapt with one o them. And, oh, theworst part? Te most awaited happily-ever-ever-ater

is always, err, *sigh* - okay, enough about the rants.I still could not blame anyone because amid theirordinariness, they still smack the mass eyes.

But or those who are so in to moving, thrillingand breathtaking love stories, this is absolutely it.Apart rom the numerous spellbinding romanticmovies o Hollywood, one movie rises out rom theplatorm, tickles the imagination and touches thepassion o love JODHAA AKBAR.

Te story revolves around a unique love storybetween a great Mughal emperor, Akbar (as playedby Hrithik Roshan), and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa(as portrayed by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), despite

their cultural dierences and religious diversity. It allstarted rom a orced marriage or political alliance.owards the end o the movie, they slowly unraveltheir wild voyage or true love.

Jodhaa Akbar became one o Bollywoodsmost amous and loved movies. Te reason why thislm turned out to be an instant major hit becauseit has that ounce o secrecy that the viewers wereunaware o prior the making o the lm. Althoughmost o us know that Akbar is a great emperor, noneo us yet has perceived that behind the greatness othis man comes an unconquerable love story.

Although, or one, a lot has been said andwritten about its three hours and 20 minute duration.In our busy era, does anyone have the patience to

watch lengthy lms as this? JODHAA AKBAR isexceptional. Te sequence o events , the romance, thedrama and even the wars every aspect o the movieis a reward. Oh yes, this can keep you mesmerizedand away rom your hectic eel o the day. Restassured, the three-hours-and-twenty-minutebreak would pinch just like an hour o

viewing. Add to that: they are also verywell spent.

Ashutosh Gowariker, the

director o the movie, truly madethe legendary characters comealive on screen. Without a spoto doubt, Jodhaa Akbar is abrilliant lm in all respects.

o sum it all, Jodhaa Akbarleaves you entranced,awestruck and captivated.

Tis historical movie hasall it takes to prove theiroutstanding 15 awards acertied runaway successo 2008.

DevCom presentsAnatomiya saKorupsyon

PhotosbyJerllyLlenas,SheenaMariePagtalunan,QuinnArthur

Pedroso

Ascene from the playAnatomiya sa Korupsyon stagedon October 8, 9 and 11 at the XU-LT.

Ater months o anticipation, the estive mood willagain arise in the complex o the arm as the Xavier UniversityCollege o Agriculture (XUCA) will nally celebrateMANRESA Days 09 this November 23- 29. Its no turningback or the organizers; this years estivities lined up or theManresa Days will assure visitors o a great experience and apack-load o enjoyment.

Te event will commence with a mass on Nov. 23,5:30 PM at the XU Chapel to be ollowed by a motorcadearound the city and a short opening program at the SC-Dry

Pond.Te three-day Kapihan sa Manresa, which will be

held at the main entrance o the arm, will be transormedinto a little fee market. It will showcase the dierent productso Manresa and other organic and agricultural products romcontributing arms such as Menzi, Natures Bounty andothers. Te Manresa agricultural extension (AgEx) technodemo, which will last or one day, will give a sneak preview tohigh school students on every unit o the arm. Te ManrazingRace will also give adrenaline addicts the race o their lives asthey ght or prestige and money.

Te traditional Rodeo sa Ateneo will culminate theManresa days on Nov 28-29. Te annual competition willeature rodeo enthusiasts rom dierent parts o Mindanao.Te audience will also watch or the Ms. Rodeo pageant thatwill highlight the closing ceremonies o the Manresa Days.Te event will also serve as the time when aggie alumni will

come together and establish a stronger relationship with thecollege.

Its a go for Manresa 09

Xavier University College o Agriculture (XUCA) will host the 3RD Mindanao Agriculture Forum (MAF)this coming November 24-26, 2009 at the Manresa Farmcomplex.

MAF is an association o agricultural schools andcolleges in Northern Mindanao. Tere will be two sets oorums: one is the stakeholders orum, which will tackleclimate change and its adverse eects on agriculture. Tere arerumors that Sen. Loren Legarda will be the keynote speakeron this orum. Te second orum is the students orum whereGov. Khalid Dimaporo o Lanao del Norte, the youngestgovernor o the Philippines, is the keynote speaker on goodgovernance and leadership.

We have made prior preparations since June toensure that the MAF will be a great success. Mr. AlvieCabaez, President o Northern Mindanao Federation oAgricultural Schools, shared

Tere will also be agricultural demos rom thedierent units o the College o Agriculture around ManresaFarms. Competitions in the elds o Animal Science, CropScience, Agricultural Engineering, Food echnology andDevelopment Communication will also be participated bymember schools.

XUCA hosts MAF

|4|

A Development Communication instructor oncesaid that a DevCom students lie would not be complete

without experiencing the theater class.

Indeed, a new batch has emerged on stage. TeIntroduction to Development Teater and Folk Media(DC8) class o 2009, under Jay Rey Alovera, mounted aplay titled, Anatomiya sa Korupsyon, (a Visayan adaptationo Malou Jacobs Anatomiya ng Korupsyon) on October 8,9 and 11 at the XU Little Teater.

Anatomiya sa Korupsyon depicted the common

orms o corruption in a public oce, as well as its causesand consequences. Te play revolves around the battlebetween a budding yet honest lawyer, Cely, and thecorruptive nature o the law oce she works or. Te playhighlighted the struggle between integrity and dishonesty

which exposed the realities o corruption.

Many parents, aculty members, and the presentand ormer DevCom students showed their unwaveringsupport by watching the play.

sada pud ang set design , hailed Henry MartinAcusar, a 4th year Development Communication student,ater watching the play.


6/8

Te word politics or a Filipino will always be linkedto corruption and empty promises. Politics, they say, is ascience as well as an art. It is a science because it involves stepsand measures in order to stay in power or get the position.Likewise, it is an art because it is a crat that can ultimatelybe a talent. Whatever angle you look at politics, the wholesphere revolves around the people using it, the politicians.

In this day and time, politics in the Philippineshas already taken criticisms and is compared to a decayingmasterpiece. However, through the eorts o patriotic anddevoted Filipinos, much o the negative perception aboutpolitics is bound to change. It begins with a vote. Everyvote counts. elevision companies and activists have alreadystarted to turn the wheel in choosing the best and appropriatePresident in 2010. But beore drowning ourselves with earlessrebuttals and piercing comments rom aspiring presidents,let us rst know the dierent kinds o politicians.

So those are the different kinds of politicians you bet youll

see around the political atmosphere. Have you found yours?

If you have spare time to play a little bit of matching type,

better match your presidentiables with the descriptions of

the different politicians. Youll surely be astonished with

what you will discover.

Sources:

http://kirmalak.blogspot.com/

http://wiki.answers.com/

http://www.freebase.com/

By Maria Sozina AlambanTe aggie spirit is nally back. Te recently

concluded intramurals highlighted the rise o theCollege o Agriculture rom dormant to contender.

Te Bull Riders charged their way through thedierent sports events and capturing titles along the

way.

One o the most notable wins or the BullRiders includes the third place nish in the CheerDance Competition on September 26, 2009 at the

XU gym. Te Aggie cheer dancers executed fawlessdance moves and slick stunts that won the judgesscore cards. Te win ended a 30-year drought orthe college and started the ball rolling or the BullRiders.

Habilin ni namosa College, exclaimed HenryMartin Acusar, the teams co-captain together withRonnie Dane Alonzo, who helped train the dancers.

Te Aggie sotball team also won the crownbesting the College o Engineering Warriors. Te BullRiders showed their batting prowess and tenaciousdeense to drop the Warriors.

Te teams in swimming, athletics, taekwondoand chess also made headway in their respectiveevents. Te team composed o Lorens Kyle Recto,Adonis Manlunas, John Caballero and MichaelValdueza won all the team events in swimming whichincludes the 4x50m, 4x100m, 4x1000m relay and the4x50m medley.

Joustine Gelsano, Joedino Panunce and SylviaAguhob kicked their way to winning gold medals intheir respectively weight classes in taekwondo. TeBull Riders also raced past their competitors winningthe 4x100m dash.

Te College o Agriculture teams also madethe top 3 in 5 events namely: basketball men, soccermen and women, lawn tennis women and tabletennis. Despite not winning the championships, theBull Riders showed their determination despite thedierent adversaries they aced.

Karl Wyne Abregana, the Aggie StudentCouncils Department o Physical Enhancement(DOPE) head better known a s the Sports coordinator,said that he is proud o the achievements o the athletesthis intramurals.

Congratulations sa tanan, sa athletes, sa ato. Ithas been great year or the college and isa napud satsada na nahitabo ang atong perormance sa intrams,he said. Sayang lang ang uban kay wala nadaog, perook lang.Nakita man sad sa mga aces sa mga players angdeterminationpara mudaog, he added.

When asked or the points or improvementor the next intramurals, he expressed that the collegeneeds more players in order to compete in the elitelevel. We could have won more events kung masdaghan ang atongathletes. Were a small college man

gyud, and the players have multi-events, so usua lly ma-deault ta kay walay sa isa ka event kay gadula pa sa

pikas, he uttered.

Lets not settle sa4th lang.Daghan pa ta mabuhatpara mu-excel pa gyud ta, Karl suggested. Next year,dapat2ndna ta or better yet, over-all champion gyud,he added.

ruly, this years intramurals marks the rise toredemption o the Aggies. With the words Blue Blood,Green Heartin their chest, claiming the over-all titleis in within their grasps.

By Rey Anthony Cuenca

PhotosbyPamelaLicoandJoyceVega


7/8

Politics and agriculture are two different things.Politics is concerned with legislations and legalities whileagriculture is more on food and security. However, whenboth are combined, they can be a winning combination thatcan bring the Philippines on a higher plateau.

Nicanor Nicky Perlas, an environmental advocateand presidential candidate, understands the need for politicsand agriculture to be united and on the front line. Agricultureis the backbone of our economy. With proper support fromthose with high positions just like how Perlas had been doingthese past few years, the Philippine will be well on its way toreclaiming the status it once had.

Among his many ventures are sustainable agriculture,peace and development, anti-corruption, moral renewal,poverty reduction, child development program and manymore. This shows how multi-talented and inspiring he canbe.

He has received numerous awards in his exemplaryachievements as a Civil Society leader in the elds ofEnvironmental Advocacy, Global Economic and Financial

Management and Peace.

He

also received the AlternativeNobel Prize in 2003 for his exemplary efforts in educatingcivil society on the effects and alternatives of corporate

globalization. He was awarded TheOutstanding Filipino Award in the

eld of agriculture in 1994.

In addition, Perlashelped thousands of poorfarmers in over 25 provincesfrom expensive and destructivechemical farming to sustainableagriculture. He headed the

national movement that led tothe banning of more than 32

pesticide formulations thatwere poisoning millions

of our Filipinofarmers.

He waseven one of the

leaders in thecreation of

a nationalintegrated

pest management program that was then budgetedover P760 million which had helped 100,000 farmers.

Despite his numerous achievements and distinctions,what makes him stand out is that he was an alumnus ofXavier University College of Agriculture (XUCA), where he

was conferred with the Fr. William F. Masterson S.J. Awardin 1995. Having an alumnus with such amazing credentials

would make any university and college proud.

He was a catalyst for change and saw agriculture,sustainable agriculture that is, as our way out from povertyto higher economic status.

In his efforts to inculcate and instill the essence ofsustainable agriculture to the Philippine political realm, heconducted a talk on the Politics of Sustainable Agricultureon August 22 at SEARSOLIN, Manresa Complex in frontof the XUCA students.

His talk emphasized the seven dimensionsof sustainable agriculture, namely, ecologically sound,economically viable, culturally sensitive, socially just, holisticscience, appropriate technology and the development of fullhuman potential.

Using a white board and a pen, Perlas connectedeach of the seven dimensions of sustainable agriculture tothe value chain. He underlined the role of education to thischain and the seven dimensions.

He stressed that sustainable agriculture andagriculture are two different things. Sustainable agricultureis the future of agriculture, said Nicanor Perlas. Althoughboth can contribute to the needs of the people, sustainableagriculture has more positive effects on humans and to theenvironment.

Later on, he shared how politics is involved insustainable agriculture. Politics plays an essential role becauseit implements and supports laws regarding agriculture. Perlas

pointed out that this is the main reason why he is runningin the national election as President. He will be putting theagriculture sector as his main priority.

Our political system has a bias against agriculture.[It] doesnt care about our farmers, Perlas said. He warnedthat if present trends continue, agriculture will be moreproblematic in the years to come, he added.

Despite not having any experience in politics, Perlasexpressed his intention to r un for the presidency in the 2010national elections. Who knows? Maybe a g reen activist andagriculture advocate like Perlas can lead the country past themediocrity.

a businessman turned councillor, was Imelda Dimaporosnumber one opponent. It was also the rst time that theDimaporos took the chance to run in the 1 st district oLanao del Norte.

It was a erce race between Dimaporo, Badellesand Belmonte. Dimaporo had previous success in Lanaodel Sur and planned to take her political ideologies toLanao del Norte. Dimaporo believed that she could winin the 1st district elections. Badelles, whose amily is alsoone o the arising political dynasties in Lanao del Norte,also ran as representative. However, in Iligan City, wherethe total population was the highest compared to the othermunicipalities included, the people sided with Belmonte.

In an act o desperation, the side o Dimaporoallegedly orced the ballot boxes rom Bacolod, Maigo,and Kauswagan open. Attorney Cuevaz said that despitethe security measures applied, there was still a securitybreach. Tey asked the intervention o the National Bureauo Investigation or NBI or the investigation o the securityinringement. Denitely there was a security breach, andsad to say the ndings o the NBI resulted to,may nag-rallyrally.

Te provincial board o Canvassers that weretasked to canvass the votes rom the COC inhibitedthemselves. Tey conrmed that they did not open the

tampered ballot boxes and asked COMELEC Manila tocreate a new board o canvassers or the province. Terewere many speculations that the hired people who wereallegedly tasked to do the tampering passed through theoce o the vice governor which was just near the securedroom where the ballot boxes were kept.

Attorney Roger said that the election raud that was committed was crude, inhumane and disrespectulto the right o the people to vote. Te case has yet to benalized. Even i many believed that Dimaporo did cheat,no substantial and concrete evidence was presented inorder to detain and arrest Dimaporo.

Equals: a manipulated democracy?

Tere is no such thing as real and genuinedemocracy. Genuine democracy can only be attained ipeople have already attained economic liberation, quotesAttorney Leo Zaragoza, election lawyer and proessorresiding in Iligan City.

Te election is an exercise o democracy towardsthe people. It is the will o the people that must becasted. However, election rauds and manipulations havecontinued to stain the canvass o air and honest elections.In this report, Iligan City and the rst district o Lanaodel Norte became the testing grounds or acts o cheatingand deception.

Te Philippine election resembles a kind o societ yruled by kinship. It seems that cheating during elections is

a norm and honesty is a rare commodity. According toAttorney Zaragoza, Lanao del Norte has been consistentlyinvolved with cheating scandals. In addition, he statedthat most o the ocials, even kind-looking ones, cheat inone way or another. Despite all the inamous stories thatpeople hear every election, they still yearn that one day anIdeal politician with a modest intention will come along.

Te big losers are the people. Teir voices aresupposed to be heard during elections. But because ocheating, their voices are mued and their will subverted,Chris G. Sienes wrote on Sun.Star Davao.

With the upcoming 2010 election, we will againhear whispers rom right to let o the iniquitous ormso election cheating. Perhaps some o us have never seenand have no rsthand experience o it. As a result, we haveto generate some ways to prevent this rom deceiving us

again and again. Te remedy or this seemingly incurableillness is or us to be vigilant and educated about the wayso cheating.

Attorney Zaragoza shared a true example basedon the process o election in ancient tribes in A rica. Tose

who wanted to be leaders will just line up along the plazaand the voters who wanted to choose among those aspiringleaders will just drop a seed to their corresponding choice.Even the aspiring leaders who lined up are tasked to countthe votes they received. What a simple way o choosinga leader: simple, honest, pure, and ast. Yet with the advento technology now, we make the rules o confict, toocomplicated where manipulations are so easy to do. As I

was saying, I have a common statement, gures wont liebut liars can gure.

from p. 8, DEMOCKRATIC DYNASTIES...

SOURCES:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/

http://philippineconstitution1987.wordpress.com/

http://www.europe-solidaire.org/

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Fr. Al Mendez(Head ofSocialAction Center;Iligan City Archdiocese)

Atty. Leo Zaragoza(Election Lawyer;Candidateof May2007 election)

Atty. Hamilton Cuevaz(Supervisor;Region X COMELEC )

Erma Jean D. Rosales (Election AssistantII;COMELEC)

Atty. Roger


8/8

Belmontes supporters led the way in probing the allegedtampering o the ballot boxes. A reliable source, a lawyerhidden in the name Attorney Roger narrated whathappened during the cheating incident. Ang ilang gihimo,they drove away the watchers o Cong. Belmonte, pointinga gun, ilang gipagwas and they ransacked the room wherethe ballot boxes were stored.

Fr. Al Mendez, the director o the Social ActionCenter (SAC) o the Archdiocese o Iligan, said that thetampering o votes were clearly SnoPaked. Obvious kaayoang mga nag sunod na mga investigation. Naay basa pa ngamga [COCs tungod sa] gi-tawag nato ugliquid eraser, basa

pa jud. Duna man pud tay kopya sa Certicate o Canvass,

muna nga duna gyuy maingon ta nga lahi nga mga entrynga nahitabo tungod kay duna tay kaugalingon nga kopya uglabeling nga gi-entrust sa atoa sa COMELEC. Signifcant

gyud kaayo ang evidences, he added.

Belmontes ollowers camped outside the LegislativeHall in support o the case against his rivals. Emotionsran high when Imelda Dimaporo arrived at the halltogether with uniormed military and several COMELECrepresentatives. Te supporters prevented Dimaporosgroup to get inside the hall. Forming what may seem asa human wall, thesupporters insistedthat the boxes stayin the hall untilurther noticerom COMELECManila. It was only

when Atty. Joseph Cuevas, the provincial supervisor othe Commission on Election (COMELEC) during theMay 2007 election in Lanao del Norte, issued an orderto the COMELEC deputies and to their escorts to leavethe ballot boxes in the Legislative Hall. Ater that, theatmosphere around the vicinity o the Iligan City Hall

visibly lightened.

Because o these series o events, the campo Belmonte decided to le a case against the peopleresponsible or the election raud. In an appeal led byBelmonte and his band o election lawyers, they accusedthe Special Provincial Board o Canvassers, Dimaporoand Badelles as the masterminds behind the tamperingo votes. However, the case did not prosper because there

was insucient evidence that could link Dimaporo andthe others to the tampering o votes. Most o the residents

and supporters o Belmonte believed that it was the powerand infuence o the Dimaporo clan that prevented theprogress o the case. On that note, the question whetherthe prominence o Dimaporos, who are established and

well-known political powerhouses in Lanao del Sur, usedtheir infuence and power to execute what may seem to bedirty tactics in order to get the position. In a wider sense,does this support the claim that political dynasties aectthe countrys political system?

Dominating the royalties

Part o the political history o Lanao del Norteare the Dimaporos. Te political history o the Dimaporosstarted during the regime o late president Marcos where

the late Ali Dimaporo served asmayor and with his charm, later on, became governor othe entire province.

Bobby Dimaporo succeeded hisgovernorship and was then wed to ImeldaQuibranza rom an infuential amily

whose ather was the ormer governor oLanao del Sur, Arsenio Quibranza. ImeldaQuibranza- Dimaporo became the governoro the province succeeding her husband. She

remained in power or many years. Her husband is thecurrent representative o the second district o Lanao delNorte. Adding to the chain is the one succeeding Imelda:her own son, Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo.

At least our members o the Dimaporo clan inLanao del Norte ran or the top provinci al and congressionalposts despite criticisms over dynasty issue. During theMay 2007 election, Imelda, the outgoing governor, ranas the representativeo the rst districto Lanao del Norte.Marcos AbdulrahmanDimakuta Dimaporo,a brother o Bobby, who also led his certicate ocandidacy, ran as rival candidate o Khalid or the SecondCongressional District o Lanao del Norte.

Even the opponent o Imelda has a history o anarising political dynasty. From an article written by Linode la Cruz (2007), it articulated that, another knownpolitical amily led by Representative Cirilo AlipioBadelles o the First District o Lanao del Norte and sono the late congressman Mariano Badelles will eld hisdaughter lawyer Angelique Badelles-Bacareza to replacehim this coming May 2007 election.

Five (5) candidates ran or the congressional seatin the 1st District o Lanao del Norteduring the May 2007 elections. VicenteVar Belmonte,

Denitely there was a security

breach, and sad to say the ndings of

the NBI resulted to, may nag-rally rally.

...gures wont lie

but liars can gure.

SEE PAGE 9

The Filipinos have been witnesses to colonizers,conquerors and dictators. Yet despite the eorts o ouroreathers to attain true and genuine reedom, we arestill under the same amilies, the same surnames thatare destined to sit on thrones consecutively or even,simultaneously. Even in our island, some regions are otenhailed as cheating hotspots where entrenched surnamesemerge every electionand never miss togather massive votesrom the locals. Pelaez,Baculio, Emano,Duterte, Zubiri, andDimaporo - do any othese ring a bell?

Tese and other prominent names recordedthrough history have continued operating under theinfuence o the same bloodlines and heritage o similar

political ideals. Some would assume that there is nothing wrong with political dynasties. However, i law reelypermits this, our nation is likened to a company: continuallybreeding exclusive political amily ranchise.

Exposing political chains

According to Roland G. Simbulan, a DevelopmentStudies Proessor rom the University o the Philippines(UP) in Manila, a political dynasty is a line o hereditaryrulers o a country. A political dynasty is also a successiono people rom the same amily that play a prominent role inpolitics he added. In Article I I (Declaration o Principleson State Policies) o the 1987 Constitution, specically

in Section 26, it is stated that,the state shall guarantee

equal access toopportunities

or public

service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be denedby law.

However, political dynasties still govern in dierentparts o the count ry. You pick a p rovince, a town, or a cityand you can identiy established as well as up and comingpolitical dynasties. Tese political dynasties are oten

wealthy amilies who were infuential in t he establishmentand development o their community. Proessor Simbulansaid that approximately 250 amilies dominated politics inthe Philippines, both in local and national. Tese amilieshave been in power or 30 years and more.

As i being part o a political dynasty is not enough,

staying in power is even better. Political amilies are otenassociated with election raud and vote manipulation.Over the years, elections have been the site o massivecheating, violence and raud, all attributed to the presenceo political dynasties who wanted to stay in power or moregenerations.

As a testament to therampant cheating happening inMindanao, we travelled to IliganCity, Lanao del Norte in search oranswers and explanations on theelection controversy that happened

during the 2007 1st District Congressional race.

Lanao del Norte -- Genuine enquiry

ension arose as waves o human barricades stoodrm at the ace o Iligan City Legislative Hall last May 20,2007 blocking the local COMELEC rom bringing the ballotboxes to the provincial canvassing hall in ubod, Lanao delNorte. Te event spurred out rom the rumoured cheatingin the canvassing o votes or the 1 st district Congressionalrace.

Five candidates contested or the Congressional seatin the 1st District in Lanao del Nor te. Among them, VicenteVar Belmonte, Angelique Nikki Badelles, and ImeldaAngging Dimaporo were the lead contenders. It was a tightrace between the three rivals where votes rom Kauswagan,

Bacolod and Maigo o the province o Lanao del Nortebecame the vital stations or determining the winner. At thesame time, these locations turned out to be the hives whereelection raud occurred.

Te night beore the canvassing o votes, eight (8)ballot boxes containing the Certifcate o Canvass(COCs) rom Iligan City and seven (7) municipalities

in Lanao del Norte were secured by the provincialguards. Doubtully, why were the strict security measures

breached and the three ballot boxes ransacked?

Te COCs rom the municipalities o Maigo,Bacolod, and Kauswagan were tampered. Te votes casted

or Belmonte were SnoPaked, giving avour to Dimaporo.

Ang ilang gihimo, they drove away

the watchers of Cong. Belmonte, pointing a

gun, ilang gipagawas, and they ransacked the

room where the ballot boxes were stored.

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