Singleness Awareness Day

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s another week. So, what’s with today’s title? Let’s say it’s a postscript to that day of the year which a good number of people were into last weekend, rainy as it was. I got the term from a CNN newscaster, and that how she referred to Valentine’s Day. Well, that term says it all. On the other hand, news had it that Valentine’s Day, or at least the business side of it - flowers to be specific - put into effect a temporary truce (a very short one, if I may add) between Hamas and the Israeli fighters. Now, I have one good reason to look forward to the next Valentine’s Day.

And Broken hearts syndrome? I was initially amused at a news report about that syndrome. But the explanation did make sense - stress level and love problems go hand in hand; and that it mostly affect people (women especially) between 30-50 years old; and that 9 out of 10 case heal in time. So, that gives one a reason to do the most impossible thing in the world – not to fall in love.

Times are hard, but blame it on cupid or l’amour, people still went out of their ways to dine, wine, or at least buy a bunch of flowers on that day of the year. I’m wondering how the Americans did it. After all, they are the originators of every celebration there is in an effort to give everyone all the reasons to splurge their money on.

But time must indeed be hard. Paris got the focus over CNN last week. Nope, it was not about the light show at the Eiffel Tower which many Parisians refer to as a monstrosity or the pyramid at the Louvre which Capt. Bizou Fache referred to as a scar of Paris in the Da Vinci Code. So what about Paris? (Pinahaba ko pa kasi!) Well, in addition to the couture fashion and the lights at Champs Elysees, scavengers are another sight to behold in Europe’s City of Lights. These people cited, among other reasons, that 100 euro or so pension or assistance they receive from the government is not enough. And on the local front, calls were made for company executives to have their pay cuts in the manner the the ordinary employees were made to earn lower wages, thanks to the economic crunch. The calls make sense, doesn’t it?

And what’s this? Don’t we have enough collisions of people and vehicles on earth? News had it that Satellites have collided in space. Whew! Whatever is next?

And indeed it’s election time. Expect a flurry of celebrities, VIP and politicos to go around town; and along that line expect loads of exposes, scandals and yes, the never-ending investigations.

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Cebu Pacific will have its maiden flight to Calbayog this coming Wednesday. They have invited the city officials and department managers to cocktails at the Calbayog Airport.

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Rural Bank of Calbayog turned 50 years old on February 7, 2009. How RB-Calbayog is and where it is going is best summed up by the speech that the bank president Nenuca Rosales – Santos delivered during the anniversary program. Let me share some parts of that speech:

“…When the original 11 incorporators led by (my late father) Hermenigildo Ras Rosales established the bank in 1959, nobody could have foreseen that in 50 years of its existence, the Bank would become the largest rural banking institution on Samar.

From an institution with the primary aim to promote balanced and steady development of its local farmers and fishermen, it never stopped to expand. It expanded in membership, mandate, geography, scope and, which is the most visible, in volume of operations. Today the Bank has four branches located at Oquendo, Sta. Margarita, Allen (in) Northern Samar and a moneyshop at the Calbayog public market.

Rural Bank of Calbayog City, Inc. is a clear testimony of the profound changes brought about by the decisions taken by our predecessors in the aftermath of the economic challenges and overwhelming thrust of providing financial assistance to the local farmers, fishermen and other small businesses in the late 1950s.

. . . as the financial crisis spreads across the globe coupled with the fall of a chain of rural banks in the Philippines, it becomes more apparent that the Bank continues to be a conservative player in the banking industry and at the same time identify areas for potential cost cutting and procedural streamlining and immediately test whether such changes have an impact on the organization.

The Rural Bank of Calbayog City, Inc. has done well, growing with the City, and at the same time contributing to the Province's development. Let us turn the current economic slowdown to advantage. We have a window of opportunity to develop our capabilities in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. We will take in hand the challenges in the banking, financial and corporate sectors to emerge as a stronger banking institution.

A sound, responsive and pioneering Bank as the Rural Bank of Calbayog City, Inc. certainly is - with its high accumulated reserves and a position that has never been stronger - did not just happen and could never be taken for granted. However, the splendid results achieved in the five decades would not be possible without the hard-working, competent and committed staff led by good management…”

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This is it for now. Have a nice week everyone! Ciao!