HOPIA

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

Hi there! It’s a new week. And yes, we’re almost there, I mean the official campaign period for the local bets. Forget about the city being dirtied by those posters and streamers, if you can’t beat them join. Or that we have more than enough of our share of these posters all-year round, what with all those agents advertising and selling this and that product. If there is one billboard that is most welcome, especially as we kick-off the campaign season, that would be the billboard with the Peace Manifesto / Covenant which the local bets signed during the 10:00 a.m. mass yesterday. Yup, it’s that other election tradition wherein candidates gather in the church and pledge to contribute to the holding of peaceful elections. I understand this is being done all over the country. As to how effective the manifesto is, well.

(As it turned out, yesterday's Covenant signing did not push through. rrlr 03-08-10)

Talking about the election. Move over HOPE, it’s time for the HOPIA. Hmm, I think I’d rather have the latter, as the former reminds of those tobacco-addicted friends of mine who always make my shirt and hair smell bad when I am near them. Back to the hopia. It seems like the poll body tried to go further this time. It used to be HOPE as in H-onest, O-rderly and P-eaceful E-lections. Hmm, they have put on a new challenge upon themselves: HOPIA as in like H-onest, O-rderly, P-eaceful, I-______ and A-ccurate Elections. Sorry, I forgot what the “I” is for. Anyway, let’s hope and pray that this becomes a reality.

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Women’s Month celebration. In observance of Women's Month 2010, the City of Calbayog will join the Bantay-Abuso Network (BAN), WESADEF and other agencies and non-government organizations in a 7-part program today.

Today's event will commence at 7:00 am with the registration at the Jogger's Court in Barangay East Awang. The Opening Program will follow at the City Hall stage at 8:00 a.m. Mayor Mel Sarmiento, Councilor Regina Rabuya and CSWDO Betty Jane Arnejo have been invited to deliver their messages during the opening program which will be followed by a motorcade.

The official opening of the Women's Multi-Services Fair will be held at the Jogger's Court after the motorcade. The said fair will offer various services like Health and Nutrition, Personal Care, Social Services, Advocacy, among others.

The Closing Program will be held at 4:00 p.m. BAN member and Broadcast Journalist Eleen Lim and CSWDO Betty Jane Arnejo are expected to deliver their messages. Invited to lead the distribution of certificates are Mayor Mel Sarmiento, Councilor Regina Rabuya and DILG Calbayog City Director Valente Bajet.

The program will be capped by the Hataw Bayan to be led by SPO3 Gloria Arioja and Prose Bingayen.

This year's celebration is anchored on the theme: "Babae, Tagumpay ka ng Bayan!"

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Calbayog City will participate in the 2nd One Visayas Festival of the Arts. This will be held in Roxas City, Capiz from March 11 – 16, 2010. The LGU through the City Arts and Culture Office will present a collection of Calbayog songs and dancesdubbed as Lokal nga Arte Kultura ug Bahandi of LAKUB; and the “well-traveled” comedy-play on environment protection entitled “Inodoro”.

The One Visayas Festival is an undertaking of the Regional Development Councils (RDCs) of Regions 7, 8 and 9.

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Let me leave you with something to smile about this week. I suppose this was written by a woman. It’s battle of the sexes again: Men & Women: The difference... Men are just happier people. What do you expect from such simple creatures?

• You can open all your jars.
• You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
• If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
• Your underwear is £3 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
• You almost never have strap problems in public.
• You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
• Everything on your face stays its original colour.
• The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
• You only have to shave your face and neck.
• You can play with toys all your life.
• One wall and one pair of shoes, one colour for all seasons.
• You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
• You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
• You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
• You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on 24th December in 25 minutes flat. (to be continued)

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

The World's Happiest Countries

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

Hi there! It’s Holy Wednesday. As expected, Sir Ducat is bound to live in oblivion after his 15 minutes of fame. That’s granting the he isn’t released and again indulge in his favorite pastime. If I may rephrase that quote said after the attempt on the life of the late Pope John Paul II, periodically we have adults, even old men and women held hostage, some even die as captives (remember the Achille Lauro incident; the bombing of hijacked planes somewhere in the Middle East in the ‘70s; and some OPEC ministers being held hostage during a conference, to name a few), but seldom, or never do we hear children as hostages. The Ducat incident was all a stunt – whether it was political, ego-tripping, publicity or whatever, you fill in the blank.

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It’s official, there will be at least 28 candidates who will run for the various elective posts in the local polls in Calbayog.

Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento of the Liberal Party and former solon Rudy Tuazon of the NP will square-off in the mayoralty race. Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino will run against Councilor Ariel Rosales in the Vice Mayoralty race.

The LP bets for the Calbayog District are: Ina Rabuya, Noel Sermense, Virgilio Porlares, Jimjim Uy, Julius Mancol and Danilo Bernate. They will face-off with NP’s Ann Sabi, Jojo Rosales, Martin Durmiendo, Glenn Mancol, Intoy Dean and Ogie Reyes.

For the Oquendo and Tinambacan Districts, the LP bets are Mon Uy, Nonoy Pasacas, Benjie Dean, Sonny Salurio, Onx Montealto, and Vergel Clemens. They will be running against NP’s Nestor Tamidles, Sylvan Ayong, Billy Martirez, Jocelyn Tan, Romy Durmiendo and Emmie Doroja.

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(at the risk of plagiarism) Let me share this interesting article which I got from businessweek.com: Rating Countries for the Happiness Factor, by Marina Kamenev. It’s a study pulled together from sources and surveys (which) found that good health care and education are as important as wealth to modern happiness.

Feeling sad? Researchers at Britain's University of Leicester reckon you might just be in the wrong country. According to Adrian White, an analytic social psychologist at Leicester who developed the first "World Map of Happiness," Denmark is the happiest nation in the world.White's research used a battery of statistical data, plus the subjective responses of 80,000 people worldwide, to map out well-being across 178 countries. Denmark and five other European countries, including Switzerland, Austria, and Iceland, came out in the top 10, while Zimbabwe and Burundi pulled up the bottom.

Not surprisingly, the countries that are happiest are those that are healthy, wealthy, and wise. "The most significant factors were health, the level of poverty, and access to basic education," White says. Population size also plays a role. Smaller countries with greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of national identity tended to score better, while those with the largest populations fared worse. China came in No. 82, India ranked 125, and Russia was 167. The U.S. came in at 23.

IT'S SUBJECTIVE. White's study, to be published later this year, was developed in part as a response to the British media's fascination with life satisfaction. A recent BBC survey concluded that 81% of Britain's population would rather the government make them happier than richer.Despite its often bleak weather, England ranked relatively happy at 41. "There is increasing political interest in using measures of happiness as a national indicator along with measures of wealth," White says. "We wanted to illustrate the effects of global poverty on subjective well-being to remind people that if they want to address unhappiness as an issue the need is greatest in other parts of the world." (to be continued…)

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Congratulations to the 33 grantees of the Mel Sarmiento Scholarship Program (MSSP) who recently graduated (from High School and College) from TTMIST and CKC.

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“Harin! Nasering pa daw ak!!” So exclaimed my mom upon reading about Bayan Muna being number one in the surveys. I suppose the same goes with a good number of voters who witnessed what Mr. Ocampo went through.

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This is it for now. Let me leave you with something to ponder upon this Holy Week. Here’s what I suppose is another way of understanding that well-known prayer Psalm 23:
The Lord is my Shepherd. That's Relationship!
I shall not want. That's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. That's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters. That's Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul. That's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness. That's Guidance!
For His name sake. That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That's Testing!
I will fear no evil. That's Protection!
For Thou art with me. That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. That's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. That's Hope!
Thou anointest my head with oil. That's Consecration!
My cup runneth over. That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord. That's Security!
Forever................ That's Eternity!

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Have a Holy Week everyone! Ciao!