Friday, February 16, 2007

Dog saves family from cobra, is killed

By HERBIE GOMEZ

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Feb 16) – A pit bull terrier proved beyond doubt that a dog can become a man’s best friend when it saved and gave its life for its master’s wife and her grandmother in Barangay Lapasan here.

The dog named “Chief,” saved 87-year-old Liberata la Victoria and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras from a cobra that snaked through an opening in the family’s kitchen shortly around 8 a.m. Monday.

On two occasions, the snake was about to attack the women when the dog dashed from a corner and used itself as a shield.

Marlone Fronteras, an employee of Nestle Philippines who owned the terrier, said Chief seized the venomous snake in the neck with its teeth and repeatedly slammed it on the floor until it died.

The dog was bitten too by the cobra; it died a few minutes later after giving its master a farewell gaze, according to the dog owner’s friends Mare Sabelita and Derf Ian dela Rama.

An organization of pit bull terrier owners here, Royale Pit Bull Club-Ancient Fraternal Order of the Pit Bulls Inc., honored Chief and gave it the moniker “grandfather” of all pit bulls in the community.

Marlone told the Cagayan de Oro journal, that he, his family and members of the pit bull owners’ group gave the dog a “hero’s burial” the same day.

“We just waited for the children to arrive from school because they loved Chief so much,” said Marlone.

Sabelita said Fronteras’s wife Maria Victoria was teary eyed when she narrated the dog’s “heroism” to friends.

“The snake was in front of us., maneuvering a deadly attack,” Sabelita quoted Maria Victoria as saying. “I screamed out loud to ask for help.”

Hearing this, the four-year old pit bull terrier dashed from its sleeping area to fight off the deadly snake, said Sabelita quoting Maria Victoria.

The cobra fought back and bit Chief at the lower left portion of the jaw. The dog then repeatedly slammed the cobra after it succeeded in immobilizing the snake with its sharp teeth, she said.

Dela Rama said la Victoria was watching television when she panicked and alerted her granddaughter. The old lady said the cobra was about to attack her and the dog came to her rescue.

Maria Victoria said she saw the cobra expand its neck as soon as she turned the lights on. She said the cobra looked like it was spitting as its inched closer, about a meter away, toward her.

De la Rama said the terrier, “out of nowhere,” jumped on the cobra , bit it the neck, and then shook it till it died.

Moments later, the dog slouched flat and fainted, spreading its arms and feet on the floor, after killing the killer snake.

De la Rama said the dog went wobbly and lost control of its organs some 30 minutes after being bitten by the cobra; it started to urinate and defecate uncontrollably as it grasped for air and panted heavily.

The Fronterases sought the help of veterinarian but they were reportedly told that it was too late because the snake bite was near the dog’s brain and the venom had already spread.

Sabilita said Marlone rushed home when his wife called him up to tell him of what had happened and the dog’s master was stunned.

The Fronteras children, who treated Chief like a member of the family and who called the dog “Kuya Chief,” were deeply affected, according to Sabelita.

The last thing Chief did was waggle its tail and gaze at Marlone who had just come from work, said Sabelita.

“Chief gave his two deep breaths and died. (It) was fighting and saving (its) last ounces of breath to see a glimpse of (its) master for the last two seconds of (its) life,” added dela Rama.

Sabelita said he hoped people would change how they look at pit bull terriers, a breed strongly discouraged in many countries and banned because of their “cruel looks.”

We never get the change to know them more,” said Sabelita.


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Thursday, February 15, 2007

Satur calls Gonzales 'patent liar, immature'


CAGAYAN DE ORO JOURNAL (Ben Balce/Feb 15) - Street parliamentarion cum congressman Satur Ocampo yesterday lashed at National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales for campaigning against left-leaning party-list groups, calling the official a "patent iar" and "immature intriguer."
At the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), the Bayan-Muna representative said Norberto's call baseless and illegal.
"The malicious intent of Gonzales is to slander the progressive party-list groups and to devide the broad united front against the despicable Arroyo regime," said Rep Ocampo.
Ocampo also accusedd the Palace of being behind Gonzales's campaign. He called the move an attempt to cover up the reported 127 extra-judicial killings in the country since 2001.
Earlier, Gonzales has called on the Armed Forces to reject left-leaning party-list groups.
The Civil Relations Service of the AFP has expressed its support for Gonzales and it reportedly urged soldiers not to vote for the groups that are perceived to be communist fronts.
Ocampo said Gonzales's pronouncements are "pure fabrications of a fascist and a puppy of US imperialism."

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Press Club elects directors, officers

THE Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC) held the annual election of its 15 Board of Directors on Saturday, February 10, and subsequently elected past president Jerry Orcullo as the president for the third time.

Eight incumbent directors were reelected and seven others, including Orcullo, composed the new COPC Board.

Orcullo, who served as COPC president in 2003 and 2004, got 62 votes out of the 74 members who voted in the election, the first in more than a decade without proxy votes.

NEW PRESS CLUB BOARD. Assistant city prosecutor Gregorio Borja (extreme right), Comelec chair and past president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, declaring the winners in the election of the 15-man COPC board, Feb. 10, 2007. After which, COPC past president Jerry Orcullo was chosen, for the third time, as club president.

The eight incumbent directors who were re-elected include Atty. Gil Banaag of the Golden Banner; Maricel Casiño-Rivera of the Provincial Press Office; Lizanilla Amarga and Joey Nacalaban of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro; Mike Baños of Business World and Mindanao Gold Star Daily; Vic Cabanag of DxIM Radyo ng Bayan; Ben Balce of Malaya and of the Mindanao Gold Star Daily and Tony Albania.


COPC past presidents Allan Mediante, Ed Montalvan and Herbie Gomez were also elected to the 15-member Board. They were consequently chosen as executive vice-president, vice president for print and corporate secretary, respectively.

Cabanag, the only broadcaster in the Board was chosen vice president for broadcast, Banaag as treasurer and Baños as the auditor. Banaag, publisher of Golden Banner is a certified public accountant and a practicing lawyer.


Other elected members of the Board are Rudy Balangiao of the Mindanao Current, and Bobby Goking and Bingo Alcordo, both opinion writers of Mindanao Gold Star Daily.

Orcullo said during the campaign period, he received death threats, disinformation and discouraging words, intrigues, numerous charges and/or allegations through text coming from several numbers, which he claimed maligned his person.


“I just ignored these messages. My landslide victory again is not only clear vindication of my person but total shame to those cowards, idiots and morons,” Orcullo said.

For his colleagues in the media, he said he would ask nothing more but love and solidarity.

But for those who cowardly continue to threaten him, Orcullo said he can face them anytime and anywhere, adding that “they cannot raise a single hair from a survivor of the many fiercest fires.”

Orcullo will serve as COPC president for one year.


For his third term, Orcullo hopes to continue the educational assistance for the dependents of members and the medical and welfare assistance.

He said he would also look for a seed money to be used as capital for a consumer store, to be built at the ground floor of the COPC building, where members could buy in cash or get basic goods on credit at lower prices.


Unlike the past elections, this year was significant, according to COPC immediate past president Uriel Quilinguing.

Quilinguing said this is because proxy votes were no longer allowed starting this year’s election, based on a resolution passed by the members during the general assembly held on Feb. 11, 2006.


He said the resolution would mean that members would have to cast their votes personally, unlike in the previous elections when issuance of proxy votes are rampant.

Although the COPC By-Laws allows reelection for its president, Quilinguing did not seek reelection, saying he withdrew his candidacy for the Board “for the sake of unity in the club.”


Only former four-time corporate secretary Jasper Uy expressed his interest for the presidency but failed to make it to the 15-man Board.

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