"Bato bato sa langit ang tamaan huwag magalit...pls!"

">Link

'Da Vinci' breaks record sales in Oro

THE controversial film The Da Vinci Code is raking in record profits in predominantly Roman Catholic Cagayan de Oro where film piracy has nearly put local cinemas to sleep. Gaisano, which is showing the film at its Cinema 2, recorded ticket sales of some P100 thousand on the first day alone.

">Link

Romanian theater group conducts workshops, performances in Oro

MISAMIS Oriental governor Oscar Moreno strikes a pose with Liceo de Cagayan University owner Madam Rafaelita Pelaez Golez and her son, an international pianist artist and awardee during opening rite of the World Festival of Drama Schools held at Capitol building on May 18, 2006. Right photo shows Romanian delegate, mostly students are singing their cultural song during fellowship night at the provincial capitol of Misamis Oriental. (Photos by ED MONTALVAN)

New Oro archbishop speaks on 'Da Vinci Code'

THE new archbishop of Cagayan de Oro on Friday doused cold water on calls to ban the film version of the controversial bestseller The Da Vinci Code, saying the local archdiocese would instead focus on teaching Roman Catholic doctrines and in telling people about the ‘‘erroneous claims’’ of book author Dan Brown.

The Movies and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave the film an R-rating last Tuesday––meaning, anyone below 18 years old are not supposed to see the film in the theaters. The adults rating also means SM-Cagayan de Oro would not show the film. The establishment has a policy against showing films that have been given R-ratings by MTRCB.

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, who would officially assume the top Roman Catholic post in the city on May 30, said Brown’s book and its film version should be taken as a challenge.
It will ‘‘challenge the maturity of Christians,’’ said Ledesma in a phone interview.

The controversial film, which stars Oscar award winning actor Tom Hanks, is scheduled to be shown across the country on May 18, a day after it premieres at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

It’s a ‘‘soft stance,’’ said Ledesma on calls to ban the film. ‘‘Challenging Christians to be mature in their faith is the more difficult stance."

Ledesma, who is also vice president of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said the Conference has already started issuing guidelines that priests can follow in refuting claims in The Da Vinci Code.

Priests were told to emphasize that the book and its film version is a work of fiction, he said.
"We will just point out the errors. We will not call for a ban. We are just exhorting Christians to study," Ledesma told the Cagayan Journal.

He said other bishops have described the The Vinci Code as "a monetarily profitable attack on the divinity of Christ."

Ledesma said the local archdiocese would encourage Catholics in this part of the country ‘‘to study the history and the fundamental truths of the Catholic faith.’’

Early this week, Mayor Vicente Emano criticized groups that have called for a ban on the film in the city.

Emano, a Mason, said a ban on the film would curtail the right of citizens who want to watch the film that is based on a book that claims the Church suppressed information about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene’s relationship by smearing the latter. Brown claims Christ and Magdalene had children.

He said those who have called for a ban on the film ‘‘overreacted.’’
"Dili angayan nga ila kining kagubutan," he said.

Like Ledesma, Emano religious groups should take The Da Vinci Code as a challenge so Christians could strengthen their faith.

"Angayan ang Katoliko mag-lig-on sa ilang pagtuo. Challenge kini sa ila," he said. "Naa ra kana nimo kung ma-usab ang imong pagtuo."

"that can be read at Gold Star Daily>

‘Pinoy eagle has landed on summit of Everest’

MOUNTAINEER Heracleo "Leo" Oracion became the first Filipino to conquer the 8,848-meter Mount Everest yesterday, May 17.
Arturo Valdez, leader of the first Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition, said Oracion, of Lukban, Quezon, reached the summit of the world’s tallest peak at 3:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in Manila).

">Link

30 Journalists Finish PECOJON Peace Seminar

PECOJON international coordinator German journalist Antonia Koop gives out training certificates to Cagayan Journal editor Ben Balce. The seminar is the second this year for Mindanao-based journalists. In January, the PECOJON held a similar seminar in Zamboanga City. PECOJON has members in at least 11 countries. With Koop is Len Manriques (far, center) of PECOJON.

Rey Naranja, (not in photo) representative of Germany's InWent, speaks to selected newspaper, television and radio reporters and film makers from all over the southern Philippines who finish Monday 17 May 2006 seminar on peace and conflict journalism sponsored by the international Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON), InWent and Pax Christi in Davao City's Eden Nature Park.

COWD rules out water rationing in Oro

LOCAL fire department based in Barangay Bulua helps in delivering potable water to Buenavista Village residents. (Photo by Cagayandeorojournal)

">Link

Peace Journalism and the Cynics in Us

Hammer&Anvil
By Mike Banos

WE just came back Monday from Davao city after attending a seminar-workshop on Peace and Conflict Journalism at the Eden Resort in the hills above D.C. Joining me for the Northern Mindanao journalists were the"Cardinal of Lanao" from Linamon, Lanao del Norte, Richel Umel; Aping Bergado, freelance combat videographer extraordinaire; Ryan Rosauro of Business World from Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental; Aurell Arais of DXDB Radyo Bandilyo in Malaybalay City and Ben Balce of Gold Star Daily.

The seminar-workshop was organized by PECOJON (Peace and Conflict Journalism Network), a group of international journalists started in Bacolod City but with headquarters in Germany who banded together in a commitment for responsible and constructive conflict reporting aimed at peaceful solutions to root causes of conflict. It was supported by InWEnt or Internationale Beiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH (Capacity Building Internationale, Germany), an organization for international human resources development, advanced training and dialogue.

In the van, as always, were the grizzled veterans of combat reporting in Mindanao, like Julie Alipala of PDI, John Unson of Philippine Star, Al Jacinto of Zamboangajournal.com, Malu Manar of NDBC, Boy Punzalan of PNA-Cotabato, Rommel Rebollido of PNA, Charlie Senase of PDI & Mindanao Cross, Aqui Zonio of PDI-Gensan and of course, His Grace Richel and Froi from our region, to name a few.

Not to say the others knew or were less because of their age and experience, but those in this "veterans" group were the most vocal, having been the most in the line of fire, so to speak. Neither to fault our Bacolod-based German facilitator Antonia Koop (promptly christened with the Pinay nickname Toyang by the older folks), who experienced combat reportage on her own in Palestine , Israel and Kenya as a journalist and filmmaker
Here we all deferred to the veterans, since they've been there, done all that.

Being most under fire and already having lost quite a number of comrades-in-arms as a result of the various conflicts which always seem to be just simmering under the surface of Mindanao's verdant greenery, most if not all of those present were all for Peace Journalism as explained by Toyang.

But, similarly, as already experienced by most everyone, especially those whose reports pass through a news desk and/or editor based in Manila and who usually have no idea of what's going on in Mindanao, much less the geography of the place, it's easier said than done. Time and resources seem to be the most prevalent problem in tackling the status quo.

Set for only two days, a plain discussion of the problems encountered by the Mindanao Press in attempting to inculcate Peace Journalism in their reportage is hardly enough time to take a good look at the problems, much less explore solutions to it.

Worse, the prevalent perception appears to be how the Manila-based news desks and editors cut up factual and well-researched reports to the way they want it to be, and that means the old school "war journalism".

Short of setting up an independent, Mindanao-based news agency dedicated to the principles of Peace Journalism as pioneered by Journalists Jake Lynch and his wife Annabel McGoldrick in the BBC, Sky News, and the Independent, it was the consensus of the group that unless a radical paradigm-shift in the orientation of the Manila based press who decided which reports would be published or go on-air and how they would look or sound like, it would be a Sisyphean task to task to even dare think peace journalism in Mindanao.

Nonetheless, it was likewise the consensus that sitting on our butts and pondering how decision makers in Manila or wherever the headquarters of the media outlets would ever be compelled to attend a seminar-workshop on Peace Journalism (what with the work load those people already have, with no one able to sit in their stead while they attend a 2-5 day seminar outside the city) was hardly a solution either, so we had to find a middle ground which was neither here nor there, but generally headed in the same general direction as Jake, Annabel and Toyang eventually would want us to be.

Even this first step already pressupposes organization and advocacy. Organization to facilitate the flow and exchange of information between journalists whose times are already at a premium due to the nature of their vocation; and advocacy to sell the idea of peace journalism especially to decision makers in government, media and NGOs and most especially to local political leaders who are all in a position to decide whether or not Peace Reportage has a place in their vested interests and future.

To start, I've proposed the organization of an independent email group where participants to the recent seminar can talk and discuss their ideas with each other and where future directions and initiatives can be presented for future consideration. As our great, great grandfather Lao Tzu used to tell us, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

comments to mike_banos@walla.com
">Link

Waterless Patag folk threaten to stage rally, file lawsuit

ANGRY residents of Patag yesterday threatened to stage a rally to call on city hall to pressure VT Lao Construction to speed up the ongoing repair of the Ysalina Bridge.

They also threatened to file charges against those responsible for the disruption of the water supply to their communities.

The warning came as a result of a water crisis in Patag that stemmed from the retrofitting of the Ysalina Bridge, also known as the Carmen Bridge, this week.

‘‘We will call the attention of Mayor (Vicente) Emano in a protest rally in front of city hall,’’ one of the residents said. They were contemplating a lawsuit but ‘‘that would be the last resort.’’

Patag is among the barangays that have been badly affected by the ongoing bridge repair. Most of its communities have become waterless since Wednesday after the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) was forced to temporarily cut off a pipeline attached to the half a century-old Ysalina Bridge.

"The worst thing next to traffic (has) now happened, (there is) no water supply," said Engr. Jose Abucejo, a former COWD assistant general manager and a resident of Buenavista Village in Patag.
Abucejo described the situation in Patag: ‘‘It’s torturing us.’’

He called on city hall to quickly act on the problem.
COWD said the water crisis resulting from the bridge repair not only affected villages in the western area. It said the entire city would suffer from low pressure.

COWD chairperson Rey Java said the supply of water to the communities would not normalize until the pipeline is restored. And restoration would not be possible until the construction firm is finished with the retrofitting.

Badly hit areas include Carmen, Patag, Balulang, Bulua, Bulua, Kauswagan, Bonbon and Bayabas, Iponan and some areas in Barra, Opol town, Misamis Oriental.

A group of residents at Mendoza compound in Patag blamed city hall for the water crisis, saying it did not prepare for the bridge project.

One of the residents said he would rather have traffic jams than no water supply.
They said over 100 families in Mendoza Compound and Buenavista Village alone have been suffering due to the complete absence of a water supply since Wednesday.

"The COWD should help us (by) providing potable water. The local government is the one liable," said another homeowner.

Meanwhile, homeowners’ and youth associations’ in Patag have appealed to Patag barangay chairperson Maricor Calizo to act on the problem.

Maura Sabud, one of the complainant of the homeowners’ group, said Calizo should bring the complaints to city hall to pressure local officials to look for ways in solving the problem.

Sabud also asked the local fire department to help in delivering potable water for Patag residents.

">Link

Parents of food-poisoning victims want people responsible identified

A GROUP of parents have called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to step in and identify the people who should be held responsible for the food poisoning of close to 90 workers of the Gaisano malls in the city a few weeks ago.

The group, composed of parents of some of the victims, said it was dismayed over the failure of local authorities to go public with the results of their investigation into the food poisoning.

"It would be hard for workers to file a complaint. They are only ordinary workers,’’ a parent of one of the victims said. He requested anonymity, saying his daughter is still working as a cashier at one of the Gaisano malls.

The group said it was puzzled because the team created to investigate the Gaisano incident has yet to release a clear investigation report.

"We want to know the result of the investigation and their recommendation. Who should be made to pay?’’ the group asked.

They said they were happy at first because many investigators and doctors came. ‘‘But all of a sudden, there was silence. It’s as if no investigation was ever made,’’ they said.

On the day Gaisano workers were rushed to hospitals, officials immediately formed a team composed of experts from the Department of Health (DOH), the city hall-run JR Borja Memorial Hospital and the state-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) to investigate the Gaisano incident.

Councilor Simeon Licayan, chairperson of the city’s health committee, also said at that time that a medical team from city hall led by Dr. Joselito Retuya was tasked to investigate. He said city hall’s actions would be based on the team’s recommedations.

"We’re still waiting... no one has really identified the people who should be held liable," the parents of the victims said.

Councilor Reynaldo Advincula said health authorities were certain the workers became sick after eating pancit (noodles) served by the employees’ cooperative. He however said the people who should be held liable have yet to be identified.
">Link

"The Carmelite Code"

SEVERAL years before the publication of Dan Brown's thriller “The Da Vinci Code,” a group of nuns at the Carmelite Monastery in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines put up a mysterious sign that was never decoded. The sign showed an arrow that some Biblical archaeologists believed pointed to an underground vault that possibly contained the Holy Grail. The sign no longer exists today. Posing as cryptologist is Elson Elizaga. (Photo by CLARA MARIE ASUNCION Q. GONZALES ELIZAGA)

Sorry for the inconvenience...

THE YSALINA Bridge, also known as Carmen Bridge in Cagayan de Oro City will not be fully passable until next month because it will undergo a major facelift, reads a signboard placed near city hall. The City has started to experience worst traffic starting Sunday. (Photo by Cagayan de Oro Journal)

">Link

Cardinal eyes legal suit vs 'The Da Vinci Code'

IN the latest Vatican broadside against "The Da Vinci Code," a leading cardinal says Christians should respond to the book and film with legal action because both offend Christ and the Church he founded.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who was considered a candidate for pope last year, made his strong comments in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code-A Masterful Deception."

Arinze's appeal came some 10 days after another Vatican cardinal called for a boycott of the film. Both cardinals asserted that other religions would never stand for offences against their beliefs and that Christians should get tough.

"Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget," Arinze said in the documentary made by Rome film maker Mario Biasetti for Rome Reports, a Catholic film agency specializing in religious affairs.

"Sometimes it is our duty to do something practical. So it is not I who will tell all Christians what to do but some know legal means which can be taken in order to get the other person to respect the rights of others," Arinze said.

"This is one of the fundamental human rights: that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected," he said, without elaborating on what legal means he had in mind.

A transcript of the documentary, due to be screened in Rome later this month just before the release of the film version of the best-selling book at the Cannes Film Festival, was made available to Reuters.

The book, written by Dan Brown, has sold more than 40 million copies.

The novel is an international murder mystery centered on attempts to uncover a secret about the life of Christ that a clandestine society has tried to protect for centuries.

The central tenet of the book is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Blasphemy

"Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said.

This appeared to be a reference to protests by Muslims around the world over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Last month, another broadside against "The Da Vinci Code" was launched by Archbishop Angelo Amato, the number two official in the Vatican doctrinal office which was headed by Pope Benedict until his election last year.

Amato urged a boycott of the film and Arinze, like his fellow cardinal, also blasted the credibility of the book.

"'The Da Vinci Code' presents (Christianity) wrongly ... any film produced on the basis of that book is already in error from the word go, no matter how interesting it might appear," Arinze said.

Catholic group Opus Dei has told Sony Pictures that putting a disclaimer on the movie stressing it is a work of fiction would be a welcome show of respect toward the Church.

In the novel and film, Opus Dei is characterized as the latest in a series of secretive groups that worked over the centuries to obscure truths about Jesus Christ.

Opus Dei is a controversial conservative Church group whose members are mostly non-clerics and are urged to seek holiness in their everyday professional jobs and lives. It has rejected criticisms that it is secretive and elitist.

The movie, which is being released by Sony Pictures division Columbia Pictures, stars Tom Hanks. Sony Pictures is the media wing of Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. (Vatican News)

Calls vs. Da Vinci useless: Advincula

COUNCILOR Reynaldo Advincula has shattered all hopes that the city council would reconsider its position on the upcoming showing of the controversial The Da Vinci Code in the city.

Advincula said calls made by the local Roman Catholic archdiocese and the Protestant-run Pilgrim Christian College for city hall to ban the film version of Dan Brown’s book were ‘‘useless.’’

“Granting that the city council reconsidered it (stand), can anyone stop the flow of pirated copies of the film into the city?” asked Advincula.

He said the issue now is on how authorities could prevent minors from buying the film’s pirated copies.

“The minors could have it for only P25 per copy. Even an ‘R-18’ rating would not bar minors seeing it,” said Advincula, adding that he has already bought a pirated copy of the controversial film at a public market.

He said the controversy sparked by the book and the film would make it easier for vendors to sell pirated copies.

“The Da Vinci is now the talk of the town... and it’s going to sell like ukay-ukay (used clothing),” Advincula said.

The responsibility, he said, now lies in the hands of citizens. He said parents should guide their children.
He also said law enforcers should use the law on piracy and seize pirated copies of the film.

Last Monday, the city council passed a resolution urging the movie and television Reguilatory and Complaints Board (MTRCB) to give the controversial film, The Da Vinci Code an "R" rating.

Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya has criticised the council saying he wanted the film banned in the city. He abstained from voting.

"I really wanted to help those who are appealing for reconsideration but I can't because of the parliamentary rules," said Nacaya.

Like Advincula, Nacaya said authorities should launch a crackdown on vendors selling pirated copies of the Da Vinci.

A Cogon public market vendor, Theresa Torres, said the Da Vinci Code is now available in pirated DVD copies and is being sold from P70 to P100 each. The pirated DVD includes three other films.

Torres said pirated copies were bought in large numbers and these were sold out in just two weeks.

Oro Quilter again wins kudos for RP in Int'l Quilt Show

(The author is a former chief of reporters/correspondents of ABS CBN Cagayan de Oro and a former manager of ABS CBN based in Iligan City. He contributes a twice weekly column "Hammer and Anvil" to the Mindanao Gold Star Daily newspaper, the largest community newspaper in Mindanao Mondays and Fridays. He is a member of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, Inc. and has been a journalist for over 20 years covering the entire Northern Mindanao including in the cities of Marawi, Zamboanga and Cotabato in the Philippines.)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - (Mike Baños) A MULTI-AWARDED quilter from Gusa, Cagayan de Oro held high the Philippine flag by winning first prize in her category at the 2006 AQS Quilt Show & Contest held April 26-29, 2006 at the Paducah Expo Center in Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.A. which was dominated by entries from the U.S. and Japan.

Myrl Lehman Tapungot's entry, "Mystic Beauty II", won first prize in the Bed Quilts Category Group - Mettler(r) Imported by A&E, Inc. Second was Sagacious Sisters by Sagacious Sisters, Marysville, WA while third was Flower Symphony by Aki Ueda of Aichi, Japan.

Quilters from around the world, gathered as part of the 22nd Annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest Awards Presentation held Tuesday, April 25th at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center, Paducah, Kentucky and webcast live on Quilters News Network. All 429 quilts were displayed at the annual quilt exhibition which brings over 35,000 quilters, collectors, enthusiasts and vendors to Paducah each spring, and has earned it the moniker "Quilt City USA."

Tapungot joined 428 other quilters in the annual contest. Now in its 22nd year, the competition offered $114,000 in total prize money. Her "Mystic Beauty II" quilt measures 89 inches wide by 89 inches long, and represents hundreds of hours of work. It will be featured in the Fall 2006 issue of American Quilter magazine, which will be in homes and on newsstand in early June, said the magazine’s executive editor Christine N. Brown in an email to Tapungot.

"We have been around for many years, and we have been winning awards for quite a while. We compete in the "group quilt" category, and as you might imagine it is harder for group quilts to compete with other quilts because they are done by several different hands, therefore different stitches," Tapungot wrote in a statement posted in her website http://www.mdeans.com/.

"But in order to offer large works to the general "quilt loving" public, we have to do our quilts as a group/team effort. Some of our quilts can easily take over a year of dedicated effort to complete. We pride ourselves in making quilts with near perfect, identical stitches, and even experts using magnifying glasses find it difficult or impossible to tell the difference"

"Mystic Beauty II" was chosen as a semi-finalist from a field of 806 quilts and compete against others within its category (Bed Quilts) . Three quilting authorities judged the elite group prior to the opening of the show. "Sedona Rose" by Sharon Schamber was awarded Best of Show and garnered the Hancock's of Paducah Best of Show award and a cash prize of $20,000. In addition, the quilt will become part of the permanent collection in the Museum of the American Quilter's Society.

AQS president, Meredith Schroeder said quilts are no longer relegated to serving as mere bed covers but have evolved into works of art, using fabric and thread as the medium. The quilts in this year's contest are from around the world and feature beautiful palettes of color. Entries arrived from 46 U.S. states and 12 other countries, including France, Israel, Korea and Australia.

There were fifteen categories in the judged contest and a special category for young quilters. The quilts include bed-size, large and small wall quilts and miniatures. Designs range from traditional Log Cabin, Mariner's Compass and New York Beauty to innovative designs using paint, threads and original designs.

Tapungot stressed that while she designs and directly supervises all the work done on her award winning quilts, it is a collective effort by M. Dean's House of Design, a small family business that started in 1984 in their residence at Villa Ernesto Subdivision in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City.

"We employ some 150 handicraft people in the making of our beautiful quilts, all done by hand, to achieve that special look that can't be duplicated by any machine." Tapungot stressed. " This is a long, intricate process, because we do some of the finest stitching in the world. However, for maximum strength and accurate alignment, all of our piecing is done by machine."

As can be surmised from a multi-awarded craftsman, there is pride in their work, too. "We guarantee all of our quilts 100% ," Tapungot asserts with confidence. "If for any reason, you are not satisfied with the quilt you ordered, we will fix it, and if it can't be fixed, we will either replace it or cheerfully refund your money."

Although almost all of her quilters did not have any previous experience in quilting, M. Dean's established a family tradition among the quilters she employs who sometimes have three generations of their kin quilting together the award-winning designs in their homes.

"Many of our quilters' main source of income is farming, and quilting provides a valuable source of supplemental income between planting and harvesting," Tapungot explained. "Most of the quilting is done in the traditional way, in the employee's individual homes, providing scores of families in our area additional income and stability. This also affords the homemakers a chance to earn income while caring for their homes and families."

Tapungot is not bothered by the country's lack of a tradition in quilting, which was pioneered in Cagayan de Oro by another Filipino quilter from Carmen, Ellen K. Delgado and the Oro House of Patches.

"We have set up shop here off the beaten track and have grown independent of what is going on with the rest of the Quilt world. We offer original designs and methods few have the means or skill to do. We think you will agree that our Trapunto MAGIC is a complete departure from other more traditional Trapunto Quilting. We make lovely three (3) dimensional Quilts that will please the eye, the hand, as well as the heart. "

Tapungot and M. Dean's House of Design have won many awards over the years, the most significant of which include "Le Mariage d' Eryn", 1st Place in the Group Quilt category at the Houston International Quilt Festival held Nov 4-7, 2004 ("An amazing Trapunto quilt inspired by my lovely granddaughter and the hope that one day I will be there to see her wedding); " Enchanted Doorway II", 1st Place and Judges Choice award, Group Quilt Category, International Quilt Association's Quilt Festival at Houston, Texas held Oct. 21-24 1999; which again won 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category at the 17th Annual Quilt Show and Contest of the American Quilter's Society, Paducah, Kentucky, April 25-28, 2001;

“A Touch of the Heart” 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category (86"x110"), American Quilters Society held April, 1999 at Paducah, Kentucky (“A blend of Trapunto quilting using colored yarn, embroidery, and silk ribbon embroidery. 10 people worked on this quilt entirely by hand for 7 months!”); “Baltimore Album”, 1st Place Viewers Choice Award, 3rd Annual Quilt Show held in Mt. Angel Brewery, Mt. Angel, Oregon, February , 1999 ; “Rosie's Wedding”, 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category from the Houston International Quilt Festival held November 1996; and again 2nd Place, 3rd Annual Quilt Show in Mt. Angel Brewery, Mt. Angel, Oregon on February, 1999; “My Garden of Dreams”, GINGHER AWARD for "Excellence in hand Workmanship", Viewers' Choice Award, American Quilt Society in Paducah, Kentucky, awarded a $10, 000.00 dollar prize in April 1997 and now exhibited in the American Quilters Society Quilt Museum; “L' Art de Aimer”, 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category, Houston international Quilt Festival, November 1995, 85" x 105" (featured in an article: "Quilts: A World of Beauty" Journal of the International Quilt Association); "Purple Lilac Bouquet", 1st Place, Quilting in the Teton's Trapunto Category Viewers Choice Award 1993;

“Small Myomi”, 1st Place, Lampasas Quilt Extravaganza, Lampasas, Texas; "Texas Star", 1st Place, CPQG, Texas, appliqué wall hanging in 1993; and the multi-awarded “Rose Lilac Bouquet”, 1st place and Viewers Choice Award, Misty Mountain Quilters Guild, August 1993; 1st place , Wall Hangings 36" or less category, 22nd Annual Northwest Quilters Guild, March 1997; 1st place, Okefenokee Quilt Fest Ware CO Chapter, Georgia, Council on Child Abuse, 1992 and 1st place, Lane County Fair, Oregon 1997 (competing in the "Applique, trapunto and alphabet quilts" category).

Tapungot and M. Dean's House of Design also won many award in the annual "Miniatures From the Heart" contest sponsored by Miniature Quilts Magazine: “L' Art de Aimer”, 1st Place, Group Quilt (issue #30)1996 (size: 27.5 "x 28"); “Diamond Medallion", 3rd Place, Group Quilt (issue#24), 1995 (size: 8.75"x 10"0; "Yvonne's Flower Garden” 1st place, Group Quilt Category (issue#19), 1994; “Oprah's Quilt”, 1st place, Other Techniques Category, Judges Choice Award by Elsie Campbell (size: 29" square); "Akiko's Irish Chain", 1st Place, Group Quilt Category (issue#13) (size/type: 28" Square Trapunto/Irish Chain).

Perhaps the pride and philosophy which drive Tapungot and her wards are best expressed in the "The M.Deans People" credo posted on their website: "Welcome to the world of Dreamers and Doers. With her whimsical mind comes fantastic and magical images that delight the heart and the spirit. With their skillful hands, beautiful, tiny and perfectly matched stitches are meticulously sewn, and high-quality quilts are made. And together they create these wondrous, seemingly impossible quilts that one would want to keep forever as an heirloom, and a keepsake."
Mabuhay


">Link

For the PARTICIPANTS of Peace and Conflict Journalim Training

Peace and Conflict Journalism Training 1
Eden Nature Park and Resort, Davao City
May 13-15, 2006 (live-in)

Dear jounalists,

First, (before I forget) please keep this mail for reference. =) Print it if possible.

SCHEDULE OF ARRIVAL
May 12, 2006 (Friday)
011:0AM - Arrival of Bacolod team to Davao airport and will proceed directly to Eden.
5:00PM - Arrival of participants.
May 13, 2006 (Saturday)
8:00AM - Arrival of Zamboanga & Sulu Group to Davao Airport and will proceed directly to Training venue.
7:30AM - Arrival of partipants.
_______________________

9:00AM sharp - official start
_______________________

TRAVEL INFO
Below is the schedule of VAN availability that will transport participants from Eden's Sales Office at Matina Town Square to the Resort.
CONTACT NUMBERS: Eden Sales Office - (082)299-1020 & (082)296-0791
May 12, 2006 (Friday)
4:00-5:00PM Assembly
5:10 DEPARTURE
5:30 Arrival (resort) -registration and dinner
May 13, 2006 (Saturday)
6:00-6:30 Assembly
6:45-Departure
7:30-Arrival (resort) -breakfast and registration

EDEN SALES OFFICE: (how to get there?)
IF, you are coming from the north, you may pass Quirino St then Bankerohan Bridge. Matina Town Square is only 100 meters away from the bridge and is on the right side.
IF, you are coming from the south, it is near NDCC Mall and is on the left side of the street.

You can also go to Eden Nature Park and Resort on your own. However, there is NO jeepney going up the resort only TAXI and MOTORCYCLE (not tricycle). I was informed one taxi from the City going up will cost the passenger P500 per trip. The motorcycle costs P70. Moreover, I'm afraid we cannot support travel expense if you go up on your own especially if its taxi. It would be best if you could take our vans reserved as transpo and which is, as mentioned above available at Eden's Sales Office at Matina Town Square in the city as scheduled. If you arrive earlier in Davao than the scheduled departure from the Sales Office, maybe, you can just roam a little and proceed to the assembly point when the time comes.

Also, if (for any reason) you would like to cancel your slot reservation, please let me know at least three (3) days before May 12, 2006 so that we can accommodate those whom we did not accept. At the moment, we are FULL already.

I attached in here again the CALL FOR APPLICATION and APPLICATION FORM for those who have not yet filled it up, please do. You may send it back via e-mail or fax at 034-7083638. Thanks much!

If you have any other questions in mind, please feel free to e-mail me or text at 09218286049.

All for now,
LEN

___________

NOTE: May 15, 2006 DEPARTURE SCHEDULE
5:30 AM departure of Zamboanga group (flight back to Zamboanga at 8:00AM)
9:00 AM departure of Bacolod Team (flight back to Bacolod at 11:00AM)
11:00 AM departure of other participants from the resort.

--------

We have additional info:

Eden Resort said that we should bring JACKETS. It is very cold up there daw. It's mini-baguio.

We have free access to the pool too (but there's no heater---so the water must be freezing!!) Anyway, just bring swim wear in case you plan to swim on break times.

And, its really best that you could be at the resort on Friday. So that it'll be easy for us all. Many thanks!

for peace,

LEN

___________________
FINAL LIST
(in alphabetical order)
1. Alino, Peng
2. Alipala, Julie
3. Alipio, Honeylyn
4. Arais, Aurell
5. Balce, Ben ----------CDO
6. Banos, Mike----------CDO
7. Bergado, Peterson
8. Calderon, Sylvia
9. Chung, Rudy
10. De Guzman, Rosa May
11. Del Rosario, Jambie
12. Dumingsel, Vivien
13. Gallardo, Froilan ------CDO
14. Garcia, Bong
15. Jacinto, Al
16. Jubelag, Joseph
17. Koh, Therence
18. Lao, Marina
19. Manar, Malu
20. Masong, Zeny
21. Maulana, Nash
22. Navales, Mark
23. Palma, Isagani
24. Pareno, Roel
25. Punzalan, Noel
26. Rebollido, Rommel
27. Rosauro, Ryan
28. Saceda, Charlie
29. Sampong, Jeffrey
30. Santos, Dennis
31. Sison, Mylene -----CDO
32. Sombrio, Sonny
33. Umel, Richel
34. Unson, John
35. Wee, Darwin

PLUS:
1. Rey Naranja - InWent
1. Antonia Koop - PECOJON
2. Ledrolen Manriquez
3. Rodesa Jayawon


Ledrolen

Ledrolen

">Link

Oro health body intervenes to resolve conflict

THE city council’s committee on health chaired by councilor Simion Licayan (far left) and his co-committee members’ councilors Ian Mark Nacaya (1st left) and Reynaldo Advincula to work with both sides (warring parties) in a dispute in an attempt to help them reach an agreement.



">Link

No "overcharging" pls!

Cagayan de Oro based Traffic Management Office (RTMO 10) regional chief Superintendent Felixberto Castillo (facing front) looks as an officer point to the billboard reminds taxi drivers of proper fare rate implementation to their passengers. (RTMO - 10 File)

Our Fight For Press Freedom Continues: NUJP

NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
www.nujp.org
World Press Freedom Day 2006
OUR FIGHT FOR PRESS FREEDOM CONTINUES

We commemorate World Press Freedom Day today anguishing over the lack of genuine freedom of expression in our country and girding our loins to resist yet other attempts to muzzle the Philippine Press.

The statistics are grim enough: Seventy-six of our colleagues were lost to the ultimate form of censorship – murder – in the past two decades since the supposed restoration of democracy in the country in 1986.

Thirty-nine of the killings happened only in the past five years during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, making her administration the deadliest for Filipino journalists. Indeed, it was under the Arroyo administration that the country, in 2004, earned the ignominy of being the "most murderous place for journalists."

The killing of journalists is a glaring indictment of the Philippine government's commitment to freedom of the press and of expression. With the exception of three cases, none of our colleagues' murders has been solved and no perpetrator has been brought to justice.

All the while, the victims' families and the witnesses are being hounded, threatened and, at times, killed. As if the toll in the lives of journalists has not been enough, the Arroyo administration has distinguished itself as the only one since the Marcos dictatorship to have attempted and continues to attempt a wholesale clampdown on media.

That it failed with the declaration of Presidential Proclamation 1017 is a tribute to the fierce jealousy of the Philippine press that refused to be cowed into abdicating its calling to serve the people's right to know.

But more threats loom, from Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales' continued pronouncements of keeping news organizations and journalists under watch and threats of sedition charges, to colleagues' names cropping up on military orders of battle and watch lists, to the onerous provisions of the proposed anti-terrorism measure that would effectively criminalize the practice of journalism.

These are just threats from the government. There, too, are the threats to the integrity of our profession that stem from the ownership patterns of media that breed the often unjust and inhuman conditions our colleagues, especially in the provinces, have to toil under, conditions that make them prone to corruption and unethical conduct.

This, in turn, leads to the erosion of public trust in the media as harbingers of truth and the people's last resort against abuse. There can, indeed, be no press freedom when journalists continue to live in conditions of corruption, poverty and fear.

Today, as we observe World Press Freedom Day, we call on our colleagues to unite as never before to confront the continued threats to the untrammeled practice of our profession and demand total and unconditional respect for our rights and liberties.

We are not perfect, either as an institution or as individuals. But let us never allow this to be used to justify the killings and other assaults on our colleagues and the continued attempts to suppress us.

To do so can only bring more assaults and can contribute to the culture of impunity that has already cost us and our profession dearly. Let us take stock of ourselves and examine how we, individually and collectively, can contribute to improving the conditions in which we practice our profession.

Let us resolve never to allow a threat or assault on a colleague and the institution to go unchallenged. Let our dictum be: An assault on one is an assault on us all.We also call on the Filipino people, the public that we strive to honestly serve, to stand with us and jealously guard our freedom against all those who would threaten it.

For, more than the media, Press Freedom rightfully belongs to the people as an indispensable extension of their right to free expression and right to know.
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

105-A Scout Castor Street (near Morato Avenue) Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.:(+632) 4117768
Email: nujphil@gmail.com

">Link

Cops link Bayan to Misor bus burning

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Cagayan Journal / 18 April) Police Monday linked the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) to last week's burning of a Bagong Lipunan bus in Misamis Oriental.

The National Police's Regional Traffic Management Group said its officers have gathered documents that indicate that Bayan collaborated with the New People's Army (NPA) in the Holy Week offensive.

Bayan has been actively participating in anti-Arroyo protests in urban areas. Although left-leaning, the group is not known to openly involve itself in armed offensive operations.

Supt. Felixberto Castillo, TMG chief for northern Mindanao, said the suspected guerillas who pulled off the Salay attack distributed propaganda materials to passengers before they burned the bus.

The documents include the communist publication 'Ang Bayan' and an official statement released by the militant organization, allegedly bore the name "Bagong Alyansang Makabayan."

Castillo said copies of the propaganda materials were provided by passengers.

"We believe some members of the militant group were part of the burning of the bus that was perpetrated by local communist terrorists," said Castillo.

He said investigators have continued looking into the alleged participation of Bayan in the Salay bus burning and were building a strong case against the militant group.

The TMG has beefed up the security in Eastern Misamis Oriental and a number of towns in Bukidnon. Castillo said TMG has deployed its officers to keep an eye on highways to thwart off a possible repeat of the bus burnings in Misamis Oriental.

Police said rebels flagged down the bus driven by Dnnis Panisan on Wednesday morning, ordered passengers to step down and then torched the vehicle after briefly holding dozens of passengers' hostage in Salay, Misamis Oriental.

The ill-fated bus bore license plates KVJ-516 and body number 373.

They said the suspects boarded the bus near riverside 2 and at gunpoint, commandered the vehicle.

None of the passengers were hurt.

Police said the rebels carried out the attack, the second in Misamis Oriental in a month's time, after the bus company refused to pay "revolutionary taxes."