Merry Christmas!

MAUPAY UG MALIPAYUN NGA PASKO SA ATUN NGATANAN!

Images from the RDC-8 Meeting

Hi there! This was supposed to be posted last Monday yet, but I completely forgot about it and it stayed in the draft section. It's about the Regional Development Council meeting which was held in Calbayog City.

Mayor Mel Sarmiento presided over the meeting with the his RDC co-chair, NEDA Regional Director Buenaventura Gosoco. In attendance were Hon. Cynthia Nierras, the Presidential Assistant for Region 8, DBM RD Imelda Lasceras, Gen. Arthur Tabaquero, DILG RD William Paler, among others.

Mayor Sarmiento with RD Gosoco (l) and PA Nierras (r)

Mayor Sarmiento with (l-r) Gen. Tabaquero, RD Gosoco and PA Nierras

TTMIST Prexy, Dr. Socorro Bohol (r), DBM RD Imelda Laceras and some NEDA staff

The Calbayog Coffee Table Book

The first copies of the Calbayog Coffee Table Book are out. Earlier this morning, I chanced upon Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento scanning his copy of the said book.

The book features six major stories / chapters:
1. Calbayog’s social and economic history;
2. Calbayog as the Religious Center of the province;
3. The culture of Calbayog showing its music, theater & dance, literature, and visual arts;

4. Governance with its unique role as the only city in the entire island of Samar;

5. Its people who have propelled Calbayog to national prominence and have accomplished outstanding achievements; and
6. Calbayog’s Natural Heritage.

It is hard bound with protective jacket, contains about 200 full color pages and glossy photographs, 11×26 inches in full spread, and will be printed in limited (1,000) copies only.

For details and reservation of copies, please contact:
Engr. Arnol F. Trani
City Administrator
Calbayog City
(+63 917) 304-36-57 or (+63 55) 209-29-13
email: arnoltrani@yahoo.com

Here's the video teaser courtesy of Nelson Petilla and Dante Rosales

Early-morning fire claims two lives

This is what remained of the two-storey hardware store which was gutted by fire at approximately 2:30 this morning. The store is located along Maharlika Highway in Brgy. Obrero (near Rosales Bridge). Two fatalities were reported in the one-hour blaze. Joaquin Balanay was found dead in the second floor of the building while his son, Vincent Balanay, a 4th year Computer Science student was found inside the bathroom. The store owner, Jesus Gabriel survived by jumping out through a 2nd-floor window. As per initial report by BFP Calbayog, the fire of still unknown origin started at the ground floor of the building which contained motorcycle and auto parts merchandise. Rough estimates placed the damage at 4 million pesos. (Photo by Henry Puyat)

RDC - 8 meeting in Calbayog

The Regional Development Council (RDC-8) which is chaired by Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento will meet in Calbayog today.

The meeting will be held at the Calabria Formation House in Dagum Hills from 1:30 to 4:00 pm.

It will be capped by a fellowship dubbed as Pagtigman to be held at the Nijaga Park at 7:00 pm

The Urban Poor Solidarity Week

The City Government recently spearheaded the Urban Poor Solidarity Week 2008. The activity which was anchored on the theme "Urban Poor Empowerment: The City's Vision for Sustainable MDGs Localization", was graced by the presence of HUDCC Secretary-General, Undersecretary Lucille Ortile.

A good number of Officers and Members of 54 Homeowners Associations (HOAs) and the beneficiaries of Caramel and Tomalon subdivisions participated in the parade and solidarity which capped the week-long event.

Here are some pictures from the day's activity.

Mayor Mel Sarmiento with Usec Lucille Ortile as they welcomed the parade participants.

Mayor Sarmiento with Usec. Ortile as they visited the San Policarpo resettlement site

The City Mayor with the HUDCC Usec at Carmela Subdivision.

For more pictures, please check this link.

A Symposium and Rally to Uphold Human Rights and the Right to Life

The "Uphold the Human Rights and The Right to Life Symposium and Rally" will be held tomorrow at the Christ the King College Campus from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The activity is spearheaded by the Diocese of Calbayog and Christ the King College in coordination with The Alliance of Concerned Samarnons.

Events for the day include Preliminaries where Bishop Isabelo Abarquez and CKC President Fr. Prisco Cajes, ofm will deliver their speeches.

The Symposium Proper will consist of three talks to be delivered by Dr. Ligaya Acosta and Dr. Joseph Bullecer, both Directors of Human Life International; and Fr. Reu Jose Galoy, ofm, Dean of Franciscan School of Theology; and Director of the Human Resource Development Office of the San Pedro Bautista Province in Quezon City.

The activity will be capped by a covenant-signing, rally and conclusion-dispersal at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The KITA Choir Christmas CD

(CD Cover designed by Ronnie Obong)

You are looking at the cover of KITA Choir's Christmas CD entitled "Pasko Na! Kanta Kita!"

This CD is a compilation of original Calbayog / Waray-waray Christmas songs composed by Boi Nicolasora, Ronnie Obong, Mawe Doroja, Nati Mancol - Biliran and Fr. Roland Cajegas. The CD will be officially launched via a concert tonight at the La Milagrosa Academy Auditorium.

For copies of the CD and other inquiries, you may get in touch with any KITA choir member or Mr. Bong Obong at (+63 905) 224-0933.

something from the U.S. State Department website

Do you still remember my blog post about the Cocopeat Bio-Filter Wastewater Treatment Project? (please check this link). It was one of the projects under the Local Initiative for Affordable Wastewater Management (LINAW) Program (a joint undertaking of LGU Calbayog and USAID); and was initially installed at the SOS Children's Village. It's the same project that was put in place at the Greenland subdivision when the members of the USNS Mercy ENCAP came to Calbayog for their engineering civic action mission.

This project landed in one of the reports featured in the U.S. State Department's website.

The article entitled "Philippine Alliance Helps Reduce Water Pollution, Diseases" enumerates how the United States supports wastewater treatment and sanitation improvements. It tells about the good experience of some cities in the Philippines, Calbayog included:

"... A new low-cost housing development under construction in the Philippines will provide former slum dwellers with proper sewage treatment to protect their health and the environment.

The wastewater treatment system will be installed in Calbayog City on the Philippine island of Samar with assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Philippine Sanitation Alliance (PSA) and the U.S. Navy... "

For the rest of the article, please check this link.

A Concert for SOS Calbayog

We would like to invite all Calbayogons, especially those based in Metro Manila to watch "Village Boys", a concert featuring International Tenor Dominique Moralez and Baritone Nonon Baang.

This will be held at the Philam Life Auditorium, U.N. Avenue, Manila on December 8, 2008 (Monday) at 8:00 pm.

This concert will have SOS Calbayog as its beneficiary. It is organized and directed by Mr. Nonon Baang who is a professor at the UST Conservatory of Music. He is the brother of Mario Victor Baang, the Village Director of SOS Calbayog.

Tickets are priced at Php 500, Php 300 and Php 150 (for students, but with limited slots). For tickets and other inquiries you may call SOS Calbayog at (055) 209-37-98.