Tourism & Development

My thoughts on October 1, 2009:

Typhoon Ondoy brought with it so much loss, fear, anger. Galit lahat, finger-pointing has begun, and will only get worse. My brother told me he doesn’t want to watch the news anymore, he just gets depressed.

Ordinary citizens are rallying behind something though, something that’s mobilizing them and getting them on the streets. Everywhere people are helping–rescuing, donating, packing, cleaning, coordinating, passing on critical information. In one weekend, we have begun talking again, and talking about things that matter–the people around us, our people, us.

First saw this during Cory’s wake–Pinoys came out to honor a great woman, a hero to the Filipino nation. Strangers rubbing elbows in the rain, waiting in line for long hours to pay tribute and say goodbye. It seemed that Filipino apathy was finally taking a turn for the better, but I think real motives of people were still hazy then. It wasn’t clear why we really took to the streets. Usiseros aside, how many of those who came with good intentions knew what those intentions were, really? Na kinilatis, pinag-isipan, binuo? Why mourn Cory? Who was she to them? What about her and her life did they connect with, that was relevant to them? Some friends who went said they wanted to be part of history… what does that mean?

I’d like to think we went to the streets to mourn Cory because despite our pronunciations that our country is hopeless, that Filipinos don’t care anymore, the truth is we do care. We want to care. We were out there looking for hope, and Cory gave us that.

In the aftermath of Ondoy, what happened?

They say that when you take a step towards God, he comes running to you. Maybe the Cory magic was our first step, collectively as a people, towards hope (and love). And here it is now in our midst, in abundance. Hope came running to us.

Let’s dwell on hope. The Philippines will need more than material healing from this tragedy, and there will be a time for demanding accountability, but let it be anchored on hope.

We’ve already started talking to each other again as Filipinos. We’re looking each other in the eye, regardless of family, school, occupation, religion, socio-economic class. Let’s keep talking to each other. I hope this blog can help safeguard and continue this dialogue for healing–one that is fueled by hope and at the same time channels it.

– Excerpt from Ondoy Heroes

They do say all things pass–the best and the worst–and the storm that was Ondoy has passed. I pray that its lessons (and demands) have not been lost on us though….and that the dialogue for healing among ourselves lives on…Or better yet, that it has been translated into living hope, that is fueled by consistent action.

What have you done since September 26, 2009, or what have you done differently since then?

For me, the hoping (and seeking) continues in manilarat, where I still insist on finding beauty in the city (and country!) that we love to hate, and in finding the people who can help make it all happen…go go go tourism development! The green brigade lives on too, which is above all, a shift inside…

Various friends have helped campaign for their candidates for the recent elections; some actually ran (and won, yay!) for government. Others keep on fighting the good fight in NGO’s like Gawad Kalinga, and still others wave the Philippine banner in their own smaller circles of friends and families…

Wherever we are, we carry our best intentions for this country with us, so whatever it is you’re doing, whether you’re primed for the bida role or part of the supporting cast, fight on! You are not alone.

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Para sa bayan!

We have a new president!

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green and politics– what’s the latest?

Life in Nuvali PhilippinesTourism & Development, Government in Nuvali

$\"\"$ I’ve made no secret about my support for Nicanor Perlas, who is neither my relative, family friend, nor ninong.

Glad to see others are recognizing the same:

Perlas best bet to solve water woes, survey shows (Inquirer, 23 March 2010) — Environmental groups EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace show the results of their “Green Electoral Initiative” (GEI) survey, which ranks the presidential candidates’ green value based on their platforms on clean water. Highest mark of 8.7 points (out of 10) goes to Nick Perlas. Sen. Jamby Madrigal is second with 7.8 points, followed by Gordon with 7.2 points.

P30,000 water system solution–Perlas (Inquirer Visayas, 16 March 2010) — Nick Perlas gives a solution to water problem for farms that costs P30,000, can be set up in three days, and can irrigate three to five hectares of farms.

Other news on politics and the green agenda:

Madrigal is ‘greenest’ presidential bet (Inquirer, 22 March 2010) — another question-based ranking of the presidential candidates, conducted by Agham-Youth, Earth Island Institute, Takder, Katribu, Lakbay-Cagayan Valley, and Computer Professionals Union. Basis for the rankings: green beans cadre or how pro-people and pro-environment their answers are to questions such as the re-commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, commercial logging, Mining Act of 1995, coal power plant, Visiting Forces Agreement, Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, cleanup of toxic wastes, and commercialization of genetically modified organisms.

WHY I’M SUPPORTING NICK:

Long before I knew of his decision to run for president, I’ve heard stellar things about Nick from my friend Jason Gonzales, who knows Nicky personally and who is also running for a government position in Iloilo City. Nicky, says Jason, is a renaissance man (who never sleeps because of everything he’s busy with!), brilliant at everything he does, which include farming, microfinance, meeting with global leaders and thinktanks, etc.. His website is www.nicanorperlas.com. Also visit Nick’s facebook page. Medyo mabigat, and you need to set aside time for the long texts, but well-worth the read. I’m sure you’ll find his writings engaging, or inspiring at the very least. He won an Alternative Nobel in 2003.

Last June, I met him for the first time during the Pag-asa workshop on creativity and love of country, and I decided right then and there that wow, I want him as my president, and not just that–I want to help campaign for him. I’ve always wanted to do something good for the Philippines, but Nicky and this window we’ve been given to help him have made me want to do not just good but GREAT things! He’s such a capable man– finally we have someone with real qualifications running for office!

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Everyone on Nick’s team is a volunteer! Just volunteer! Or spread the word about this brilliant and growing pulse among Pinoys called New Politics.

Nick is also raising funds, here’s a message from Gil Alonzo, a volunteer fundraiser:

Dear All,

We are happy to inform you that we have been steadily gathering funds to match the P500T Challenge Donation that would, in total, raise P1M in campaign funds.

As a result of all our efforts, we now have P128,039.10 Just today, we added P20T by selling a rundown car to the junk shop. If you have any old car beyond repair, or any other major recyclable/saleable items that you would like to donate, please do so. Nothing is so small that we wouldn’t accept. Remember 3-year old Lareessa, who was our first donor of a 1-peso donation!

New Politics is about new approaches to getting the best candidate into power. Although we de-emphasize money in our campaign to have Nick Perlas elected, we also need minimal resources for operations, rentals, food, transportation, communication and production of campaign materials.

If we raise the P500T, we will will be able to get the other P500T challenge donation. This might be so small compared to the campaign funds of other presidential candidates, but this will go a long way for us, as this will add more mobile ads, more tarps, more flyers in recycled paper using soya ink, and another month of electric jeepney rental.

We can make this happen. Donate now!

With love and gratitude,

GIL ALONZO
Nick Perlas Volunteer Fundraiser
Meet the Challenge Within: The 500T Challenge Fund

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bamboo jeepneys in leyte

Life in Nuvali PhilippinesTourism & Development, Government in Nuvali

NOTE: This site got hacked last month and boo that my back-up didn’t include the latest 4 posts (lesson learned: back-up everyday!). I’m resurrecting this third of four posts (original publish date: January 2010) from loose emails and saved drafts.

Look at these ingenious jeepneys spotted in Leyte!

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Got these pics in the email last January 2010 from Dorothy Llariza, who said they were passed along by an acquaintance from India. At first glance, friends and I were quick to dismiss these jeepneys as “surface green”–they use bamboo and other indigenous materials, but still have the same constitution as their CO2-guzzling cousin…. or so we thought.

An online search just now led me to the site of TOTI Eco, which as it turns out is another ingenious project by a local government official (and also the source of the pics doing the email circuit)!

Feeling the need for a low-cost, fuel-efficient, safe, and environmentally-friendly alternative mode of transportation (versus the accident-prone habal-habal, a motorbike usually overloaded with passengers), Tabontabon mayor Dr. Rustico Balderian created the Tabontabon Organic Transport Industry (TOTI) Eco cars, which proudly claim to be a revolution in transportation:

Important Points to Keep in Mind About a Bamboo Car vs. Vehicles of Steel
-Our bamboo cars run 100% on coco-biodiesel.
-90% made of bamboo.
-Bamboo is indigenous & renewable.
-Bamboo is stronger in tensile strength than steel.
-It takes 5 tons of ore to make 1 ton of steel plate.
-Consider the heat needed to process 5 tons of ore.
-Made by Tabontabon’s Out-of-School Youth

ECO 1
ECO1 can seat 20 people including the driver. It can run on ONE gallon of Biodiesel fuel for 8 hours. It can climb more than 20% grade. It is covered in banig the Filipino woven mat.

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ECO 2
ECO2 is made of bamboo, seats 8 passengers, and has a stereo with sound system. It also runs on one gallon of biodiesel fuel for 8 hours.

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Future Models
Other models in production include another vehicle made of bamboo…including the chassis.

Estimated cost of Eco1 amounts to P200,000. Not sure how this compares to the steel Sarao…

Other projects by Mayor Balderian include the production of shredders, boilers and bio-reactors for solid waste management (package cost is at P650,000) and livelihood projects that reuse plastic waste into slippers, bags and bricks.

More pictures can be seen on the TOTI Eco website.

the secret is to empower people – Nick Perlas

Life in Nuvali PhilippinesTourism & Development, Government in Nuvali

Amazing that while transcribing videos of Nicanor Perlas (global environmentalist and 2010 Presidential aspirant), I came upon one video that had him talking exactly about SMALL FARMER PRODUCTIVITY.

This was just a few days after I chanced upon an article by Jeffrey Sachs in which he says that the world’s top 8 countries (the G8) agreed to give $20B to help small farmers increase productivity. Seems like a normal aid activity, but Sachs stresses that this “is a potentially historic breakthrough in the fight against hunger and extreme poverty,” adding that combined with other initiatives, it “could be the greatest step so far toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals… to reduce extreme poverty, disease, and hunger by half by 2015.”

Empowering small farmers to solve world hunger and poverty. Such a simple idea. Could this be it? A real answer that is doable NOW?

How does this translate locally in any case?

Nicky Perlas in the video below briefly shares real, applicable solutions to agricultural productivity that have come from 40 years of working with farmers. He studied, lived, and breathed agriculture–it is his great love. And the best part is he presents them as a man who’s actually running for the highest office of the land. Imagine having a president who understands, and one who understands really, and from the ground (he experienced it, still experiences it), that to help is to empower.

Nicky Perlas is the real deal. And this vision of empowering everyone, of including everyone is seen in every aspect of his candidacy– from his platform, to his dialogues with individuals and groups (from the grassroots to the national and even the global levels), and even to his manner of relating to his volunteers. His slogan says it all–Tayong lahat Perlas. The solution is in empowering EVERYONE.

Email me or visit nicanorperlas.com if you’d like to help empower others, and in the process empower yourself! $\":)\"$

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Watch all videos of Nicky Perlas during the Mindanao forum held in Davao City last August 27, 2009 here. I included transcriptions of each video/issue for easier viewing. Issues discussed as follows:

1. Six Pillars of his Platform
2. Leadership for Mindanao
3. Economic Development and the Environment
4. Farm Land Conversion and Low Agricultural Productivity
5. Agriculture and Food Security
6. Philippine Education
7. Not Being Corrupt When Elected into Office
8. Indigenous Peoples Act of 1997
9. Indigenous Peoples Education
10. Business Investments in Mindanao
11. Future of the Youth in Mindanao
12. Bangsamoro Juridical Entity
13. Laws to Protect the Environment
14. Three Women’s Rights to Protect and Promote
15. On Another Woman to Become President
16. Peace Agreement with the MILF

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jeffrey sachs on supporting small farmers

Farming and GardeningTourism & Development

A few weeks ago I watched a five-part BBC docu , How Art Shaped the World, which traced the roots of major themes of our modern lives—fascination with the female nude, death, exaggerated beauty—to traditions of the past that found expression in pottery, sculpture, images.

Found myself wondering why these ancient greats– Mesopotamia, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, Egypt– fell short of their promise and have become economic laggards today.. Is it a necessary to go up only to go down again? Egypt, for example, scaled the heights of power and conquest, and now, they’re among the world’s poorest. My mom went there in 2008 and went home saying the cars on the streets of Cairo were jalopies, worse than in Manila.

Jon told me to read Jeffrey Sachs’s “The End of Poverty” to understand why the rich countries are rich, and the poor countries poor. Great especially for non-economists. And it has a foreword by Bono. $\";)\"$

Have yet to get a copy of that book, but today I came across Jeffrey Sachs in goodplanet.info, where he makes a case for small farmers and why aid should focus on them: “The G-8’s $20 billion initiative on smallholder agriculture, launched at the group’s recent summit in L’Aquila, Italy, is a potentially historic breakthrough in the fight against hunger and extreme poverty,” adding that combined with other initiatives, it “could be the greatest step so far toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals… to reduce extreme poverty, disease, and hunger by half by 2015.”

Sachs defines “smallholder farmers” as peasant families that work on farms one hectare (10,000 sqm or 2.5 acres) or less in size. To put that into context, Serendra in the Fort is 12.5 hectares in size, equivalent to 12.5 farm households.

It’s not rare to hear someone say that the poor should just stay home or go back to the provinces and plant in their fields—at least they’ll have something to eat and won’t go hungry. Is the solution really as simple as this? Sachs says that:

[Smallholder farmers] are some of the poorest households in the world, and, ironically, some of the hungriest as well, despite being food producers…They are hungry because they lack the ability to buy high-yield seeds, fertilizer, irrigation equipment, and other tools needed to increase productivity. As a result, their output is meager and insufficient for their subsistence. Their poverty causes low farm productivity, and low farm productivity reinforces their poverty. It’s a vicious circle, technically known as a poverty trap.
…
Getting seed and fertilizer to smallholder farmers at highly subsidized prices (or even free in some cases) will make a lasting difference. Not only will food yields rise in the short term, but farm households will use their higher incomes and better health to accumulate all sorts of assets: cash balances, soil nutrients, farm animals, and their children’s health and education.

That boost in assets will, in turn, enable local credit markets, such as micro-finance, to begin operating. Farmers will be able to buy inputs, either out of their own cash, or by borrowing against their improved creditworthiness.

How serious is this new insight? How relevant is it to us Pinoys, who have so much arable land but so much poor?

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Agrarian Reform

Farming and GardeningTourism & Development

First part written on February 29, 2008:

Yesterday I sat through two talks on Agrarian Reform. I was depressed the whole day. Heard two other classmates– a French and American– getting all riled up over the issue: they were so upset, to the point of rage even.

Many peasant revolts in history were triggered not by ideology but by claims on land
30M hectares total land area in the Philippines, 10.1M hectares classified as agricultural land (used for farming)
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was drafted to distribute agri land to farmers
A heavily-edited CARP was passed under Cory’s term, with glaring (i.e. self-serving) conditions: applicable to rice and cornfields only
From the time of the prayle until today, who has made up government? Landowners
Landowners will protect their own
CARP, although flawed to begin with, has had gains–improved lives, etc.
But with no SUPPORT SERVICES for the beneficiaries (ex. credit line), it’s been very frustrating for all– the farmers, advocates of CARP, landowners
The Ramos administration has distributed the most land so far, but it was also FVR’s Philippines 2000 campaign that rezoned most of the covered agri lands to industrial/residential/tourism lands, making them exempted from CARP
Come June 2008, Congress will have to decide whether to extend CARP for another 10 years

landowners will vote no
leftists will vote no– in favor of a complete overhaul of the program (ex. immediate confiscation of land)

Should we be pushing for a YES?

Is land redistribution really the answer?
Agrarian reform programs in Japan, Taiwan, Korea worked. Common denominators?

they were swiftly implemented (under 3 years) vs. the Philippine program: it’s been 20 years and we’re still at it
done under an authoritarian regime vs. the Philippine way: democracy –there are too many people to please!

We had a real shot at it under Cory’s revolutionary government, but well, what great surprise, no real CARP happened, and her family’s Hacienda Luisita got a safe spot on the exemption list

Update (March 31, 2008):
I went to Bicol over Holy Week, where as a child I remember my parents would point to ricefields along the road and say, “Your lolo lost that land to land reform” or “Your tito‘s dad had a heart attack when government took that property.”

When I sat through those talks on land reform last Feb., I felt not just sad, but slightly defensive– landowners aren’t that bad. They couldn’t be. We’re also landowners (although our landholdings are relatively puny). And I have friends who are also landed, and their families aren’t evil.

From the talks, I also got the impression that real estate developers were the “bad guys” in the land reform issue. But being in a family engaged in real estate, I grew up with a bit more compassion for developers than my peers. As my dad always says in frustration, in the Philippines, it’s the private sector that often initiates development. Government won’t go out of its way to single out a piece of rawland, build roads and provisions for utilities, and then invite private groups to “develop” it for public consumption (ex. transform it into a business or residential district). It works the other way around. Add to that the red tape and bad business practices that are sure to turn off any lukewarm investor. Bottomline, you have to hand it to developers, or to some of them at least.

Is land reform an economic problem or is it also a morality issue? At the end of the talk, a friend and I talked about what we thought was the end goal of land reform and what motivated its advocates, and decided for ourselves that more than anything, it’s justice that they’re fighting for. Equitable distribution of wealth. Principle first (quite possibly because it’s their only recourse), practicality later.

Mixing morals with economics? Hmmm… I just attended a lecture by Prof. Randy David and Nicanor Perlas on “Transforming a Damaged Culture” last Friday, March 28, where it was brought up that the path to modernity is in NOT MIXING the different spheres in society… more on that later.

My take on it: I’m not making big claims on the land reform issue, especially after just two informal lectures on it, but I don’t think I can push for land reform if there are no real solutions to making it economically viable for farmer beneficiaries. What will they do with land they own but have no means of exploiting? Not to say that I’m all for idle lands in the hands of the elite. In an ideal setting, motto would be “Basta everybody happy.” This land problem involves matters outside of our individual capacities to address and is perhaps one issue (of many) that really does require the role of government as an authoritative institution to mediate or be the main actor (meaning it’s not just up to civil society or NGOs to make changes).

As individual Pinoys, can we also contribute something concrete? Is it enough to say “I’m minding my own business and I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes”? Small positive steps would perhaps be to be more scrupulous in our real estate investments. Do background checks, hold landowners accountable for how they exploit their lands… Also spread the word, open eyes and pay attention to what’s happening.

Looking at that list again makes me think that yes, these are good, “noble” things that one does when the sun shines. Meaning on a good day. One can think outside of the self and actually sincerely pro-actively reach out his hand.

What’s an everyday thing we can do, and do NOW? We are entitled (and actually obligated) to grow our assets, which include land/property among other great things like talent, relationships, etc. It’s in having wealth that we are able to share it and help others. Focus should be on wealth creation, which does cover wealth of mind, body and dignity. Just think better, all the time. Instead of “There’s so much poverty in the Philippines”, we can greet our mornings with ” What can I do today that will add to the richness already around me?” We can’t ignore that problems exist, but we don’t have to be sucked dry from feeling depressed over them. Again, make room for or spend energies only on creative ideas, everyday. (I’ve been reading “The Secret” again, you should too $\":P\"$ )

Related:
Real estate and land reform – short post about which Philippine developer I’m betting on

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how many elephants in the sky are pinoy?

Sustainable LivingTourism & Development

Winner of The Alliance for Climate Protection and Current’s “:60 Seconds to Save the Earth” Ecospot Contest” from climateprotect.org

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green grass of home

Sustainable LivingTourism & Development

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There’s no doubting it– green is definitely in these days, what with most of us already getting firsthand accounts of the baaad effects of climate change. Al Gore’s vivid campaign is ruffling feathers, to say the least, and I’m both glad and wholly appreciative that even in the business sense, Pinoys are turning green.

Heard about AyalaLand’s new project in Canlubang, called Nuvali (from the Latin nuvo meaning “birth of a star”). Literally a “new valley” in the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay area, it’s a 1,600-hectare megatownship development set for full bloom over the next 40 to 50 years. Eyed as the next Makati, its main thrust is 21st century technology meets back-to-basics harmony with nature. Think eco-friendly, ultra-modern sustainable living: clean lines, fluid designs, integrated zones (residential, business, services), and green green green everywhere.

My dad has always pointed out that in the Philippines, land development is generally in the hands of private/business groups, which themselves target areas for projects and take care of building the necessary roads and infrastructure. In other countries such as the US, it is the government that first develops a piece of land, after which it invites private investors to build and sell.

Being in the real estate business, I’m wary of companies out to profit on monster sales talks, but as I told friends, if there’s one company you can trust to deliver on its promise, especially for a project of this magnitude (expect it to shape future lifestyles!), it’s Ayala. Sure it’s still, first and foremost, a business, but I see nothing wrong with that. Hooray for that, I say: bring in money, circulate it to benefit more people, everybody happy!

The holistic vision for Nuvali is contagious and in my opinion, exactly what we want and need today. Our parents’ generation lived to fight for causes; our generation is living to enjoy (?) the fruits of their labor. “Doing the right thing” is not as much as a struggle as before, with social trends making it almost natural, automatic, expected. We are living in the “ever after”, in what comes after Sleeping Beauty wakes up.

Good news is we don’t have to wait so long to see this vision made manifest (even partially). Turnover for the project’s first residential lots is in mid 2009, but some areas will already be open to the public by next year, in April 2008. These include an iconic commercial and sales center reminiscent of Singapore’s new Harbour Front (or is it Vivo City? pic below taken last July) and an 8-hectare manmade lake with water buses and taxis.

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Coooool!

$5B for energy efficient buildings

Green Design and Architecture Sustainable LivingLife in Manila, Tourism & Development

Buildings in 15 cities around the world are poised for an energy efficiency makeover under Clinton’s Climate Initiative Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program.

Raised from loans from five global banks — Citigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank , ABN AMRO and JPMorgan Chase, the $5 billion budget for the project will be used to fund the overhauls of the buildings at no net cost, which “more than doubles the amount for energy-saving building retrofits”.

Also on board are energy service companies Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Siemens and Trane, owned by American Standard, which will boost capacity by permitting “large numbers of building make-overs” and will “financially guarantee energy savings from the projects”.

Participating cities are: New York, London, Tokyo, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Berlin, Chicago, Houston, Karachi, Melbourne, Mexico City, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Toronto. Governments have committed to “provide incentives for private building owners to become more energy efficient.”

Source: Clinton, cities, unveil $5 bln buildings energy plan

Of the list of cities, I think Manila compares to Mexico City, Karachi, Sao Paulo in terms of necessity for such an overhaul.

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more disturbance: let’s support pinoy

Sustainable LivingTourism & Development

Still hung up (i.e. depressed) over Inconvenient Truth, I also sat through a talk of Alex Lacson last week. Young lawyer and author of 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country — he is a simple man with a pleasing way about him, and also very “idealistic”. The very first “Thing” he discussed left me wanting to act, and act NOW: Support Filipino products.

Every peso spent on imported goods is one peso given in support of another country’s economy, not the Philippine economy. Every time we buy a blouse or dvd (oh no!) made in Bangkok or China, we are contributing to the bad business of local industries.

What to do? Alex Lacson recommends a 50-50 split between 1) supporting foreign investments and 2) economic nationalism. This will obviously require a lot of initial compromise (quality and value for money may need to take a backseat to plain belief in and support for the campaign), but it is what our industries need, perhaps to survive first, then improve and be competitive later on.

My dad always says that we are quick to call the Philippines an agricultural country, and yet we import most of our rice and cattle! I’m sure there are more complex theories on why the economy is the way it is, but on a personal level, this economic nationalism is something concrete that we can do, and do NOW.

Lacson said he started with changing the toothpaste of choice in his family (because one uses it three times a day, everyday). Colgate pulled out its manufacturing arm from the country and moved it to Thailand some time ago, so its products are no longer produced locally. Neither are Close up products. His household now boasts of pearly whites from Happee and Kumukutikutitap.

I asked where a list of all the Pinoy products which need Pinoy love and support can be found, and he indicated that one such compilation is in the works, c/o Cito Beltran and company. Right now what we can do is make the extra effort to read labels at the groceries, or ask our salesladies where whatever we are buying is made.

Why do I call this a disturbance? Because it is exactly that– we are called to ruffle our feathers, change our lifestyle, get inconvenienced. And the call is not coming from a plea– no one is begging or even persistently giving us a salestalk– we are simply being told how things are, we are being given the truth.

Sharing my favorite prayer below:

Disturb us, O Lord
when we are too well-pleased with ourselves
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord
when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the water of life
when, having fallen in love with time,we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord
to dare more boldly,
to venture into wider seas where storms show Thy mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
and invited the brave to follow. Amen.

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Gawad Kalinga: Leyte

Sustainable LivingTourism & Development

Ateneo/SLB Task Force Noah: Operation Southern Leyte
to shift to Rehabilitation
in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga: Leyte

On February 17, 2006, a massive landslide buried the people of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte under tons of mud, rocks and debris. The more than 1,800 residents who disappeared and are presumed dead comprise almost the entire population of the once peaceful farming village. What is now left of the place is a vast expanse of mud, and a handful of grieving survivors. Nothing much awaits relief efforts.

However, a few thousand residents of neighboring villages, and the few residents of Guinsaugon who survived, remain at risk. Their area has previously been declared a geo-hazard zone. People should not inhabit the place at all.

The thousands displaced do not just need relief — rice, noodles and sardines – they need rehabilitation — a more suitable place to live in, and new means of earning a living. They need to find life again.

The Ateneo de Manila University’s joint effort with Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, the Task Force Noah: Operation Southern Leyte is now shifting efforts from immediate relief operations to the longer term rehabilitation of Guinsaugon and the other affected barangays of St. Bernard, Leyte.

This phase will be undertaken in partnership with Gawad: Kalinga, the organization set up by private individuals now known nationally and internationally for its successful efforts in providing housing, livelihood and a new life to thousands of poor Filipinos.

Gawad Kalinga: Leyte is a call to all people of good will and good fortune – to share their blessings to the less fortunate, to be part of their struggle to once again find life.

Starting Wednesday, February 22,
Please send your donations directly to
Gawad Kalinga National Office

Direct Deposit to BPI:

Current PESO Account: 3101-0973-22
Current DOLLAR Account: 3104-0162-34

Account name: Gawad Kalinga Leyte, BPI Greenhills branch

IMPORTANT: For Proper Crediting of your Donation to the GK Leyte Fund (The bank does not provide us your name):

Please FAX a photocopy of your bank deposit slip to the Ateneo Gawad Kalinga office, fax number 63-2-426-5693 (Please be sure this information is legible on the fax) OR EMAIL the following information to slimuaco@ateneo.edu:

(a) Your name, address, and telephone number,
(b) The deposit amount and date
(c) That the donation is for “GK Leyte Rehabilitation”
(d) How you remitted the donation (direct deposit, bank-to-bank, etc.)

You may also donate in person directly at the Ateneo Gawad Kalinga office, 3rd Floor, Hoeffner Social Training Center, Telephone No.: 426-6001 loc 5024

Members of the Ateneo community and other concerned citizens, can still donate through Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan

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The Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan will continue to receive cash and check donations at the Loyola House of Studies Frontdesk from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm,

Direct Deposit to SLB account:

PESO Account: 3081-1111-61

Account name: Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

Please make checks payable to Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan.

*
You may also give your cash or check donations at Window 16A, Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA), Xavier Hall, AdMU, 8:00am to 5:00pm.

IMPORTANT: For Proper Crediting of your Donation to Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
(The bank does not provide us your name):

Please FAX a photocopy of your bank deposit slip to the Office of University Development, fax number 63-2-426-6080 (Please be sure this information is legible on the fax) OR EMAIL the following information to the Office of Student Affairs, Rene San Andres, rsanandres@ateneo.edu:

(a) Your name, address, and telephone number,
(b) The deposit amount and date
(c) That the donation is for the “GK Leyte Rehabilitation”
(d) How you remitted the donation (direct deposit, bank-to-bank, etc.)

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The World Challenge

Sustainable LivingTourism & Development

BBC, Newsweek and Shell have teamed up to give entrepreneurs a chance to win US$20,000 for their projects on community development:

The World Challenge is a competition aimed at finding individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. This competition is all about finding entrepreneurs whose projects are making a difference to communities.

Among the 12 finalists this year is Juboken Enterprise, a Pinoy company that makes COCONETS, surrogate tree roots made from waste coconut husks to prevent landslides.
Cast your vote here!

Other finalists:
ELEPHANT PEPPER,
Growing chillies: the solution to a jumbo-sized problem?
ZAMBIA, Africa

CAMEL MILKING BASKETS
Selling baskets made by pastoralists is giving women an income for the first time
KENYA

REAL IPM
Bringing down the cost of eco-friendly pest management using natural predators
*IPM stands for ‘integrated pest management’ – the use of natural predators to control pests.
KENYA

ORGANIC LEATHER FASHION
Badly produced leather can cause cancer – an organic alternative is on the market
UNITED KINGDOM & SLOVINIA

FAT CHANCE, BIO POWER
Cleaning up the Maltese coastline by turning cooking fat into a diesel-substitute
MALTA

RIET VELL: ORGANIC FARMING AND NATURE
Bird-friendly farming
SPAIN

MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
Improving the job prospects and quality of life of roadside labourers
SOUTH AFRICA

WEDDINGS THAT GIVE BACK
‘I Do’ Foundation: Americans spend $70 billion on weddings a year – a little is now going to charity
USA

REEF REHAB: RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PROJECT
Rechargeable batteries are restoring coral reefs in the Pacific
VANUATU

RESIN-BONDED ROOFTILES
Recycling plastic waste for indestructible roof tiles
UKRAINE

IRULA TRIBAL VENOM CENTRE
Supplying venom for medical needs
INDIA

Voting is open until 5pm 16th October 2005.

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