32nd Birthday - Jopet

For the person who loves me and whom I love even more, happy 32nd birthday!

I pray for you all the best things in the world. May God bless you more and more each day!

Thank you for being one of the super wonderful blessings in my life. I love you much!

Kiss :)

NAST Phl Gears Up for Good Water Governance in the Philippines

Guada B. Ramos and Dexter L.A. Bautista

The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) spearheaded the Roundtable Discussion (RTD) on Water Rights and Water Wrongs: Towards Good Water Governance for Development, with the Social Sciences Division at the helm through Academician Agnes Rola, who served as the focal person for the event. The activity was conducted at the Le Salon, Hyatt Hotel Manila, 26 January 2012.

Academician Emil Q. Javier, president of NAST Phl and chair of the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) welcomed the participants led by the Philippine Water Czar, Honorable Secretary Rogelio L. Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Acd. Javier stated that as part of its advisory function, the NAST ASM takes on key national issues and brings collective expertise not only from the Academy but from the whole scientific community to address such issues. Since water is becoming a pressing national concern, NAST believed that it is timely and appropriate to dedicate this year’s ASM to water and its many challenges and implications.

Being the first in the series of RTDs in preparation for the ASM in July, this RTD aimed to clarify the current state of water governance in the Philippines and recommend ways to improve it. Experts invited were Dr. Christopher Wensley, lead water resource specialist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Cristina David, former Research Fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Mr. Vicente Paragas, executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), Acd. Guillermo Tabios III, member of the NAST Engineering Sciences and Technology (EST) Division, Dr. Joy Lizada, dean of the College of Management, University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Prevelyn Gazmen, stakeholder manager of the Manila Water, and Dr. Ma Helen Dayo, director of the Gender Center of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Dr. Felino Lansigan of the Institute of Statistics, UPLB, acted as the moderator for the open forum and Dr. Juan Pulhin of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UPLB, synthesized the discussions.

Starting on the premise that “water is (a) human right”, Acd. Rola discussed the framework of analysis for water governance in relation to development. According to her, there is a need for (1) institutional body to govern watershed unit for its water resources and other environmental services; (2) instruments enabling efficient use of water at its highest value; and (3) broad support from local community, civil societies, and the local governments to ensure quality water management.

Dr. Wensley, on the other hand, discussed the Asian Development Bank perspectives on water resources management and water governance. ADB’s Asian Water Development Outlook of 2011 showed that household water scarcity is undermined by persuasive inequity; the region’s economic prosperity is imperilled by the poor health of 80% of its rivers; and the high disaster risk combines with low resilience can undo economic development. In order to address the global water crisis, ADB published the Water Rights and Water Allocation: The Foundation of Water Governance that tackles the issues of ensuring basic water rights, principles of allocation, managing water shortages, adapting to change, building capacity, encouraging consultation, and strengthening accountability.

Dr. David highlighted issues in water pricing. She reported that with the growing scarcity of raw water supply and increasing demand for water, there has been widespread belief since the late 1980s that appropriate water pricing is necessary for achieving allocation and management of water resources. However, the current scheme employed by local water districts and private groups like MWSS is rather incomplete. To address the growing concerns on water pricing, she suggested broadening the perspective in terms of policy, regulatory, and institutional instruments, to achieve overall objectives of improving water resource management, beyond just pricing. She also recommended an appropriate mix of public and private provision and management of water resources and greater user participation in decision making and actual management.

Mr. Paragas reported that there are more than 30 agencies in the Philippines managing water resources resulting in fragmentation and sectoral approach in water management. Due to the existing legal framework, there are overlapping and unclear delineation of roles and responsibilities. The present situation shows a need to improve the current management of water resources. Mr. Paragas proposed programs to improve water governance such as the (1) establishment of science-based decision support systems including climate change impacts models in the conduct of water resources assessment towards improved policies and decision making, (2) conduct research on water efficiency, alternative water management technologies and water accounting specially for irrigation use and promote its implementation; (3) review of the Water Code of the Philippines for possible amendment to be responsive to current issues and challenges; (4) implementation of policies on the issuance of Water Permit in critical areas; (5) partnership with government agencies and LGUs on the monitoring of compliance of the Water Code of the Philippines; (6) deputation of the DENR regional officers to bring NWRB nearer to the people; and (7) advocacy on river basin management.

Considering the current status, challenges, and issues of the country’s water resources, Acd. Tabios recommended the creation of a National Water Resources Management Council (NWRMC), which will include all existing agencies that have a stake in water resources and unite them into a single agency chaired by the President of the Republic of the Philippines. This council is expected to manage and protect the country’s water resources for domestic water supply, sanitation, irrigation, hydropower, fisheries, aquaculture, flood control, navigation, and recreation including the enhancement and maintenance of water quality, conservation of watersheds, control of water pollution and environment restoration without compromising the natural ecosystem functions and services.

Dr. Lizada showcased the Metro Iloilo Water District and discussed the controversies confronting it. She talked about the initiatives on water resource management of the Tigum Aganan Watershed Management Board (TAWMB) as the supply side and the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) as the demand side.

Ms. Gazmen recognized that the poor are most vulnerable to water supply problems. Manila Water initiated a program called Tubig Para sa Barangay (TPSB) to be able to provide water for the poor in urban communities. The program reduces high systems losses for Manila Water, and at the same time, it addresses the water needs of low-income communities. This initiative was commended by National Scientist Gelia Castillo during the open forum, who also suggested that maybe this can be replicated in more areas.

Dr. Dayo shared her work with the communities around Mt. Banahaw and its impact on gender relations including their struggle for the common property water resources coming from the mountain. Water scarcity is becoming a source of conflict in this rural area. The water concerns can be seen as a precautionary tale that shows how gender, institutions or religion and identity-related struggles unfolded in the rich environmental history of Mt. Banahaw.

In the end, Dr. Pulhin summarized the presentations by stating the basic premise of the discussion. He reiterated that water is a human right and a building block of development. He further added that Water RIGHTS involve water as valuable resource that is increasingly becoming scarce. It is an institution that covers the custom, behavioural patterns and rules that define access, use and management. On the other hand, Water WRONGS involve weak policy implementation, poor water quantity and quality, lack in coordination, capacity, and resources among the agencies and stakeholders involved. He added that existing policies do not mention climate change. The need to include environmental costs for appropriate pricing mechanism was emphasized. In terms of governance, a disparity between theory and practice including lack of science and technology-based decision-making was noted and should be addressed.

This is the first of a series of RTDs focusing on water issues and leading to the conduct of the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) in July 2012.

Pag-ibig ang Naghahari

Bukas Palad
from the album Maging Akin Muli

Panginoon, turuan Niyo po akong mabuhay sa araw-araw
Na hindi sarili lang ang ipinangingibabaw
Ito ang aking taos-pusong panalangin
At lubos na umaasang Inyong diringgin

Hayaan ang mga mata'y mamulat sa katotohanan
Ang pananagutan ay hindi malilimutan
Upang mabuhay na mag-uli at maluwalhati
At pag-ibig ang siyang tanging naghahari

Tulungan Niyo po ako sa lahat ng gawain
Upang maging matapat at maunawain
At malaman na ang pagsunod sa utos Niyo
Ay ang pagtulong sa aking kapwa-tao

Hayaan ang mga mata'y mamulat sa katotohanan
Ang pananagutan ay hindi malilimutan
Upang mabuhay na mag-uli at maluwalhati
At pag-ibig ang siyang tanging naghahari

Kapag ang aking gawain sa lupa ay tapos na
At ang bagong tungkulin sa langit ay nagsisimula pa
Nawa'y makaligtaan ang koronang nakamtan
Habang iniisip pa rin ang alay sa sangkatauhan

Hayaan ang mga mata'y mamulat sa katotohanan
Ang pananagutan ay hindi malilimutan
Upang mabuhay na mag-uli at maluwalhati
At pag-ibig ang siyang tanging naghahari

32nd Birthday - Happy! - Part 2

Jopet and I celebrated the part 2 of my birthday last January 14 and 15. Tapos na ang birthday ko. :) And I super love every minute of it! Fun, fun, fun!


January 14 - Day 2 of 3
We went to Ongpin to canvass for rings. Ana, my SFC sister who is based in Australia, volunteered to sponsor them as her gift to us. She's been bugging me to send her quotations since November last year. Last week, she reminded me again about the quotation so we decided to go and look around. We were able to buy model rings made of tungsten and styled exactly what we had in mind but we could not find ones that were made of gold.

After visiting a number of stores we decided to roam around the area to look for authentic Chinese cuisine. I was a bit hesitant to enter some stores since we were not sure if they were clean or not (sorry, maarte lang talaga). It was a good thing that Jopet agreed to eat at Eng Bee Tin where he ordered Singaporean Laksa.



January 15 - Day 3of 3
Feast of Sto. Niño

As promised, Jopet brought me to the National Museum for the completion of my birthday celebration. While inside the LRT, I saw people holding/hugging their Sto Nino images. Probably, they will attend the procession in Binondo.

I was overflowing with excitement as we reached the entrance of the National Museum! I super love the place! Everybody at the entrance was so nice and kind and helpful. Jopet and I did not follow the student’s line. We decided to have our own tour. Apparently we got lost and ended up at the back corridor of the second floor. We entered one of the closed doors and saw many foreigners and lots of lights. Jopet and I concluded that we were probably inside the shooting venue of Bourne Legacy. We decided to pretend that we were lost to check what was going on but as we made our way to the shooting area, we were approached by a man in suit who kept on saying, “nagbabawas kami ng tao! Nagbabawas kami ng tao!” Buti na lang someone at the back said, “Hindi boss, walk in lang mga yan” and he immediately ushered us to another door.

Compared to CCP, National Museum was a magical place! We were allowed to use our cameras as long as we turn off the flash. I love the history behind the artefacts carefully written on the information board beside each display; the old houses of our ancestors as well as their clothes and body ornaments; the preserved species samples in the biodiversity section of the museum; the paintings in the art gallery; even the column cladding at the main entrance of the museum! I mean everything about the place, I super love! =) And the best thing about the trip was that Jopet also enjoyed it.

10 things you should know about Ted Failon

One of my favorite personalities. Ted Failon was my big crush in high school (yes, I was and still am an AM radio-listening person) and had been the reason why I took up DevCom in college.

Ted Failon: From waiter to tricycle driver to newscaster
By Bianca Gonzalez
October 16, 2011

On radio and TV, he has a unique way of delivering the news and gives informed and witty commentaries. In person, he is simple as simple can be, very low-key and unassuming. Known to be a private person, he politely begged off having his photo taken during the interview, but agreed to behind-the-scenes shots during his live newscast. He smiles and laughs much more off camera than on camera.

We usually do not know much about the personal lives of journalists, but one of the things we do know about Ted’s personal life is the tragedy his family went through in 2009, when they were involved in a controversial case over the death of his wife Trina. Failon’s life has been filled with enough experiences for two or more lifetimes, and here are 10 things you should know about him:

1. Ted was once a room boy, waiter, construction worker, tsinelas vendor, tricycle driver, disc jockey, and was, most of the time, a working student.

His dad Jose was a jeepney driver and his mom Josefina who was a market vendor. Mario Teodoro Failon Etong was born and raised in Tacloban City, before moving to Manila where he eventually started his career. While in school, he had to work to help his parents, which was also how he developed his people skills and his gift of gab. He recalls these memories with fondness and shares a few stories. On the time he was 15 years old working as a waiter, “Nagtataka yung mga customer na kapag dumating yung order nilang fried chicken,parang may bawas. Kinakain kasi namin.” And he proudly shares that he was part of the “first batch ng room boy sa Tacloban Plaza.”

When Ted got married in 1983, he had to quit school and work full time at a local radio station. Not taking for granted the importance of education even when he was already working, 11 years after he left college, he enrolled at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and two years after, in 1996, graduated with a degree in broadcast communications.

2. When he was starting out in ABS-CBN, he practically lived in the network’s compound, sleeping in the janitor’s quarters every night.

“I was so eager to be in any network in Manila. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na kapag binigyan ako ng break, gagandahan ko at aayusin ko talaga ang trabaho ko,” he recalls. Doing his job as a desk editor from 4 p.m. to midnight, a radio show from 2 to 4 a.m., then often pinch hitting for the 4 a.m. show of the late Lito Villarosa, and sometimes even also for the 5 to 8 a.m. show of KabayanNoli de Castro, Ted found it “sayang sa pamasahe at sa oras” to go home every day. So he literally lived in the office for almost the whole week, and went home on Sundays. Ted first applied to ABS-CBN twice and was not accepted. It was when he tried a third time that he finally got the job as a desk editor in 1990.

3. Before ending his first year as a Congressman, Ted already talked to his ABS-CBN boss Gabby Lopez to ask if he could come back to the programs he had left as soon as his term would end.

With over two years left in his term, he told his boss “parang di ko yata ito kakayanin, pag umuuwi ako ng distrito ko para akong ATM machine eh.” He shares that with all due respect to other politicians, he has two reasons why he felt Congress was not for him. First, he says, “No matter how good your intentions are, or how great your advocacy is, at the end of the day pagbobotohan yan and if you don’t have support of the majority, ingay ka lang dun.” Second, he shares, “Ang dami nilang parang obligado kang buhayin mo sila, and when you refuse to heed to their demands, they will say ‘lilipat na kami sa kabila.’”

When he found out he could return to broadcasting, in 2004, he finished his term and all his projects in the district, and declared that he would not run again. No regrets though, because he was able to apply what he learned as a politician saying, “Pag nag-interview ako ngayon ng Congressman, di nila ako pwedeng bolahin.”

4. Ted Failon in numbers:

21 — His age when he married his wife, the late Trina Arteche-Etong, with whom he has two daughters (Kaye, 26, who works in TV production, and Karish, 15, a junior high school student).

2,600 — Amount of pesos a month he received as his first-ever salary at ABS-CBN.

45 — Awards received for broadcasting in radio and TV.

1 — Ballpoint pen that he uses in his signature move, placing his pen in his coat pocket after the closing spiel of “TV... (wait for it) Patrol!” He has been using the same Cross pen on the main newscast ever since he returned in 2004.

15 — Days a year he is allowed to go on leave.

14 — Number of newspapers he reads every morning.

5. On the issue of bribery in journalism, Ted says, “these PR guys know kung sino ang pwede nilang suhulan at sino ang hindi.”

He gives this direct quote and statement: “Yung industriyang ginagalawan namin ay maliit lang. Everybody knows everybody. At yung mga PR operators, maliit lang din na grupo yan. They know, among us, sino ang kanilang kaya, sino ang nasa kanilang payroll. Let them speak sa usapin na ganyan. I don’t want to pass judgment on my colleagues.”

He adds that if you are a keen follower of radio commentaries, you will know who is corrupt versus who is incorruptible.

6. Broadcaster Gabby Aurillo was the one who inspired him to try to make it big, and “Kabayan” Noli de Castro advised him, “wag kang mahiyang ilabas ang talento mo.”

Gabby Aurillo was a local broadcaster and the professor of Ted at the Divine Word University in Tacloban. Gabby became an anchor for Channel 9 news in Manila, which made Ted and other aspiring broadcasters in Tacloban look up to him. He said to himself then, “kung kaya ni Gabby, why not subukan ko din.”

Former Vice President Noli de Castro was the one who really helped Ted get his big break. When Kabayan would be absent from his radio or TV shows, he would insist that Ted be the one to sit in for him. “Pati kurbata ko kanya, at kung kasya lang sa akin Amerikana niya, siguro ipapahiram niya din yun sa akin,” Ted fondly recalls. Kabayan encouraged Ted in his work, and not once did Ted ever see unkindness from his mentor. From broadcasting to politics and back to broadcasting, things have come full circle for these two colleagues and good friends.

7. Ted’s good friend and long-time colleague Korina Sanchez on their one-in-a-million tandem: “I joke that after two decades of seeing each other every day in our morning radio program on DZMM, he is like a work-husband!”

Ted is the only boy in a brood of four children, and Korina the only girl in a brood of five. In what seems to be a partnership made in broadcasting heaven, they formed a real and deep friendship in a very competitive industry. Their list of award-winning hit programs include Hoy! Gising, Pulso: Aksyon Balita, Tambalang Failon at Sanchez, Harapan and TV Patrol. According to Korina, they share the same sense of humor, have similar advocacies, and they grew together both personally and professionally. According to Ted, “naiintindihan ko siya, yung mood niya, yung temper niya, at naiintindihan niya ako, yung mood ko, yung temper ko.”

8. He turns to books for answers.

On his office desk was the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, which he has read cover to cover to help enlighten him on how to deal with his daughters. They may not give him answers when he asks them “May nanliligaw na ba sa iyo? May nambu-bully ba sa iyo,” but he seems to be doing fine because his eldest daughter Kaye shares that the best thing about her dad is “his capacity for acceptance and understanding.”

On the set of TV Patrol, beside Ted’s chair and retouch kit was the book Pananampalataya written by his good friend Pastor Joey Umali. On the cover it read “Buhay na pag-asa sa pag-ibig ng Diyos” and inside, the bookmark he used was a photo booth shot taken of him and his daughter. He would read a few lines during commercial breaks.

Off camera, Ted’s executive producer Irene Javier-Manotok reveals that Ted is a very spiritual person, and that he once advised her that we should kneel when we pray. “I don’t want to be preachy about it, but I discovered so many things when I became more spiritual,” Ted shares. When asked what Bible verses are his favorites, he effortlessly recites chapters, passages, and lines, citing the books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and Philippians.

9. He still finds himself asking questions about the fate of his dearly departed wife Trina.

“Meron pa rin sa aking mga low moments, meron pang panghihinayang. Bakit kinakailangang mangyari? Bakit kinakailangang humantong sa ganun? Hindi pa rin nawawala yun,” Ted opens up. After that incident, he shares that “life is too short,” which is his life philosophy. We should enjoy it, we should do what we can to help others, and we should do what we want for ourselves, because no one knows what will happen tomorrow.

10. Ever since he and his daughters lost his wife, Ted declared one most important, basic rule to his family: “Errors are accepted in this home.”

“Lahat tayo nagkakamali,” Ted declares. And he reaffirms his two daughters by telling them, “Kapag nagkamali ka sa anumang desisyon mo, sa anumang ginawa mong bagay, mali man ito sa mata ng lipunan, sa ibang sektor, sa ibang tao, nakagawa ka man ng hindi tama.. Bago mo kausapin ang kaibigan mo, barkada mo, sa takot mo na magagalit ako, hindi dapat ganun. Dapat ang una mong kakausapin, ako. Tatlo tayong mag-usap, kasi wala ka nang ibang uuwian. Pag nagkamali ka sa labas, you seek refuge sa bahay. Tanggap ka dito, dahil bahay mo ‘to. Yun ang rule number 1.”

For this family man and passionate broadcaster, life is simple. He does not have more than one credit card (he has one foreign card for when he travels, which he hardly does), he does not bring his wallet to work because “wala naman akong inaasahan na bibilhin ko,” and the one thing he wants to achieve more in life is to see his youngest daughter Karishma graduate college. They say that there really is no sure “secret” to success, but in the life of Manong Ted, simplicity, humility and hard work seems to be what brought him straight to the top.