GROVE, Los Banos – Fire destroyed a house on a compound behind Sizzler’s last night, Sept. 12.

There were no injuries reported, aside from four puppies that died.

Police reports state that the fire broke out in 10453, Grove at 8:39 in the evening. The cause of the fire, however, was still unidentified.

“Nagulat na lang kami. Marami ng lumabalabas na tao, mga 8:40 siguro ‘yun. ‘Yun pala may sunog na. [We were shocked. There were many people going out (of Sizzler’s) at around 8:40 pm., only to find out there was fire already”], said Helen Garnale, a canteen keeper at Parduch.

Panic struck the nearby Sizzler’s dormitory and restaurant after the fire broke out.

“May tumili. ‘Pag tingin ko, after five minutes may apoy na. Nagtatakbuhan na yung mga tao, so nakitakbo na din ako… Five meters away lang yung sunog mula sa kwarto ko. (Someone cried. When I checked, after five minutes there was fire already. The people were already running, so I followed them… The fire was just five meters away from my room,)” said Maria Carmel Rimpos, a UPLB student and dormer at Sizzler’s.

The Batong Malake fire squad, however, was quick to respond.

“Tumawag ako ng isang mama, ‘di ko na nga naalala kung sino s’ya. Sabi n’ya s’ya nalang daw ang pupunta sa fire office. Ambilis ng Batong Malake. [I called a man on the street; I can’t even remember who he was. He volunteered to go to (the Batong Malake) fire office. (The) Batong Malake (fire squad) was quick],” said Mrs. Brenda Ramos, owner of the Sizzler’s dormitory and restaurant.

Mrs. Ramos let the fire squad enter the burning house through the front of her restaurant.

“Sabi ko wala po kayong dadaanan sa likod, dito na po kayo dumaan. Buti nalang dito dumaan, kundi kung sakali pati kami damay. Putok lahat ng salamin sa init ng apoy eh. [I said (the firemen) cannot enter at the back, so (they) can enter here (in the restaurant). It’s a good thing they came through here. The fire could have reached us. All of our windows exploded due to the heat],” she said.

Police reports stated that the fire was already under control at 8:58 pm. At 9:05pm, the fire was already out.

“Buti naagapan agad. Kung hindi, malamang mas malaki pa ang naging damage. [It’s a good thing (the fire) was put out immediately. It could’ve caused further damage]”, said PCI Andres Simbajon Jr.

Only the upper part of the house was burned. The house was said to be owned by a certain Velasco family who doesn’t reside there anymore. The lower part of the compound, however, was occupied by the Matias family.

“Kami mismo ‘di pa namin alam ang cause ng sunog… Buti na lang walang nasaktan. [Even we don’t know what caused the fire… It’s a good thing no one was hurt,” said Mr. Froilan Matias, one of the compound residents.

Paoloregel Samonte (with reports from Janica Gan)

by  Elsie E. Reyes

The Girl Scout of the Philippines (GSP) Laguna Council celebrated its 64^th anniversary in Camp Mariang Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna on September 8, 2013. The Pistahan sa Kampo is an annual gathering of girl scouts, from twinklers to senior scouts as well as their troop leaders, in the province of Laguna.

The participants took part in dance contests that featured traditional Filipino folk dances. With their respective coordinators, the girl scouts also set up booths and food stalls for the celebration.

Los Baños Mayor Caesar Perez, GSP Council Board President and San Pedro Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz, and GSP Southern Luzon Regional Executive Director Rebecca Basañes graced the event.

Mayor Perez emphasized in his talk that girl scouts play an important role in the observance of the town’s waste segregation and no-plastic ordinance. “Alam niyo, ang dami niyong batang ito. Kung kayo lahat ay tutulong  sa inyo inyong bayan na bawal kang magkalat, magkakameron ng ayos sa basura, magiging  malinis ang inyong barangay, bayan at ang ating lalawigan,” Perez told the scouts.

GSP Southern Luzon Regional Executive Director Rebecca Basañes expressed her delight because Laguna recorded the highest GSP membership among the 96 GSP councils in the country. Basañes further said that “Ang gusto ko, sa isip at sa gawa, ang lahat ng girl scouts ay nangunguna din”. Director Basañes also introduced to the scouts Ms. Aileen Reyes as the new Council Executive of Los Baños.

One of the highlights of Pista sa Kampo was the folk dance competitions for different girl scouts levels namely Tiklos for twinklers, Salakot for star scouts, Sakuting for junior scouts, Binuyogan for senior scouts, and Sapatya for troop leaders.

Among the winners were Calamba West District for the twinklers category, Calamba East District for the star scouts level, Rizal district  for the junior scouts category, and Sta. Cruz District for senior scouts category. For the troop leaders evel, Calamba West emerged as the victor.

This year’s Pistahan sa Kampo was organized by the GSP Council Board of Laguna, National Equipment Service, District Committees, District Field Advisers, and the Council Staff.

by Isabel L. Bondad

[NEWS FEATURE] On August 7, the Sampaloc Lake Fish Farmer Marketing Cooperative (SLFFMC) conducted a cleaning operation in Sampaloc Lake, one of the seven lakes in San Pablo City. The activity is part of the cooperative’s advocacy of keeping the lake clean and safe especially those residing near the lake.

Since 2011, the SLFFMC organized cleaning operations every month for San Pablo’s seven lakes. The cooperative coordinates with local fisher folks and their families for the regular cleaning of the lakes. Wives of the fishermen sweep the surroundings around the lake while the fishermen use nets with long sticks to get the garbage floating on the surface of the lakes. They make their rounds in their boats clearing the lake of garbage.

While the regular removal of garbage from the lakes are vital in the rehabilitation of lakes, SLFFMC aims for more sustainable means of achieving their goal of having clean and safe San Pablo lakes. The cooperative advocates good fishing practices among their members as well as regulate the number and size of fish pens in the seven lakes.

SLFFMC is an organization of fisher folks residing near the Sampaloc Lake. Victorino Anyayahan currently heads SLFFMC. Established in 2011, the organization remains active in keeping the lakes clean and in facilitating the lake rehabilitation. The cooperative aims for a sustainable source of livelihood, which can be achieved by rehabilitating the lakes.

San Pablo’s seven lakes are major sources of livelihood for many residents. Sampaloc Lake, the largest lake is in the city proper. Yambo and Pandin Lakes can be found in Barangay San Lorenzo. Mohicap, Calibato, Palakpakin, and Bunot Lake is located in Barangay Sta. Catalina, Barangay Santo Angel, Barangay San Buenaventura and Barangay Concepcion respectively.

According to Teodoro Reymina, an environmentalist and a known advocate of rehabilitation of the lakes, the bodies of water were once known for its clear and unsoiled waters. Because of excessive exploitation and human involvement, the water quality in San Pablo lakes has deteriorated. Illegal fish pens were built and garbage and other impurities were disposed in the lakes contributing to the worsening condition of the lakes.  Such condition was made worse with the excessive use of fish pellets  that led to the fish kills reported in the area. Fecal wastes from backyard piggeries of some residents also account for the impurities.

According to the water quality report of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), increased concentration of ammonia and inorganic phosphates were observed in San Pablo lakes. Such levels of substances exceeded the allowed and acceptable amount.

Furthermore, fecal impurities have been found on all the lakes. The Sampaloc Lake is reported to be the dirtiest of the seven lakes while Pandin Lake is said to be the cleanest but should still be guarded due to the amount of phosphate deposits found. Also, removing the excess impurities on the water of the Sampaloc Lake cannot be done on a short of period of time. This will take a long process since too many impurities such as ammonia and fecal matters were found on its waters during according to the water quality testing result.

LLDA also said that continuous efforts and community participation should be exerted in order for the lake to be free from excess impurities. Due to the overcrowding of fishpens in Bunot Lake, it was highly recommended that fishing activities be stopped to let the lake recover.

Given the situation of the lakes, several rehabilitation projects for the seven lakes were implemented by different non-government organizations from 1999 to 2008 however, very few of these efforts were sustained.

SLFFMC President Anyayahan said that the rehabilitation of the lakes is their responsibility as residents. He further explained that it would be to their disadvantage if the lakes are not rehabilitated as the lakes are their major source of income.

Local government efforts for the rehabilitation of the seven lakes include the Lake Watch, a program preventing further increase in the lakes’ condition. Commercial establishments around the lakes are also decreased in order to lessen the wastes on the lakes. Around 39 establishments were already removed while about 250 illegal settlers were relocated.

As a source of livelihood, fishing and handicraft making from the water hyacinth are some of the benefits the residents acquire from the lakes. The lakes are also abundant sources of freshwater tilapia and carp.

Aside from these, tourism has also been a source of income for the residents near the lakes. Boating services on the lakes was offered to tourists. Bikes can also be rented for visitors in the Sampaloc Lake. Floating cages were made available for tourists and other visitors to rent on Bunot Lake.  The green water rafting tour was organized in Pandin Lake by wives of fishermen in order to acquire additional income and to help their husbands earn money for their family.

Rafts can be rented on Pandin Lake. Wives of the fishermen serve as the sailors and this gives them extra income for their families.

As of July 2013, according to Reymina, there are already visible improvements on the lakes. The environmentalist said that the improvements since 2011, changes can be observed even on the air that we breathe around the lakes. The situation recently is now “better.”

According to Monina Eruno, a resident near the Sampaloc Lake, the project beneficial not only to those who live near the lake but also to other people visiting the lake. Hindi man nila malinis kaagad ang lawa, darating yung oras na babalik din ang lawa sa dati tulad ng kalinisan nun noong bata pa ako. (The lake may not be clean immediately but time will come that the lake will be back to the once clean and unpolluted lake when I was younger.)”

Although the project is already on its second year, according to Anyayahan, this is just the start of the rehabilitation. The members of the SLFFMC, with the residents, local government unit, as well as other members of the community will continue to work together for the rehabilitation of the San Pablo lakes.

It has been a year since Bryan’s little angel came to this world. He was 17 then, and all he ever wanted was to live out his “pagbibinata” and have fun.

Never did he think that one night out would change his life.

Last year, he needed to find a job to provide for the daily needs of his pregnant live-in partner. He worked as a bakery assistant, a market boy, and an illegal factory worker. He grabbed every opportunity just to man up to his responsibilities to his partner.

Bryan is just one of the many teenage boys who engage in premarital sex as a minor, and who needed to face the resulting pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy is a big concern of families, communities, and the government. A lot has been written about the issue, and many mechanisms are in place to help curb its incidence. However, the males’ side about this issue was rarely written about and heard.

Insufficient information, absent parents, and teen pregnancy

According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), there was a 65% increase on teenage pregnancy rate from 2000-2011. There are many reasons associated with this increase, including frequent Internet usage, insufficient access to information about sex, and lack of parental supervision.

In an article posted in rappler.com, Commissioner Percival Cendaña of the National Youth Commission (NYC) said that Internet and frequent use of social networking sites contribute to incidences of teenage sex and pregnancy because the ease of communication between lovers has “accelerated the time needed to be intimate.”

The Family Health Survey, on the other hand, pointed to insufficient access to information about sexual health and reproductive health services as a reason behind the phenomenon. But according to Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, it is not sex education that we need to give the teenagers but a strengthening of self control and valuing for life.

Another reason for teenage pregnancy is the opportunity for intimacy due to absent parents. In the Philippines where many children have OFW parents, teenagers spend a lot of “alone” time with their lovers and less with supervising elders who have authority over them. An article at youthpinoy.com quoted NYC Commissioner Cendaña saying that 36.7% of young Filipinos believe “early sexual encounter is acceptable in society.”

Desertion, “barkada,” and Bryan

Bryan came from a broken family. His mother went overseas and has been an OFW for almost six years now, leaving all her family responsibilities to her husband. She had since then lived a new life and raised another family in Iraq. Bryan’s father left him and his siblings under the care of their grandmother. Parentless, the only thing Bryan knew at that time was to study hard and to let his siblings enjoy life.

However, adolescence came, and his peers or “barkada” became his second family. His cellphone became his buddy, and girls became his playmates. With the onset of his teenage years, all he ever wanted was to forget how he and his siblings were left behind by their own parents and how cruel life could be. He stopped going to school because there was no financial support available for him. At a young age, he learned to smoke and to drink. His barkada became his refuge since he thought that this was all he got left. No education, no parental guidance, and, at that time, no valuing for his own life. “Patapon,” that was how he described himself.

All these pushed him to seek pleasures and fun. And he found those in bed. He was in a relationship with Mina for more than four months when they finally did it. However, once was not enough; they did it several times. He was confident the pregnancy would never happen.

“Naka-condom naman ako. Pero nung huli, di na ako nag-condom. Umiinom na si Mina ng pills,” he shared.

He thought that his limited knowledge about sex was already enough. But he was wrong. And that lapse in judgment led to little Samantha today.

Teen pregnancy, government action, and economic reality

Teenage pregnancy is notably observed among girls aged 15 to 19. The increase was 65% between 2000 and 2011, but birth rate in this age group was only 38% according to NSO.

On August 2, 2013 Laguna 4th District Representative Sol Aragones filed House Bill 377, or the “Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility and Opportunity Act.” This Bill seeks information dissemination on the bad effects of teenage pregnancy and/or its prevention, to be carried out by the health department, authorized educational and public health agencies, and non-profit private entities.

Earlier in July, the Commission on Population (PopCom) allotted two million pesos for a study about teenage pregnancy in the Philippine context.

In some parts of the country, there have also been initiatives that focus on teenage pregnancy, such as PopCom’s “500 million girls in the world today: Investing in their rights, health, education and potentials” in Region VI, and the move to ban teenagers from motels and beach houses, as these venues offer privacy and secrecy that encourage teens to commit premarital sex that often lead to unwanted pregnancies.

When Bryan found out that Mina was pregnant, he felt fear – for himself and for Mina. Before telling their parents, they tried to abort the pregnancy through drinking concentrated fabric conditioner. Samantha, however, was strong; she held on.

When Mina’s parent found out, ‘tinakwil nila si Mina,’ Bryan said. He stood by her side and faced the consequences of that lapse.

He immediately looked for job that could sustain their everyday living. For months, they were good. But when Samantha started to grow and learn to walk, Mina started to come home late and leave her child to the care of a 12-year-old babysitter.

She later found an older man with a stable job, and left Bryan. She took their daughter when she left.

He felt betrayed; he prioritized Mina and Samantha over his siblings, and even fought for them against Mina’s parents, but it seemed that these were not enough. Mina left, and this drove him to work harder. Even though his request to see Samantha was refused, he persisted, knowing it’s his right as a father.

Compared to the man Mina lives with now, Bryan said he is “nothing.” He could never afford what this man could give his daughter since his wages are just enough to cover their daily needs. But he never regretted having Samantha because he valued her more than anything.

His contribution to that part of her story

What Bryan regretted was loving Mina.

“Pareho sila ni Mama,” he said.

Bryan’s story shows that males are also affected in issues that concern females, especially teenage pregnancy. This is the often overlooked part of the phenomenon, as what The United States Office of Adolescent Health (USOAH) stated in its website: “Research and data collection efforts have tended to focus on female adolescents. As a result, less is known about the strategies and approaches for effectively engaging males in preventing teen pregnancies or even about their attitudes toward being a father.”

Since behavior of adolescent males is also important in preventing teenage pregnancy, according to USOAH, it is good to involve them in the campaign for responsible sexual behavior, as what Sonestain et al say in the book “Focusing On Kid.” While adolescent males rarely take part in raising babies, Sonestein believes that they should be included in campaigns for the prevention of teen pregnancy because of these 10 reasons:

1. It takes two to create a pregnancy.

2. Boys and men should be held responsible for their sexual behavior. Just because they cannot get pregnant does not mean they should be irresponsible.

3. Boys and men want to be more responsible about their sexual behavior. In one recent survey, more than 90 percent of teen males agreed that male responsibilities include talking about contraception before sex, using contraception to protect against unwanted pregnancy, and taking responsibility for a child they father.

4. Most boys and men are more likely to make better decisions about sex if they are given reasons to do so and are treated with respect.

5. Male partners strongly influence what decisions teen girls make about sex and contraception, especially when they are older than the teen girl.

6. Older men who become sexually involved with much younger minor girls can be held criminally accountable through statutory rape laws.

7. Prevention programs that provide mentoring and youth development activities can help young men by offering education, skills, employment opportunities, and hope, all of which build self-respect.

8. Building young men’s self respect helps them respect their partners.

9. Older teens and adult men are an untapped resource as leaders for teen pregnancy prevention programs.

10. Involving boys and men makes programming for girls more effective by addressing both sides of the teen pregnancy.

NYC Commissioner Cendaña also believes that the key to preventing teenage pregnancy is educating not only one party but both parties. In one interview with ABS-CBN network, he said: “Studies have shown that if teens know the consequences of their actions, chances are they will be more responsible when it comes to sex.”

Cendaña called on government and stakeholders to “address [present] situation given the [current] context, not the context 10 or 20 years before.”  (Andrea Joyce Arbues)