Lanie Malihan: Reyna ng Ultramarathon

ni Aletheia G. Canubas

“Pangarap ko talagang matakbo ang buong Pilipinas at ang mensahe ko habang tumatakbo ay pangalagaan ang kapaligiran. Ayaw ko kasing mangyari uli ang nangyari noon sa [Bagyong] Yolanda.”

Ipinapakita ng pangarap na ito ang mga bagay na mahalaga kay Melanie A. Malihan – ang pagtakbo at ang kalikasan.

Bagama’t tubong Bay, sa Los Baños na nahubog ang pagmamahal at talento ni Lanie, 30, sa pagtakbo. Nagsimula siyang sumama sa isang kaibigang mananakbo noong 2006. “Patakbo-takbo lang ako noon,” ani Lanie.

“Sumasama sa training namin yan noon, hindi pa tama ang basic running posture at naka-tsinelas pa,” ani Coach Nick Gandeza, ang running coach ni Lanie mula taong 2009 hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Nagsimula siya ng ‘focused at seryosong’ pagtakbo noong 2009. Ang mga running outfit at gadgets ni Lanie ay kalimitang bigay ng mga kasamahan sa Laguna de Bay Running Team. “Ipinanghiram ko rin siya ng running shoes. Medyo malaki sa kanya yung naipahiram at para siyang penguin pero tumatakbo pa rin siya. Napaka-determinado,” dagdag ni Coach Nick.

Sa ngayon, full-time siyang tumatakbo. Nag-eensayo siya kada makalawa. Sa programang binigay sa kanya ni Coach Nick, dapat makatakbo siya nang may kabuuang 50 oras mula sa 16 na beses na takbo sa isang buwan o humigit-kumulang tatlong oras kada araw.

Minsan ay tumatakbo siya mula alas singko hanggang alas nuwebe ng umaga o simula alas tres hanggang alas siyete sa gabi bukod pa sa pace work at speed training. “Depende sa pakiramdam mo, kailangan kasing makinig sa katawan,” sabi ni Lanie. Ang mga karaniwang ruta ng kanyang ensayo ay mula Bay hanggang Calamba, o Caliraya, o San Pablo at pabalik sa Bay.  Nag-eensayo din siya sa UPLB. “Magandang training ground ang campus, pati pang-high altitude sa may National Arts Center, sa Jamboree, sa Mud Spring, at Mt. Makiling Rainforest Park,” ani Coach Nick Gandeza.

Tuwing Linggo, isinasagawa niya ang Long, Slow Distance training (LSD) na inaabot ng 6-8 oras na takbo na may kasamang walking breaks. Ito ay para sa mga ultramarathon runs niya.

Sa kasalukuyan, ang pinaka-malayong distansya sa karera na natakbo na ni Lanie ay ang 2014 Bataan Death March (BDM 102) Ultramarathon Race na may layong 102 kilometro (km).

Sa nasabing paligsahan, nakuha ni Lanie ang unang pwesto sa mga kababaihan at pangalawa sa lahat ng mahigit 300 na tumakbo. Nagtala siya ng oras na 11:18:24 – ito rin ang bagong record ng mga kababaihan sa BDM Ultramarathon Race para sa 102 km.

Nakuha din niya ang ikalawang pwesto sa mga babae mula sa 405 na nakilahok sa Mayon 360˚ Ultramarathon Race na may distansyang 80 km. Nanalo din siya sa ginanap na Independence Day Ultramarathon noong Hunyo 15, 2014 sa Kawit, Cavite, kung saan siya ay nagtala ng oras na 5:57:59 para sa    54 km na takbuhan.

Pinapayuhan lamang ni Coach Nick si Lanie ng mga dapat niyang sundin upang manatiling malusog at malakas para sa ensayo at mga karera. Si Lanie na mismo ang naghahanda ng masustansyang pagkain, nagsisiguradong walong oras ang kanyang tulog, at umiiwas sa mga bisyo gaya ng pag-inom at paninigarilyo.

Pagkatapos ng mga mahabang takbuhan, may dalawang araw si Lanie na recovery period. “Kailangang ipahinga ang mga muscles at tissues sa katawan,” aniya.

Kung walang karera at kung hindi nag-eensayo, masaya si Lanie sa simpleng buhay sa bukid. “Laking bukid kasi talaga ako – nagtatanim sa palayan, namimingwit sa sapa, ganun.” Mayroong tindahan dati si Lanie pero natigil ito dahil walang nakaka-pag-bantay. “Nag-iipon na uli ako para mabuksan ko yung tindahan,” dagdag ni Lanie.

Ayon sa mga tala ng kanyang pagsali sa mga karera at time trials kasama ang mga teammate, halos 1,600 km na ang kabuuang layo na natatakbo ni Lanie mula 2011 hanggang 2014.  Hindi pa kasama ang halos araw-araw na kanyang tinatakbo para sa ensayo.  Sa 72 karerang kanyang sinalihan, nakuha niya ang unang pwesto sa 32 pagkakataon.

Hindi na malayo sa pangarap niyang matakbo ang buong Pilipinas na ayon sa nationsencyclopedia.com ay may habang 1,851 km mula timog-timog silangan hanggang hilaga-hilagang kanluran. “Pinaplano na namin yan pero sa tingin ko ‘pag 40 years old na si Lanie namin yan magandang ituloy,” ani Coach Nick.

Ayon kay Coach Nick, kailangan ng matinding pagpa-plano, pag-eensayo, at suporta ang ganitong takbuhin.

Sa lahat ng ito, hindi kuntento si Lanie na tumakbo lamang para manalo. “Ayoko ng takbo lang nang takbo, gusto ko iyong pagtakbo nakakatulong din sa community ko,” sabi niya.

Sa nalalapit na hinaharap ay matutupad ni Lanie ang kanyang pangarap na takbuhin ang buong Pilipinas kasama ang kanyang mensahe na pangalagaan ang kapaligiran. Sa ngayon, patuloy siyang nag-eensayo para sa mga ultramarathon races na kanyang sasalihan at ipapanalo.

Upang malaman kung paano masuportahan si Lanie Malihan sa kanyang mga karera, makipag-ugnayan lamang kay Coach Nick Gandeza o bisitahin ang kanilang Facebook Page (Laguna de Bay Running Team).

[The Mulching Matsing] Nu Wave Farmers

By Jabez Joshua M. Flores

It’s the same old song. The farmers are getting older and the kids are getting smarter. So they flee from the “probinsya” to pursue dead-end jobs in the city. Everywhere in the world it’s the same. Farming, as a profession, has never really gotten any amount of “cool” compared to mainstream professions such as engineering or medicine. Farming has always been known as something that you do when you don’t finish school. Farming is what happens when your teacher angrily tells you to “go home and plant kamote.”

But like everything in this world, change is bound to happen. And people are starting to understand and see life in its entirety rather than in bits and pieces; holistic systems thinking in place of analytic linear thinking; advocacy rather than ambition; and spending time instead of spending money.

However, these changes did not happen overnight. And it’s not going to be a fad either. Mother Earth herself is pushing us to change our ways. The way we farm, the way we eat, and the way we live.

Enter the Nu Wave Farmers—by strict definition, farmers born in the 1980s (hence the Nu Wave label referring to the popular music genre of that decade), but also includes new organic farmers who emerged from the early 2000s to present. Enlightened, inspired, motivated and artfully cash-free, these farmers see a bright new future for farming. And not just any kind of farming but ORGANIC farming.

When Organic Agriculture was first offered as a 16-week non-formal/continuing education course at the UP Open University in 2012, it signaled the beginning of a new era for organic agriculture. An era wherein tech-savvy farmers, young and old, armed with digital cameras, smart phones, and crazy social networking skills would begin to make noise and buzz en masse like a cloud of bumblebees.

The online course itself was a radical step in the first place. While searching for a venue to teach the organic agriculture modules, university researchers Dr. Blesilda Calub and Dr. Edna Matienzo of the Agricultural Systems Cluster in UPLB, made a left turn to UPOU and turned to the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, headed by Dean Dr. Inocencio Buot Jr., for some love and appreciation. The course was accepted and after producing four batches of organic agriculture graduates since 2012, I guess it’s safe to say that things really worked out well and even exceeded the course’s expectations.

Who are the Nu Wave Farmers and what do they do? You’ll find out soon.

Kids who got tired looking for decent-paying jobs in the city;
Kids who got fed up with office work and routine;
Kids who felt that they were meant for so much more;
These are smart kids who long to express themselves and make a difference in this monochromatic world.

#NuWaveFarmers

Jabez Flores is an organic farmer and permaculture designer for Kainos Farm in Calamba, Laguna. He maintains his own garden in Los Baños called Daang Kalabaw Community Garden. He finished BA Sociology at UP Los Baños in 2007; Certificate in Organic Agriculture at UPOU in 2012; Basic Permaculture Design at Cabiokid Foundation, Nueva Ecija in 2014; and is currently taking up his master’s in Environment and Natural Resources Management specializing in Upland Resources Management at UPOU. He also teaches Personal Entrepreneurial Development at UPOU. To know more about what Jabez, visit his blog and The Mulching Matsing Facebook Page.
The Mulching Matsing is a column dedicated to encouraging the community members, especially the youth, to engage in organic farming.

Registration for 3Q PESO training courses ongoing

The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) is inviting applicants for the 3rd quarter training courses offered by the PESO CAESAR Los Baños Manpower Skills Training Center (PCLBMSTC). Training sessions will start in October. The training courses include:

  • Shielded Metal Arc Welding 1
  • Basic Computer Literacy
  • Computer Hardware Servicing II
  • Massage Therapy II
  • Carpentry II
  • Basic Plumbing II
  • Automotive Servicing II
  • Dressmaking
  • Electrical Maintenance II
  • Ref and air-conditioning Technology II
  • Electronics
  • Basic Cosmetology
  • Motorcycle Technician
  • Call Center Training/ English Proficiency

For inquiries, call (049) 536-5976 or visit the PESO Office at the Gabaldon Compound near the Immaculate Concepcion Parish in Brgy. Baybabayin in Los Baños, Laguna.

[PR] ARTIST Inc. to hold int’l educ, arts conference

[Press Release] The Arts Research and Training Institute in Southern Tagalog, Inc. (ARTIST, Inc.), in partnership with the Linang Arts and Culture Network, Inc., University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will host  the International Conference on Culture-Based Education and Arts 2014 on July 23 to 26 at UPLB in Los Baños, Laguna.

The conference is a gathering for educators, pedagogues, art educators, cultural workers, and arts practitioners engaged in culture-based education across nations. It hopes to surface the different experie
nces in culture-based education and art of different countries in Asia-Pacific and Europe. National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera will deliver the keynote address.

Topics cover, inter alia, mainstreaming culture-based education, integrating indigenous knowledge, and tapping special program in the arts within formal and informal education. Participants may also engage in workshop demonstrations, which cover, inter alia, topics on  archiving regional folktales, playing indigenous instruments e.g. ganza and kulintang, and innovating teaching thru media technology.

To broaden the conference discourse on the theme of culture-based education and the arts, speakers include Mr. Tatsuo Kitagawa, Director of Japan Information and Culture Center; H.E. Asif Ahmad, Her Brittanic Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines; Lucy Jeonghwa Lee, South Korea; and Dr. Tran Thu Thuy, Chief of Education Department Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, among others.


For queries, you may visit the website: www.artist-inc.org, or reach us via email: [email protected] and landline: (049) 536-6680. You may also contact Mr. Dan A. Dagondon, Project Coordinator at 0916-316-4863; or Mr. Edward P. Perez, Head Convenor at 0915-999-5147.

[PR] Sta. Rosa to serve as home of the first PH Saddleback Church

by Rosmelia Raymundo

[Press Release]  On July 19, the first Saddleback South Manila worship services was held at 3pm and 5pm at the  at the Nuvali Monochrome in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Saddleback South Manila, the newest campus of the original Saddleback Church based in Lake Forest, California, was founded in 1979 by Pastor Rick Warren of the international best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life, the church considers itself to be a place where the community can come to “find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness, guidance and encouragement”.

The Sta. Rosa-based church is one of the 12 churches that will be planted in gateway cities around the world to enable the group’s mandate of sharing the love and power of God. Saddleback churches are already up and running in Hong Kong and Buenos Aires, while the remaining target cities will be Amman, Johannesburg, Berlin, Mexico City, Bangalore, Accra, London, Moscow, and Tokyo.

One of church’s main initiatives is the PEACE plan which is their hopeful response to what they believe are the five global giants that oppress people worldwide.  PEACE plan stands for: Plant churches to address the giant of spiritual emptiness, Equip servant leaders to address the giant of self-serving leadership, Assist the poor to address to giant of poverty, Care for the sick to address the giant of disease and Educate the next generation to address the giant of illiteracy. Through the leadership of Rick Warren, Saddleback has initiated this Global Peace 12-City initiative believing in the importance of the church in addressing these issues.

Dr. Narry Santos and his wife, Hazel, will lead the Philippine Saddleback Church. Pastor Narry served as the Southeast Asia National Coordinator for the Purpose Driven Church network, established from the principles found in Rick Warren’s book, Purpose Driven Church. He has been in full-time ministry for two decades, both here and in Toronto, Canada.

Currently, Pastor Narry and his team have already reached out to the Mayor of Sta. Rosa, Hon. Arlene Arcillas and key point persons of the city such as the leaders of Homeowners Associations. This is to express their heart and willingness to serve and assist social development programs for the city. Their goal is to reach out to the area south of Manila and its neighboring communities, one of which is Los Baños.

To learn more about http://www.saddleback.com.ph or follow them on facebook.com/saddlebackmanila.

LB Nutrition Office pararangalan ng PAN

ni Ricarda Villar

Sa pangatlong pagkakataon, kinilala ng Philippine Association of  Nutrition (PAN) ang Los Baños sa natatangi nitong pagsasagawa ng pabasa sa nutrisyon sa iba’t-ibang barangay. Paparangalan ang Los Baños ng PAN Outstanding Pabasa sa Nutrisyon Award sa ika-18 ng Hulyo sa pagtitipon ng mga miyembro ng PAN sa Marco Polo Hotel, Cebu City.

Ayon kay Dr.  Maria D. Cerezo, ang nutrition officer ng Los Baños, isang malaking karangalan para sa Los Baños at sa kanilang tanggapan ang pagkilala ng PAN.

Layon ng Los Baños Nutrition Office na higit na pag-igihan ang pagsasagawa ng mga proyektong pangkalusugan para muling makilala ng PAN sa susunod na taon at mapababa ang kaso ng malnutrisyon sa Los Baños. Hihiranging “Hall of Famer” ang mga munisipyo at lungsod na nakatanggap ng PAN Outstanding Pabasa sa Nutrisyon Award sa apat na magkakasunod na taon.

Ayon kay Dr. Cerezo, ang nutrition officer ng Los Baños mula 2009, ang taunang pagkilala ay iginagawad ng PAN sa mga munisipyo at lungsod na epektibong nakakapagsagawa ng mga gawain at proyektong pangkalusugan sa kani-kanilang lugar.