Pink, white teams vie for lead in LB basketball games

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A player from Brgy. Timugan (White) shoots the ball while players from Brgy. Lalakay (Pink) tries to do a rebound.

by Gumamela Celes Bejarin

At 3:30 pm today, the Timugan Basketball Court echoed of good humored laughter and screams as the crowd cheered for the basketball players in pink and white.

The Gay Basketball was organized by the Los Baños Group (LBG) and the BIG Basketball as a pre-fiesta event for Barangays Bambang, Baybayin, Lalakay, and Timugan.

“Ginawa ito para sa kasiyahan ng mga tao,” said Randolph Tolentino, LBG CEO and Vice President. Although this is their first time to organize the event, Tolentino said they may organize it yearly because of its success.

“We consider them as part of our community dahil tao din naman sila na nakakapagbigay ng saya sa lipunan,” Tolentino said when asked why they considered gays as the participants. “We respect their personality,” he added.

According to Mark Joseph Marti, one of the audience, he wanted to watch the event because it is not usual for gays to play basketball. He said that he enjoyed watching the game.

“I joined the game just for fun,” said Mike Nico Paner a player of Brgy. Timugan. He also said that the game was both tiring and fun.

Em-Em Mendoza, a player of Brgy. Lalakay said, “Masaya kami dahil as a gay, di namin naeexperience magbasketball talaga. Napatunayan namin na hindi lang mga lalaki ang nakakapagbasketball.”

For today’s game, Brgy. Lalakay won against Brgy. Timugan with the score of 16-12.

Tomorrow at 3:30 pm, gays from Brgy. Bambang and Brgy. Baybayin will also play at the Timugan Basketball Court.

According to Tolentino, the championship game for the gay basketball is not yet scheduled.

LB holds JOB FAIR 2012: Trabaho Para Sa ‘Yo

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By Kamille Anne C. Anarna

The municipality of Los Baños and the Sangguniang Bayan, in partnership with Workabroad, is currently holding a job fair at the municipal covered court of Brgy.  Baybayin in Los Baños, Laguna.

About 38 local and 28 international agencies and companies are participating in the said event.

As of 12 noon, 542 job seekers from Los Baños and 114 from other municipalities have already registered. Those wishing to apply for jobs are encouraged to bring their resumes and sign up at the booth of their chosen agency or company.

The event will run until 3pm this afternoon.

Bañamos 2012 Schedule of Activities

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by Ladylove May B. Baurile

Los Baños organized a month-long celebration of the Yuletide season and this year’s Bañamos Festival. Activities lined up for Paskuhan sa Bagong Los Baños are as follows:

  • Marian Convention (Dec. 6)
  • Dia Agua Santa: Elejer and Fluvial Float (Dec. 7 )
  • Musikohan and Fiesta ng Bayan (Dec. 8)
  • Himigsikan (Dec. 9)
  • Miss Los Baños Talent Night (Dec. 12)
  • Miss Los Baños Swimsuit Competition and Make your Move Dance Competition (Dec. 13)
  • Los Baños Idol (Dec. 14)
  • Miss Los Baños Coronation Night (Dec. 15)
  • Grand Revelry (Dec. 16)
  • Kasalang Bayan (Dec 17)
  • Barangay Trade Fair (Dec. 7-16)

“Kahit na lately merong mga calamities, kahit na maraming nangyari sa Los Baños, atleast ma-feel ng mga tao na yung Christmas nandyan parin,” explains Municpal Tourism Officer KC Manaquelod.

Paskuhan sa Bagong Los Baños is part of the town’s Bañamos Festival, an annual festival that used to be celebrated in September. This year’s celebrations were moved to December as the local government focused on providing assistance to the flood affected barangays of Tadlac, Mayondon, Malinta, Bambang, Bayog, and Baybayin.

MSWDO distributes relief goods to flood victims

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by Gumamela Celes Bejarin

At 3 pm today, the Los Baños Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) distributed relief goods to flood-affected residents of Barangays Bambang, Baybayin, Bayog, Malinta, Mayondon, and Tadlac.

Flood-affected residents of Barangays Bambang, Baybayin, Bayog, Malinta, Mayondon, and Tadlac line up to receive relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

MSWDO Officer-in-Charge Luzviminda Alvarez said that about 1,800 families are expected to each receive a 250-peso worth of goods.

“Malaking tulong na rin sa amin yung kaunting natatanggap namin. Nagpapasalamat na rin kami dun,” said Gloria Asajar, a resident of Brgy. Tadlac. Nally Insepto, a resident of Brgy. Malinta, also said that her family is thankful for the assistance that they received.

MSWDO coordinates with the Region IV-A Office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the distribution of aid to calamity victims.

Los Baños eyes measures on informal settling

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A child stands in front of their house found in Maahas, Los Baños relocation site. The relocation site has 76 houses which the Municipal Urban Development and Housing Office built for informal settlers of Barangays Bambang and Lalakay.

by Asle Carey A. Ciscar

The woman wailed when she saw their clothes, utensils and other belongings washed out from their house in Bambang, Los Baños. The sight was painful for Irene Malana, 44, who had their house cleared during the havoc of Habagat or southwest monsoon in August.

Malana said it was past midnight of August 8 when they heard a huge blast due to collapse of terrain and rocks from the mountainside. She said that upon hearing the blast, residents immediately ran to the evacuation center because of fear for massive landslides.

“Akala namin hanggang doon nalang ang buhay namin kasi may gumuguho dito, mayroon din dyan, meron pa doon. Kasabay pa nun yung napakalakas na daloy ng tubig na may kasamang mga bato [We thought that our lives would end there because there were landslides everywhere. Synchronous to it was flashflood that carried away rocks], she said.

Malana was one of the 496 informal settlers in Bambang who were displaced from their houses due to massive flooding, rockslides and landslides. Yet despite the risks of informal settling in Bambang, barangay officials said that the number of informal settlers is increasing. From 1,345 families in 2008, they already have recorded 1,800 families in the first quarter of 2012.

Increased informal settlers

Records from Municipal Urban Development and Housing Office (MUDHO) show that the increase is not in Bambang alone, but in the whole Los Baños, Laguna. From 6,366 families in 2011, MUDHO has recorded an increase of 462 families in 2012. Bambang has the highest number of informal settlers among the municipality’s 14 barangays.

According to National Statistics Office (NSO), it has a total population of 109,210 in 2011, about 31% of which are informal settlers or squatters. Los Baños is located just 63 kilometers southeast of Manila, which also has its problems with informal settlers.

According to MUDHO Administrative Assistant Annie Dimaano, the increase was highest since the start of informal settling survey in 2002. She said that even if no relocation of informal settlers from Manila to Los Baños was taken, the increase was still incurred due to increased number of immigrants from different provinces such as Sorsogon, Bicol and Quezon.

Comprehensive inventory

In response to informal settling problems, MUDHO has started in August its first Comprehensive Inventory of Informal Settlers. The inventory involves demographic and economic profiling of informal settlers in the whole municipality, as well as other factors that would help MUDHO in establishing appropriate solutions.

“Hindi tapal-tapal na solusyon ang gusto ng present administration, kundi permanent solutions. Kung walang inventory, kung ano lang makita, yun lang ang masosolusyunan [The present administration wants not selective but permanent solutions. If there’s no inventory, only those problems seen can be solved],” said Dimaano.

Dimaano added that the result of the inventory will be the “basis of MUDHO in establishing comprehensive, permanent and rational shelter plan” to address informal settling problems in the municipality.

Relocation

MUDHO has also been relocating residents from Bambang, Lalakay and Tuntungin-Putho to relocation sites in Maahas and Lalakay.

The program called Core Shelter Assistance Project (CSAP) provides “typhoon resistant housing units” for families who were greatly affected by typhoons Milenyo and Reming. Each family-beneficiary will receive P70 000.00 cost of assistance and will build their housing units themselves. It was implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development of Region IV-A under the Administrative Order No. 76, Series 1998.

Dimaano said that through CSAP, they already have relocated a total of 124 families. She said that 100 more houses are being constructed for the CSAP housing project. She added that based from the partial result of the comprehensive inventory in August, they are now making an inventory of collected housing sites where they could establish community settlements that are “far from danger”.

Dimaano also admitted that the ongoing construction of housing sites is not enough to cater the needs of informal settlers in Los Baños. She said one of the major problems they face is to find an idle land where the informal settlers can be relocated.

Meanwhile, Lilibeth Pondivida, a former resident of Bambang, was one of the residents relocated to Maahas relocation site. She was living in upper Dampalit then and experienced numerous rock slides and flashfloods.

“Ngayon maayos na tulog namin. Hindi tulad noong nasa taas, inisip mo lagi na baka may babagsak na bato. Kung bumaha man dito, hanggang talampakan lang at hindi pa malakas ang agos,” said Pondivida.

Employment woes

Pondivida, however, said that living is far difficult in relocation site than in upper Dampalit. She said that they could depend their living in resources available in upper Dampalit, such as various crops, drinking water and firewood; while not even a single crop can be planted in the relocation site. She added that people in the relocation site could hardly get stable jobs since most of them have not finished their education.

“Kung bumabagyo, mas magandang tumira dito. Pero kung okay naman yung panahon, mas maganda dun kasi mas madali ang buhay sa taas [It’s better to live in relocation site if there are storms. But life is easier in upper Dampalit],” Pondivida said.

Matilde Erasga, livelihood officer of Gender and Development (GAD) Los Baños, said that GAD has been conducting livelihood trainings for women development. Dubbed as “One barangay, One product”, the program mobilizes 30 female residents in each barangay.

As the program title implies, women are trained on how to produce a particular product which they can sell for a living. Erasga added that the program provides capital for the participants so that they can be able to start a small business.

Erasga cleared that the program is not offered for informal settlers alone. But according to her, barangay officials, who determine the program beneficiaries, focus on mobilizing informal settlers because “they need it more than anyone else.”

Everyone’s task

Since the whole municipality is affected by the problems of informal settling, Dr. Esteban Godilano, a member of the Climate Change Congress of the Philippines,  said that everyone should get involved and participate in addressing them, like helping the local government in monitoring areas and prohibiting people who plan to build houses illegally. He said the government, on the other, should secure stable jobs for informal settlers, as well as lead and support everyone’s effort.

“If we would be able to tap issues on informal settling, informal settlers would contribute to the development of the municipality,” said Dr. Godilano.

He said that informal settlers could provide benefits to the municipality as most of them provide blue collar jobs such as construction workers, carpenters and laundresses. He said that, if mobilized, they could also help in cleaning, rehabilitating and restoring the environment.

“Ang parte ng problema ay parte din ng solusyon [A part of a problem is a part of solution as well,” he added.

ALS in LB: Conquering Dreams Even Behind Bars

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Gilbert Malinaw, one of the top notchers of the ALS Program, delivers his speech.

by Rose Jeanette L. Agustin and Kimberly M. Afundar

They once looked at him with judgment and scrutiny, but now they look up at him as if he was a different person.

It was all like a dream to Gilbert, a 21 year-old detainee in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Los Baños, Laguna. But as he marched towards the stage during the commencement exercise of the Alternative Learning System-Literacy Reform Program (ALS-LRP) Los Baños last September 5, he knew that dreams do come true; and that hindrances, like being a 2-year detainee, won’t stop him in fulfilling his dreams.

Gilbert, from Brgy. Batong Malake, Los Baños is just one of the many learners of ALS. This program prioritizes Out-of-School Youths (OSYs) and adults, drop-outs, persons with disabilities and less fortunate people who live below poverty line coming from disadvantaged and underserved communities. Gilbert was one of those who got side tracked by his peers and by the false pleasure from vices. With that, he dropped out from high school and was accused for drug pushing.

“Sinayang ko yung sustentong binibigay sa’kin ng mga nagpapaaral sa akin Akala nila nag-aaral ako pero nasa barkada [ko] lang ako. (I wasted all the money that was given to me. They thought I’m in school, but the truth is, I’m wit my peers),” he said.

The beginning of hope

Gilbert and his other inmates were informed about ALS-LRP which is a non-formal education program. This program offers its graduates a diploma that provides them opportunities to enroll college or other training programs and into better paying jobs. He thought that this would be a great opportunity for him to gain one of the most important things he had lost – education.

With the program, he then realized that there were still a lot of things he didn’t know. ALS-LRP helped him become more knowledgeable about mathematical problems and most of all, essay writing.

People who made him push through

The encouragement from his second family played a very important role for Gilbert. When Gilbert got jailed, his biological parents despised him and stopped recognizing him as their son. However, his aunts and uncles kept him and made the effort of getting him out. They paid his private lawyer and visited him regularly. The help given to him made him more determined to return the kindness of his second parents and win back the trust of his family.

More than his family, the people from ALS-LRP motivated him as well. Municipal Councilor Lourdes Principe, who established the program, encourages him and other inmates to continue as well. Councilor Principe admits that what she saw in the learners of ALS-LRP is somehow parallel with her own life.

As one of those who were less fortunate in life, Councilor Principe and her mom used to sell samalamig (juice drinks), bibingka and other kakanin (rice cakes) in the markets in order to support their family and continue her studies.

“Kung meron kang dream sa buhay mo, you will achieve it. Basta determined ka sa education, walang imposible. (If have a dream in your life, you will achieve it. As long as you are determined to pursue your education, nothing is impossible),” Councilor Principe said.

According to her, the other goal of ALS-LRP – which is to accommodate not just smart students but even those who are drop-outs and “pasang-awa’s” – is also pretty much in line with her advocacies.

ALS-LRP’s Advocacies and activities

One of the advocacies of the program is to make education accessible to everyone no matter what status they have in life. The learners need not to be smart or knowledgeable. As long as they are basically literate, they are qualified to be part of the program.

In ALS-LRP, the learning session which is called Learning Support Delivery System (LSDS) focuses on essay writing and reading comprehension. Learners are also equipped with skills in English communication, problem solving and critical thinking. These are preparations for the Accreditation and Equivalency Test (A&E) since an ALS learner will only graduate if he will be able to pass the said exam.

The students will take their A&E test after 800 hours of LSDS. For Gilbert and 8 other inmates, their A&E exam happened on October 23, last year. After the exam, they had to wait for four months to know if they passed or not.

When the results came, Gilbert was pleasantly surprised on the results of his exam. He was one of the passers of the exam but more than that – he was actually one of the topnotchers nationwide.

“Natawa pa nga sa’kin yung mga kakosa ko kasi nagtatatalon ako sa tuwa. Sumasayaw-sayaw pa ako. Agad kong tinawagan yung pamilya ko. Na-feel ko na yun na yung simula ng pagbabago ng lahat. (My inmates even found me funny when I jumped and even danced for joy. I immediately called and my family to tell them the news. I had the feeling that it things would change from then on),” he said.

Los Baños’ Mayor Anthony Genuino congratulates Gilbert Malinaw for being one of the topnotchers in the Alternative Learning System program

The turning point

Gilbert is now one of the successful learners who graduated from ALS-LRP. Since the establishment of the program in Los Baños in January 2009, it was able to accommodate more than 200 learners. From 18 graduates in each year of 2010 and 2011, it had increased to 32 graduates this year. Today ALS-LRP has expanded, not only with the number of graduates but also with their learning centers. From a single center in Gabaldon, other centers were established Bayog, Lalakay and of course, in BJMP, with plans of further expanding in other areas in Los Baños.

During the commencement exercises of ALS-LRP, Gilbert and eight other inmates were given five hours of freedom to attend and celebrate it as well. Municipal officials, BJMP inspectors, ALS-LRP facilitators and of course, their respective families witnessed this important event in their life.

Being a topnotcher, Gilbert was given the privilege to speak in front to deliver a speech. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he proudly delivered his speech. He thanked everyone who helped him with his journey and gave his deepest gratitude to the program, ALS-LRP.

The diploma for Gilbert did not only provide him open doors, but it also restored broken relationships and made him win back the trust from his parents. He promised himself that he will take care of this blessing forever. The chapter in his life where he became a learner in ALS, graduated from it and received his diploma became a milestone in his seemingly hopeless situation.

“It was all thanks to ALS-LRP and all the people behind it,” he said.

A step for a future

ALS-LRP always wanted its graduates to use their diplomas for good. The program hopes that they will use it to enter college and pursue education to the fullest. However, given the graduates’ status in life, they rather get employed. This is why as much as possible the program wants to provide scholarship grants to its graduates. According to councilor Principe, negotiations are still underway

For Gilbert, he plans to take up a computer-based course with his diploma. He promised himself that he would work on it seriously so he’d be able to graduate and have a college degree. Because more than graduating, he would want to give back to his parents.

Gilbert now knows in the importance of education. He now believes that, education is the only key for the future.

“Kung wala ang susi na to, di ka makakapunta sa road to success. Hanggang pinto ka lang. (Without education, you will not be able to enter the door which will lead to the road of success.),” Gilbert said.

He had experienced the hardships brought about by slacking in his studies but more than that, he had seen the consequences brought by the lack of it. Gilbert proved that by being persistent and hardworking, one will truly achieve one’s ambitions in life.

Living a life behind bars, Gilbert may still be deprived of liberty but this would never be the case o his hopes for the future. His plans may also be on hold by bars in his prison cell, but there is one thing that he is sure of, that with his patience and perseverance, his dream and aspirations will be fulfilled soon.