To my surprise, I was able to talk to a public school teacher from Langub Elementary School and now school head of the Colossa Elementary School of Paquibato District that he has continued the legacy of the late Vic Sai and the late So Kim Cheng and has produced young boys and girls to national prominence by capturing national honors. This man impressed me so much and I started to ask myself where was I when this public school teacher, a native of Bohol, carried the table tennis program to a very large extent reaching to far flung areas and promoted table tennis with the support of the Department of Education Division Office and some city officials.

This new sports leader is Friendee Nuñez from Kinabanga, Bohol, birthplace of the legendary Francisco Dagohoy. He is the only child born to a fisherman, Feliciano Nuñez, and housewife Lucrecia Logronio, both natives of Kinabanga, Bohol. He was born on Feb. 26, 1973, and studied at Kinabanga Central Elementary School and at St. Paul’s Academy for his high school. He came to Davao upon the invitation of his mother’s sister and earned a college degree from the Rizal Memorial Colleges with a Bachelor of Science in Education, major in Elementary Education.

It was at RMC during college intramurals that he played tennis only for fun and to get along with his barkada. Upon graduation, his first assignment as a teacher was at Langub Elementary School and later transferred to SIR Elementary School. Since table tennis is one of the events in the Palarong Pambansa, he was designated by his school principal to lead the formation of table tennis teams. His task was to recruit a trainer for this particular sports event but found no one. So, he took it upon himself to teach young boys and girls to play this athletic event.

To his surprise, he was slowly developing table tennis potentials by adapting improvised table through a bench with a plywood serving as a net. It is with pride that he was able to produce a very talented young girl in the person of Jackelyn Caragao from SIR Elementary School who later became the Palarong Pambansa national champion in the Elementary Level. Jackelyn was also the national champion in the PRISAA and also played as an RP Team member at the 9th East Asean Juniors held in Manila.
More on my next column.

In school, he always got into trouble with his teachers. He would bet his baon on a gamble; how many letter E’s there were on the first page of the Grade One primer “Pepe and Pilar”; or how many times the asthmatic teacher would cough before the class was over. Sometimes he won and had to eat three lunches.

His love for gambling grew with his age. In grade school, he was known as the “damang master”. He knew how to choose the spiders that had a knack for winning spider fights. He taught his classmates how to gamble on almost anything: how many spins a soft drink bottle would make; how many pimples there were on the face of the math teacher; how many times the principal would scratch the dandruff off her head during flag ceremony.

Later in life, the man decided that school was not for him. All around him he saw people who had finished school but had no jobs. So he decided to spend his whole life in something he loved best - gambling.

Perhaps you would think that a gambler has no religion, but you are wrong especially where this man was concerned. He was a very religious man in his own way - he never gambled without praying.

Before he bought his lotto tickets, he would fall on his knees, bow his head and pray fervently. Before he picked his last two numbers, he would make the sign of the cross and mumble his prayers. Even before he betted on a spider or dare his friends as they sat drinking by the roadside to gamble on how many Volkswagen beetles would pass by within an hour, he would not forget to pray. He would close his eyes, raise his face towards heaven, and mumble his prayers.

Well, like all prayers, some are answered, some are not. So sometimes he lost, sometimes he won. But he kept on gambling and kept on praying.

One day, he challenged God to a bet of sorts. He thought that if he would ask God something, he had to give God something in return. So he bought a bunch of lotto tickets, went to his room, closed the door behind him and spent the whole day praying.

He prayed to God to make his lotto numbers win and he promised he would totally quit smoking and drinking. After a day of prayer, he went out of the room a changed man - he did not smoke a stick or touched a bottle of beer. But when three days later, the lottery was drawn and his numbers lost, he went back to his smoking and drinking.

“I have to give God something better,” he told himself. So he decided that aside from giving up smoking and drinking, he would not shout at his wife or beat up his children. His family was, of course, happy but after the lottery, he still lost. So he went back smoking and drinking, to shouting at his wife and beating up his children.

This went on for some time - this betting, this give-and-take gambling with God. Finally, the man decided to make things easier for God. “Perhaps, it is too much to ask God to make the six numbers of lotto win. I will narrow down the options and bet on three number of masiao. That will be easier for God.”

So, he sold his belongings and bet all the money on his favorite masiao numbers - 249. He closeted himself in his room, refused to eat lunch and super and prayed and prayed to God. The next morning, when the results came,, he still lost.

So he pawned his house and all the furniture and bet all the money on his favorite number - 249. He refused to eat for two days, but when the results came, he still lost.

He started losing his faith in God, started doubting whether there was a God at all. “I will give you a last chance, God,” he said. “I will fast.
I will not touch a single morsel of food until you make me win. I will fast to death if necessary.”

So he barricaded himself inside his room and hallucinated about 249 and what he would do with the money he was convinced he would win this time. For three days he fasted.

He was near death from hunger and exhaustion when early in the morning of the fourth day, the masiao usher called his name excitedly. “Bay, bay, your favorite number won; 249 won!”

His family came rushing to the room. “Where are the tickets!” cried the wife. “Where are the tickets?” cried the children “Where are the tickets?” cried the usher.

The gambler cried as he had never cried before. He was so busy betting with God, he forgot to place his bets and buy tickets for 249.
(Sometimes, God grants our prayers in strange and funny ways.)

Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio listens to the presentation of the City’s crisis management plan by the Davao City Police Office, the Task Force Davao and other concerned agencies. Mayor Inday discussed with officials of the units to know further what is lacking in the said crisis plan. Present were Davao City Police Office Director Rene Aspera and Task Force chief Col. Ray Leonardo Guerrero (not in picture). BAM GARCIA/CIO

INTERIOR AND Local Governments Sec. Jesse M. Robredo flew in to grace the observance of the National Crime Prevention Week by the Police Regional Office 11 last September 1. He also represented DILG in signing the memorandum of agreement with the Mindanao Coalition of Development Networks (MindCode).

MS. EMILY Dalisay, Davao Tourism Association (DATA) secretary and Chef Booboo Maramba of Natalie’s Cakes and Pastries, prepare the stuff for taste-test by media persons covering the Club 888 in Marco Polo Davao recently. DATA will stage the Mindanao Culinary Festival on September 8 to9, 2010 at SM Event Centre.

MS. CRISTY Gallano, managing consultant, Davao River Initiatives and president of Rotary Club of Downtown Davao explains the importance of proctecting our rivers and watersheds during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao last Monday. Also in photo are Coun. Emmanuel Galicia, and Leo Avila III, OIC, City Agriculturist’s Office.

Lt. Gen. Raymundo B. Ferrer, AFP, commanding general, Eastern Mindanao Command urges his men to shed their warrior image and transform themselves into conflict managers, peacebuilders and environmentalists during the command’s 4th founding anniversary last August 30 in Camp Panacan.

A GROUP stages a picket in front the Sangguniang Panlungsod building calling for the intervention of local officials regarding the issues in Paquibato as stated in the placards last Tuesday.

COUNCILOR BERNIE Al-ag, M.D., gives update an on dengue and other health issues during the Club 888 forum last week.

Wilsone Pulido, vice president of the local chapter of the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines, said the new law will also compel housing developers to hire more licensed real estate brokers.

This developed as the organization is joining the conference spearheaded by the local chapter of the Chamber or Real Estate and Builders Association on October 6 as this is part of the continuing education for real estate brokers.

Pulido pointed out that under implementing rules and regulations of the new law, real estate brokers are compelled to go into continuing program education which will be supervised by the Professional Regulatory Board of Real Estate Service.

The conference, also supported by government agencies, will tackle green technology in real estate industry as well as other issues pertaining to the industry. This event will gather private practitioners and local government planners in Mindanao.

“This is a welcome development because this will not only give employment to licensed real estate brokers, but will also level the playing field,” Pulido said.

He was referring to the provision of that law that limits the number of salesperson under one broker to 20. Before the implementation of the law, which was approved in June 2009, a company can hire as many sales persons as possible even when it only has one licensed broker.

The regulation intends to eliminate the possibility of of scams in the industry considering that it would be easier for the licensed brokers to monitor his or her salesforce, he explained.

The law will also place the real estate brokers under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission which will administer the examinations as only those who finish a degree with at least 120 units in of real estate subject will be allowed to take the examinations. “This will truly professionalize the industry,” Pulido said.

What makes the law effective is that under its penal clause, anyone who violates it will have to pay a P120,000 fine or be imprisoned for two years or both, depending on the gravity of the offense. But when the offense is committed by an unlicensed broker, the penalty is doubled.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said she hopes that the project will be fully turned over this year and, “unless it is 100 percent functional, we will not accept it. We refuse to accept it, anything less than perfect. Otherwise, we will shoulder its burden in the future,” she said.

We can’t blame the former mayor to lose his temper once again on the issue as he was only concerned of the safety of the people on the road.

We can’t also blame Mayor Duterte-Carpio as the project is still under the supervision of the contractor and unless the completion certificate of the system has already been received and signed by the city, the project remains in control of the contractor.

But Mayor Duterte-Carpio can still pressure the Abratique and Associates to rush the turn-over of the system to the city and not wait before the end of the year.

Road accident happens anytime of the day and the more the delay on the implementation of the traffic system the more the safety of motorists and pedestrians is exposed to danger because abusive drivers will continue to ignore traffic consciousness for lack of proper management system in knowing their violations.

Only yesterday morning at the corner of Tulip Drive and Quimpo Boulevard, a red van of a transport group ACTO at SM City terminal executed a left turn at that prohibited intersection dangerously running counter to approaching vehicles while still on green light.

Traffic aide Amir Ugalingan, who first attempted to stop the driver of the van but tried to ignore him and proceeded driving towards Tulip Drive, finally caught up with the driver when a police mobile car signalled by this writer to use the wang-wang to warn the van driver from getting away.

The driver reasoned out he was in a hurry because he has a patient on board to bring to Davao Doctor’s Hospital. Ugalingan motioned him to proceed upon hearing the justification.

But only after a minute after the driver left, we saw the same van from the corner of Tulip Drive making a right turn to SM City transport terminal. The driver probably dropped his “patient” along the road instead of the hospital as he earlier explained.

“Bay, naisahan ka nanaman ng driver”, I told the traffic aide. “Sir, marami talagang driver na ganyan,” he said.
If the PSCC does monitoring of the traffic flow and signalization from 6 o’clock a.m. to 9 o’clock p.m. while the cameras on several intersections record events on a 24-hour basis, that means the incident was properly recorded since it happened between 7 o’clock to 7:30 in the morning.

We are calling the attention of the traffic chief to check this with his man Amir Ugalingan. This may be a minor incident for him to look into, but why wait for major accident to happen before he acted upon.
This can also one way of proving the reliability of the camera monitoring system – that’s if this really “100 percent functional.”

-o0o-
A big tarpaulin billboard along Quimpo Boulevard shows this didactic saying:
“A man without sin can cast the first stone.” (Proverbs: 8:7)
I know many among us pretended not seeing this. Guilty siguro!

Filipinos have taken a load of insults and slurs from racists and bigots in the Internet.
Government institutions have expressed remorse, accepted mistakes and misjudgment.

The Philippine National Police has admitted it bungled the rescue attempt and missed many chances to shoot down the hostage-taker.
The government’s point man during the crisis, Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno, has confessed he was neither trained nor ready to oversee a hostage situation.

The President has absolved Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo of any blame because he had instructed the latter to “concentrate” on local government units while Aquino retained direct supervision of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police chief Jesus Verzosa has admitted the authorities underestimated hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza’s resolve to kill the hostages if his demand to be reinstated as a police officer was not met.

Police negotiators were confident that the hostage crisis would end peacefully after Mendoza released 9 of the 25 hostages during the day, and that it was a matter of tiring Mendoza out to end the crisis.

But Mendoza snapped and the cause may never be known. After the volley of shots inside the tourist bus, eight Hong Kong nationals were dead. Mendoza himself had his brains blown to bits.

Some say Mendoza snapped because he saw on television pictures of his brother being cuffed and manhandled by the police. The media outfit that covered and broadcast that scene has not come out to admit culpability.

Others say he was angered by the letter from Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez which promised to review his case. Before the shooting, Mendoza had shouted angrily, calling the letter rubbish (basura).

The police negotiator testified that he had heard Mendoza bad-mouthing an official from the office of the Ombudsman, accusing the official of “demanding P150,000” for the settlement of his case.

Police authorities have confessed that a letter reinstating Mendoza had been prepared, but it did not reach the hostage-taker on time.
President Benigno Aquino III has admitted culpability for the bloody hostage crisis.

“At the end of the day,” he told reporters, “I am responsible for everything that has transpired.”
The buck stops with Aquino.
Enough is enough.

But apparently, enough is not enough to many who would find pleasure in stirring the troubled pot and prolonging the country’s agonizing embarrassment.
On Saturday, I received this letter from a reader who calls himself “whatashame2010”:

“Dear Mr. Bartolo,

“Have the country not suffered enough already? You read the blogs in the Internet and I am almost ashamed to be a Filipino.
“Why do people like Escudero and Lagman try to be heroes by continuing to attack the government in Congress? Are they not aware that
by attacking the Manila hostage tragedy they are also attacking the whole country, the whole Philippines.

“That is the problem of our talangka mentality. They think they can climb up in politics by stepping on the heads of others.
“Whatashame2010.”

The President has humbled himself and accepted full responsibility for the fiasco that cost foreign lives. That takes a lot of courage.
As a nation, we have been buffeted and bludgeoned before the whole world.

As a nation, we should now fold our wounded wings, gather our dignity around ourselves.
Let us stop blaming ourselves.
Enough should be enough.

(For comments and reactions, e-mail: renebartolo.rico@ymail.com, or text 09179240623)

Last week, Councilor Bernard E. Al-ag, city council committee on health chair on, also said he was alarmed with the number of deaths in the city. For August alone, there were 22 deaths recorded, higher than the 19 cases recorded the previous month.

In the first eight months of the year, the city already registered 63 deaths, or one short compared with the record during the previous year.

Al-ag said one step that needs to be taken is increasing the volume of blood that would be made available to those afflicted as the Southern Philippines Medical Center, formerly the Davao Medical Center, has been very crowded with dengue patients.

Al-ag also wanted also the city council to pass his proposed ant-dengue ordinance which will try to curb the increase in cases before the situation gets out of hand.

But other than the efforts of the government, both in the local and national levels, the only most effective way to at least curb, if not totally eliminate the problem, is for the public to listen to the information on what to do to stop the spread of the disease.

It would not be difficult for everyone to look for those breeding places of mosquitoes in his or her house, empty them with water or get rid of them altogether. Small steps are the most necessary ones. Let us not wait for more deaths to happen.

In a case filed with the RTC last September 2, Ellen, Romel and Sotera Tapon accused Incoentes P. Villasquez Jr. that he destroyed their house even when it was not included in the MTC order.

In relation to the case, RTC Executive Judge Isaac Robillo issued a 72-hour temporary restraining order on Villasquez, saying that “according to the counsel for the plaintiffs, as to this hour, the demolition is still going on and unless the temporary restraining order is issued, the complaint will be rendered moot and academic.

The case started in April when the Tapons found out that the sheriff finally ordered some of their neighbors to leave the place. Among those ordered to leave was Sotero Tapon, whom they claimed was not their relative.

For fear that their house might be included in the demolition, the Tapons then hired lawyer Rene Alexis Villarente who immediately filed an ex party manifestation to the case involving the demolition issue in the area.

Because of the manifestation, the Tapons thought that MTC Branch 4 Judge Jill Rose Jaugan would inform the sheriff about the manifestation.

However, on September 1, Villasquez and members of the demoltion team “destroyed, demolished and utterly ruined part of the house” of the Tapons.

PO3 Richard Dionisio of the Sta. Ana Police, said the victim, Alfred Valles, was seen often by his neighbors as joined a group of other boys who were believed to be members of a gang.

The police report also claimed that the victim was also tagged as susped behind several incidents of theft at the Agdao public market.
A man on a motorcycle shot the victim several times while he was walking on his way to his friend. But investigators also found dried leaves of marijuana in the pocket of his shorts.

“If I am being lazy or not, it has nothing to do with the industry or dedication of work,” Duterte said in his weekly “Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa” television program yesterday. He said he was doing this not because he was lazy, but to allow his colleagues to speak up and debate on issues without him.

In his first five regular sessions as presiding officer of the city council since July 6, Duterte said he noticed some councilors were silent during deliberations as they did not even object or make suggestions even if asked them to comment on certain issues.
Duterte theorized that this was because of his influence over the city council.

But Councilor Emmanuel D. Galicia Sr., city council’s majority floor leader, said there was nothing to object that was why the councilors did not comment especially in deciding whether to approve or disapprove a certain proposal.

“There is no difference when the vice mayor filed a leave. The city council still continues to conduct a session,” Galicia said.
On Aug. 10, Duterte filed a leave of absence which was effective until Sept. 16. He appointed Councilor Karlo Bello as presiding officer because the latter was the leading councilor in terms of ratio of votes got with the number of voters.

Duterte said he was also already old enough in the public service. He said he thinks that he was now “complete” in serving the people.
“Now, I want to pass on the responsibility to the next generation. I want to train them unhampered. But if there are any legislations that are critical, crucial or substantial which I think they need my guidance, then I would be there to sit down as their presiding officer,” Duterte said.