BATANGBALER

from gmanews.tv: Wave of Pro Arroyo ads appear on eve of Fridays planned rally:

A wave of paid advertisements supporting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo while criticizing her political opponents appeared on Metro Manila newspapers Thursday, on the eve of a rally for truth in Manila scheduled on Friday.

Two separate paid ads also appeared from the towns of Dipaculao and Dilasag in Aurora province.

Read the complete news here

I rarely read hard copies of newspaper, so this should be verified but I was listening to Joe Taruc on DZRH this morning and one of their guest commented over the phone that it’s strange that a small town in the farthest part of Aurora would run an ad in the papers because they don’t even circulate the newspapers mentioned in the town. FYI a full-page ad on a broadsheet is worth more than 200,000 pesos. If the municipalities of Dipaculao and Dilasag paid for those ads, then they must have lots of money to spare.

Update: It seems like Dinalungan also Hearts Arroyo. From the comments:

I did not see the papers yesterday. However, I saw the same ad from the Municipality of Dinalungan in the Nov 9 issue of the Manila Bulletin. It was a full-page ad. I learned that the cost of that ad is about 200,000 pesos. Until now I can’t believe that the government of Dinalungan can afford to pay for such useless ads. Its an absolute waste of public money! And I also can’t see the logic in putting the ad when said newspaper are not circulated there. Is that their way of soliciting development projects from GMA? How desperate!

from ABS-CBN Interactive/Philippine Star by Rainier Allan Ronda:

A 16-year-old senior high school student at the Dipaculao National High School in Aurora province will be a delegate to the UNGASS+5, a commemorative event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children and its “A World Fit for Children” document.

Jaylord Langbayan, an Igorot, is the delegate to the UNGASS+5 event to be held in New York City. He is being sent by the World Vision organization, being one of its sponsored children.

As representative, Langbayan will participate in official roundtables and have opportunities to do advocacy for children.

Click here to read the full story

Aurora Province and the Prelature of Infanta mourns the passing of one of it’s humble servant Fr. Edwin C. Agapay. Fr. Edwin served as the parish priest of Dipaculao, Maria Aurora, Baler and San Luis since his arrival at the Prelature in 1987. His last assignment was as Rector at St. Joseph Seminary at Quezon City and a Professor at Maryhill School of Theology. He passed away on October 15 at the age of 51.

His wake is being held at Heritage Memorial, Global City. Interment will be on October 18, 2007.

More info about Father Edwin:

Born: May 15, 1956 at Liliw, Laguna
Education: Liliw Elementary School (1969)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary (High School - 1973)
San Carlos Seminary (College - 1977)
Licensiate in Sacred Theology, Academia Alfonsiana (Rome)
Magna Cum Laude (1983)
Ordination: August 22, 1981
Arrival at the Prelature of Infanta: 1987. Assigned at Dipaculao, Maria Aurora,
Baler, San Luis
CASPI Superintendent
Rector - St. Joseph Seminary Q.C.
Professor - Maryhill School of Theology

Info from: Mount Carmel College and Baler Parish Office.

Here’s another great news (via the comments page):

Glenn Llamador won another championship match in the recently concluded LSAI Singapore (Kilat Senjata) -Philippines Cup last July 2007. He bested all participants in the Live Cane Category. (Live cane means the arnis sticks are not padded). The competition also served as a tune-up fight for the LSAI Singapore Team in the upcoming World’s Tournament in Arnis.

Glen Llamador is from Dipaculao. He won a gold medal in arnis (anyo two-sticks team) together with Nathan Ben Dominguez & Peter Kelvin Celis in the 23rd South East Asian Games held in the Philippines on 2005. He graduated from Mucdol National High School and Mechanical Engineering from UP. He is also an officer of ROTC.

Congratulations Glenn!!! We’re proud of you!

Photo taken from Glenn’s friendster page.

Last February 26th, I posted this photo without telling where it was. If you’re still guessing, the place is in Dinadiawan, in Dipaculao. This is an overnight picnic of sorts by the hardworking peeps from the Provincial Tourism Office to take a break from months of torture they suffered during the Aurora Day celebrations and also as a birthday bash of the office overlord chief who is now having a different kind of picnic somewhere on the other side of the globe. The four hour trip to Dinadiawan is another form of torture in itself, but it’s all worth it.

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The other weekend (October 13-15), I was at the Father John Karash Memorial High School to document a theater workshop organized by the school principal, Mr. Jimmy Peñamante. It was a 3-day gig with more than thirty participating high school students from FJKHMS, MCC-Baler, and 2 college students from ASCOT. The trainor was Rommel Espinosa or Metz. Metz used to be is a member of the Gantimpala Theater Foundation in Manila. He works as a production designer and art director at GMA7. He was assisted my Mr. Louie Arapan from MCC. Check out the pictures here.

from Philippine Information Agency by Emma C. Tabalanza

City of San Fernando, Pampanga (12 September) — Dipaculao Police Station in the province of Aurora was chosen as the “Most Citizen-Friendly Police Station” for 2006 in the recently concluded search in Region III.

Police Chief Insp. Gregorio Q. Buencamino, chief of police of Dipaculao received P15,000, a plaque of appreciation and a computer set in behalf of the police station.

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from journal.com.ph (by Bernadette Tamayo)

The military leadership here has dismissed reports of alleged harassment being committed by government forces against residents in the course of their operation against the communist insurgency, including the controversial requirement for residents to obtain a “cedula” or community tax certificate.

Meanwhile, Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said he would seek an explanation from the military on why teenagers as young as 13 years old should get a cedula. She had earlier received reports that teenage males were rushing Friday to secure one after word spread that soldiers were coming to their town.

Read complete news. via aurorans

Rock beach of Brgy. Gupa in Dipaculao, Aurora. This is near Amper Beach.

from PIA Information Service:Heightened fisherfolk awareness to conserve marine resources saves Pawikan in Aurora. “The efforts of the municipal government of Dipaculao in the province of Aurora to educate its people about the importance of conserving the town’s marine resources appear to be paying off. Recently, fisher folk in Barangay Borlongan returned to the sea a 25-kilo female Pawikan, earlier caught accidentally by a local fisherman.” “Jose Suaverdez was fishing using multiple hook and line last March 11, 2006, when his gear caught the giant Pawikan, which was about 3 ½ feet long and 2 ½ feet wide. It was a green turtle (Chelonia mydas). He immediately brought it to the barangay hall for safe keeping. The barangay then reported the incident to the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist. The Pawikan, an endangered species, was later tagged and placed back to sea.” (read the complete news)

from Tempo Online: Fragile Aurora mountain to collapse anytime – DPWH. “Disturbed by dynamite blasting during road construction two decades ago, the once impregnable solid rock formation of a kilometer-long segment of the Sierra Madre mountain in Dipaculao town will collapse anytime thus posing eminent danger to northern Aurora travellers, engineer Medel Chua, chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) here, revealed yesterday.”

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from inq7.net: 17 Central Luzon villages ‘high-risk’ . “At least 17 upland villages in three Central Luzon provinces are at “high-risk” to landslides, according to the chief geologist of the regional Mines and Geosciences Bureau here.

Orlando Pineda identified the highly vulnerable communities as Paltic, Caragsacan, Tanawan and Davil-Davilan in Dingalan town, Dimanayat and Diteki in San Luis town, Villa Maria in Maria Aurora town, Amper and Dinadiawan in Dipaculao town, all in Aurora; Labi in Bongabon town, Sawmill, South Poblacion, Malinao and Pantoc in Gabaldon town, all in Nueva Ecija; and Maamot, Sula and Lubigan in San Jose town in Tarlac.”