RAFI accepts nomination for 6th triennial awards
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 12 (PIA) – The Ramon Aboitiz
Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), a non-stock, non-profit organization based in Cebu
City is soliciting nomination for this year’s RAFI Triennial Awards.
The RAFI Triennial Awards was established to
give recognition to individuals and institutions who have made tangible impact
into the lives of the people, particularly in the areas of culture and
heritage, leadership and citizenship, micro-finance and entrepreneurship,
education and integrated development, said George Abcede, officer-in-charge of
National Museum-Region 13 Branch.
Abcede added that RAFI awards are given to those
who have committed themselves to building a more humane, equitable and caring society,
reflecting the philanthropic, humitarian and holistic ideals and values of RAFI
founders, Don Ramon Aboitiz and Don Eduardo Aboitiz.
The foundation is encouraging submission of the
list of nominees both for individual and institution categories on or before
May 16, 2014. Nominees from government agencies, non-government organizations,
people’s organizations, civil society, academe, business and other sectors are
accepted.
According to Abcede, the Ramon Aboitiz award for
exemplary individual category is open to every Filipino natural born or
naturalized citizen at least 30 years of age, upholding integrity, and has made
significant contributions by enhancing the quality of life of various groups
and communities.
For the outstanding institution category, Abcede
said that it is open to all government, non-government and people’s
organizations established at least three years with operational programs and
services and committed collaboration with other groups in bringing about
comprehensive and responsible development.
Nomination forms can be downloaded at
www.rafi.org.ph/triennialawards and send completed forms to Eduardo Aboitiz
Development Studies Center, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., 35 Lopez Jaena
Street, Cebu City 6000.
For additional information, Ehrliza Madale and
Agustina Tamayo of Butuan National Museum can be contacted at (085)342-5328 or
email at mel.yan@rafi.org.ph. You may visit also their Facebook account
facebook.com/rafi.org.ph and Twitter account @rafiorgph.
Abcede reiterated the invitation to join
them in carrying out their comprehensive
network of collaboration that brings out the role model in each individual by
partnering with RAFI or nominating unsung heroes. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
AgSur vice gov discusses parliamentary procedure
to Red Cross volunteers
By David M. Suyao
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, May 12 (PIA) -
"Before anything else, an organization or group with good, disciplined,
responsible and talented members with a concerned, well trained and open-minded
leader will survive and excel and become a good organization."
This is the opening statement of Agusan del Sur
Vice Governor Santiago B. Cane Jr. when he became the honored speaker to
discuss leadership during the celebration of the World Red Cross Red Crescent
Day on May 8, 2014.
Attended by volunteers, stakeholders, donors and
concerned individuals who voluntarily offered their services, in kind or
anything through the Red Cross voluntarily, Cane offered to discuss the
Parliamentary Rules and Procedure practiced by the legislative bodies of the
government and other sectors resulting to effective, transparent, responsible
and peaceful legislation process.
“In every group, there is a leader and a group
cannot be organized and sustained towards its goal without meetings. Therefore,
let me present to you the Parliamentary Rules and Procedures, we in the
government is practicing because we believe this process is the most effective,
responsible, transparent and peaceful way in achieving our plans and goals in
the government even after heated arguments or debates,” Cane said.
Included in the discussion of Cane are the
correct way of opening a meeting, the tools or facilities needed in order to
call the attention of every member of the organization during meetings, the
parliamentary process like the calling of the meeting to order and the
declaration of a quorum, including the use of the third party (e.g. “this
chair”) when talking to any member of the organization.
“The use of gavel is very important because it
emphasize the power of the presiding officer. The use of third party is also
important so that there will be no direct confrontation between members engaged
in a discussion or debates,” Cane said.
Three games were played in the afternoon session
of the celebration. Every end of the game, a winner was declared followed by
the giving of prizes. The celebration is worth dreaming that it will happen
again next year. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
SurSur agriculture office: Visit of Sec. Alcala
to push through
By Greg Tataro, Jr.
TANDAG CITY, May 12 (PIA) – After having been
postponed twice last month “due to unavoidable circumstances,” the scheduled
visit of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to Surigao del Sur is certainly
going to push through on May 12-13.
Provincial Agriculturist Marcos Quico said,
after verification from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga Regional
Office, that the same itinerary will apply for the two-day event which is
primarily the inauguration and blessing of two rice processing plants in
Cantilan and Madrid towns costing P15.5 million each.
Based on the previous itinerary, Alcala will
have to stay overnight, and then will leave the next morning for Agusan del Sur
for another official function.
Earlier, Governor Johnny Pimentel announced
about the visit, adding that the province is already set for the occasion.
(NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
Feature: Feeling blessed for . . . Helping and
putting one’s feet in another’s shoes
By Gervacio C. Dauz, Jr.
BUTUAN CITY, May 12 (PIA) - He thought that
after training and sending off more than 300 graduates under the Massage
Therapy NC II and after likewise conducting special training sessions for at
least two batches of differently-abled persons (DAPs), his mentoring job would
be a walk in the park, a repeat performance so to speak. But Mr. Colito G. Orias, Jr., Instructor of
said qualification at the Butuan City Training Center (BCMTC) here, found out
that life is still full of surprises.
This he crudely found out when he admitted the third batch of DAPs just
recently.
The said third batch, actually mainstreamed
together with the 13th batch of normally sighted trainees, was composed of
eight blind men and women trainees, who were scholars under the Mayor’s Office
here. In consideration of their unique
traits, dispositions, and tendencies, Mr. Orias at first separated them from
the sighted, meeting with them on Saturdays just to focus on them and give them
special attention. The first tack was in
educating and immersing them on the theoretical aspects of therapeutic
massage. “The first few meetings, I
think, were smooth sailing,” this he recalled.
After the “period of romance,” reality set in –
as in reality bites. “As the next
engagement would be the hands on, practical side,” he intoned, “I therefore
immersed and joined them together with the sighted. And then I noticed that the heterogeneous
mixture of the sighted with the blind was causing frictions. In saying or crafting of words, there are
these appropriate or politically correct terms that should be learned in
dealing with them. For one, you don’t
address them as ‘buta’ but ‘blind.'”
He explained that “though ‘buta’ and ‘blind’ are
just the respective Filipino and English equivalents, yet they would feel
slighted, if you call them ‘buta’.”
Furthermore, “they would take it as an affront if you refer to them as
persons with disabilities (PWDs). In an
obverse manner, they would be cordial and engaging if you just refer to them as
differently-abled persons.”
Digressing a bit, he shared that his original
passion and forte, baccalaureate training and exposure used to be in the arena
of civil works. In fact, he got some
stints in several construction firms before – either as a foreman or draftsman
– at the asphalt jungle of Metro Manila.
But when he underwent a skills training in massage and acquired a
competency as a Licensed Massage Therapist with DOH Accreditation No.
12-08-3468, he gradually gravitated into the field of massage. One thing led to another – with him acquiring
Massage Therapy NC II credentials, plus a training to become a registered
trainer and assessor – until he got this invitation to be an instructor at
BCMTC.
He recalled that it was this writer who first
initiated him into admitting DAPs. “Remember the two blind fellows you referred
here at BCMTC to undergo training?” he reminded me. “The easy path at that time was to deny
them. But conscience-wise, I could say
no. If we are helping the sighted, there
are more reasons for us to capacitate the DAPs.
They need our attention.” So, at
that time, even if he was scratching his head, it led him to a path unknown
that he felt very rewarding afterwards.
“But, oh boy,” he mused, “it was tough and very challenging in dealing
with them.”
His scheme of giving them a support system was
through grouping them into four. “What I
mean,” he explained in detail, “is that among the four, one is a sighted
person, who stands as their leader. Then
I would allow them to explore alternative ways to hasten their learning the
rudiments of the trade. However, due to
pressures, there was this one sighted leader who wasn’t able to take the
alleged tantrums of the blind in his group.”
Obviously irritated, the sighted fellow
lambasted in return: “Maayo ra’g nangabuta mo!” Roughly translated, it means “Good that you
became blind!” But the nuance was
indelibly negative and condescending.
And this harsh episode resulted in a sequel wherein the DAPs reported
the event at the City Social Work and Development Office . . . until he got
dragged in the mess not of his undoing.
Though not liable, it appeared that he was culpable by virtue of command
responsibility. As a corrective measure,
he explained his side: “You are here to train and be trained. Also, I don’t entertain intrigues. But if this case cannot be resolved, then I
want you to know that I am taking full responsibility of this.” Fortunately, after pricked emotions subsided,
the two camps had a truce, with him breathing a deep sigh of relief.
“I noticed too,” he continued, “that they are
touchy or easily slighted. Thus, they
will snap back as if to show that they can manage even without the
sighted. However, with a suave but
sincere way of endearing them, they can easily be won back. That’s what I’m telling the sighted, and
that’s what I have been demonstrating to them.”
When asked if he is still open to admitting the
likes of them even if it means struggling, he responded in the
affirmative. Obviously, though Mr. Orias
got some crude awakening in helping the blind and of course other
differently-abled fellows, still he vowed to continue doing what he thinks is
good, because “it is in helping the least of our brethren that we nurture a
better world for the likes of them. It’s
when they become functional and useful assets to society that we feel blessed
in return also.” (TESDA-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
