 |
| Baning Penales |
Scene:
The Tagbilaran City Schools Division welcomes
its new superintendent Evangel Medel-Luminarias, Ph.D. Luminarias
was a professor of the University of Bohol until she was appointed schools division superintendent of Toledo City.
Scene: Urbana “Baning” Penales celebrated her 87th birthday
with luau birthday party last August
18 in California, USA. “It
turned out to be one of the memorable birthdays she ever had,” reported by an Amboy VRS. “Her daughter Gloria Penales Pabualan from Houston,
Texas came to personally assist the decorations and preparations, she brought
with her the hunky and cutey guy Nildjan
Penales Romero who recently passed the RN licensure in America. Guests arrived
in strides and so happy to see them enjoying the whole night line dancing.”
Scene: The MikeyGatal.com website owns by US-based
Boholano socialite Mikey Gatal will
turn 5 this month. On September 1, Mikey
Gatal Kids Foundation in cooperation with the Guindulman Association of California, Southern Area or GACSA will have
a fundraising event and annual fiesta celebration which will be held in
Bellflower, California to benefit the kids of Guindulman town. Hollywood
celebrity/model Thomas Sautebin is
the expected guest to grace the event. Visit www.mikeygatal.com
or www.boholster.com.
Scene: A fire that hit seven
houses near Pook Pantalan, Tagbilaran City
yesterday morning caused at least P100,000 pesos in damage to property. No one
was reported injured in the fire. Many of the residents tried to save their
belongings as the fire destroyed their homes. Saturday's fire came a day after
a blaze destroyed two houses in Dauis town.
Seen: Christian John CJ Sajulga
and Kelley Maribel Manuta were
crowned Mr and Miss University of Bohol High School 2012. They will compete for
the Mr and Miss UB Personality this September.
 |
| Mr and Ms UB HS |
Scene:
The Signing of Memorandum of
Understanding between JCAD and BOHECO II took place at Bohol Yacht Club,
Puerto San Pedro, Bien Unido, Bohol last August 22 for the Construction of
Mini-Hydro and Wind Power Projects. “Another
initiative of Mayor Niño Rey Boniel
for the good of Bien Unido and his constituents,” said an LGU employee.
Seen: Maria
Lourdes Aranal-Sereno has made history by becoming the first
female chief justice in the Philippines.
***
"Sana
ay maging handa ang mga tapat at may kakayahan nating mga pinuno na
magsakripisyo at tumugon sa tawag ng panahon…Hindi ito madali ngunit kung
sama-sama tayong lahat, hindi malayong maabot natin ang minimithi natin magandang
kinabukasan para sa bawat Pilipino."— Jesse Manalastas Robredo (1958-2012)
There
has been an outpouring of tributes for the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. He was widely considered to be
incorruptible, in a country where graft is endemic and politicians often
distrusted.
Tributes
also came in via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook where many
offered prayers for Robredo, remembering him as a good public servant.
Last
Wednesday, flags in all government offices and public schools flew at half mast.
 |
| Relampagos with Robredo |
Rep. Rene Relampagos posted on Facebook: “Secretary
Jesse Manalastas Robredo is in God’s loving embrace. Let us remember this
honorable man’s humility and good deeds, and look upon his life as a source of inspiration.
To all his colleagues, friends, and family, we sympathize and offer our most
sincere condolences.”
Leo Almote shared a poem on
Facebook which expressed Robredo’s death, life and contributions. “Waters of
Masbate, you have become purer. For three days, an honorable man slept on your
sea bed, upon waking, he shall find himself back in the sky. Surrounded by
light, wearing wreaths of gold, because of his virtue, your waves are now
sacred. While our tears create ripples on your surface, we hold your hand and
honor your memory, Jesse your name is Integrity.”
Robredo
was a former official at an ice cream company before he was elected mayor of
Naga City in 1988 at the age of 29, making him the youngest mayor in the
country at the time. His success in turning the once-sleepy city into a
trading, housing and education center won him many honors, including a 2000
Ramon Magsaysay award, considered Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize.
On
the other hand, people who have never heard of Captain Jessup Bahinting before may know him only as the pilot of
the plane that crashed off Masbate.
What
they don’t know is that he was a regular presence in relief work after major
disasters, a pastor who used his skills and his aircraft to bring help where it
was needed, Cebu newspapers reported.
 |
| Robredo in Bohol with Gov. Chatto and Rep. Aumentado. |
In
Bohol, there are those who were touched by his goodness.
“He’s
really kind and a charitable person,” said Jea
Dano (of IJea Travel and Tours, 31-A
Airport Road, Cogon District, 6300 Tagbilaran City, Tel No: (038) 412-3885,
www.ijeatravel.com) who met Bahinting several times when she was working at the
Tagbilaran airport.
 |
| Flag half mast in public schools. |
JCI
Sen. NB Director John Enerio, who organized a
medical mission in Jan. 2010, said Bahinting was a good man.
“When we had the Texas Medical Surgical Mission, we had no less than
8,000 patients (beneficiaries), Capt. Bahinting escorted from Cebu to
Tagbilaran boxes of medicines with his plane free of charge (gratis). And even
park his plan at Tagbilaran Airport in case there is a need for airlift (he had
his plane like a waiting taxi and he was at the Bohol Cultural Center, the venue
of the medical mission.”
Captain
Bahinting was born in Larena, Siquijor, but his family moved to Negros Oriental
when he was a teenager. He went to a flying school in Davao City.
According
to reports, Captain Bahinting sent his own Cessna, at no cost to the
government, to fly in antivenom from Camiguin to Cebu City. This act saved the
life of a Cebu City zookeeper who had been bitten by a cobra.
Preacher David Oman Mackay of LDS
Church said, "No success can compensate for failure in the home."
This quote must have guide Robredo and Bahinting.
***
Thanks
for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at
leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.
