DAGUPAN CITY—A German-based group that helps 65 countries all over the world including the Philippines is set to expand its programs on civic education, vocational training, rural development, and giving trainings to administrators in the North after it has given about 26 million Euro ($33 million) since it started operating in the country for the past 26 years.

Dr. Rainer Gepperth, director and deputy general manager of Hanns Seidel Foundation based in Munich, Germany told local reporters here that they do not only give financial but also software aids to Filipinos for the necessary skills trainings especially in rural areas.

He said he first arrived in the Philippines in 1978 and comes to the country twice a year thereafter.
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DAGUPAN CITY—The chief of the government-owned Region I Medical Center (RIMC) in this city is successfully implementing a “zero bungis (harelip)” all over Pangasinan until 2007.

Dr. Jesus Canto told this writer that since he assumed his position as RIMC director in 2003, he, together with some doctors, has served more than 500 patients who, for a long time, had suffered with harelip and could not afford to pay for their operation.

Canto said that he initially sought the assistance of International Band of Mercy based in United States that referred him to their local office in the Philippines in order to sustain his project.

He said this is in consonance with his slogan “Smile” during his tenure as hospital chief, saying that a smile cheers up any person, much more the sick people.

“These harelip patients now have the chance to smile again and be at ease in their community,” Canto said.

Others had cleft palate, a more difficult situation.

He advised parents, especially mothers of people who have harelip or cleft palate to bring their children to him so they can do operation on them anytime.

“The earlier, the better,” Canto said for patients who must undergo operation citing that their speech training could easily improve while they are still young.

He added that anybody is welcome to bring anyone with harelip or cleft palate and this is absolutely free until the patient is already well.

DAGUPAN CITY—For these 20 Aeta couples, love was indeed in the air when they exchanged “I dos” in a civil and Christian pre-Valentine’s wedding held in a mountainous area in sito Mabato, barangay Paete, San Narciso, Zambales last Saturday.

House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr, who acted as the ninong (godfather) of these katutubos, also known as lumads, told local newsmen here the other day that it was perhaps the first wedding rites held in this relatively new upland settlement.

“I asked them to give their bride a Valentine’s wedding, mag lips to lips naman sila,” de Venecia said. He described them as about four feet tall, kinky haired and dark skinned. Some of the couples had been living in together for many years already.

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DAGUPAN CITY—“I will never be able to get over the pain of losing my daughter,” says House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. after he started distributing firefighting suit to the Dagupan City Fire Department in memory of Kristina Casimira or KC de Venecia who perished in a fire that gutted their Makati residence City a year ago.

De Venecia, misty-eyed, told local reporters here the other day, “I will never get over the tragedy of losing my child”.

He said “it’s not part of psychological make up of man that we bury our children”.

“Our children should bury us. It’s a very difficult psychological barrier,” he added. KC was 16 when she died. Last Saturday was the first time de Venecia shared his sentiments to the media about KC’s untimely demise.

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DAGUPAN CITY—The city government expects to have a plastic and styrofoam –free city with the passage of the Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance of the City which is due for third and final reading when the city council resumes session on Jan. 16.

Councilor Nicanor Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and author of the proposed ordinance, told this writer that there is a very big chance the measure will be approved as there are only small things that need to be ironed out for its final approval. This includes a question by another councilor about the composition of a task force to be created to monitor compliance to the ordinance.
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