The President dinner nights

It gives us great pleasure and honoured to have been invited by His Excellency SR Nathan for hosting us to dinner in these historic and elegant surrounding and for thoughtful arrangement made in connection with small scale entrepreneurs.

Relief Operation

The Philippines has always demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and the people pull together and rebuild the damage while here in abroad individuals and private groups are raising funds to help victims of the Super Typhoon Haiyan. Singaporeans and Filipinos are rallying to help victims of the tragedy.

We send a considerable amount to Hilongos, Leyte through the effort of Carlou Suarez asking for the status of a liquidated data for presentation purposes however the operator Dennis Ocampo in Hilongos was too busy.

A medical practioner in Maasin Dra Acasio had volunteered and accepted our help and promise to send us the streamline operational costs and the liquidation status of the donated amount which will be reported from our sponsor. Our sponsor had donated $200,000 however we refused to accept the offer for it needs a licence to operate in a big amount.

We advice our sponsor directing their cash donation to Philippines embassy, the Philippines Red Cross and the World Food Programme but they’re hesitant to do.

Singapore and the Singaporean will provide and offer financial assistance for relief efforts like this. Thanks to Dra Acasio and the volunteers.

Becoming an entrepreneur

It is a tough journey to take entrepreneurship but setting up a business entity is the easiest it can get.

We arrived Singapore in 1994. It was indeed very challenging in those early days to find good job and friends. We made a couple, but they were proverbial needles in a haystack however we get the best.

Fast forward to year 2000, and we finally found a starting capital for small scale entrepreneurship and at the same time were working with... and our life transformed.

Our business is small with limited resources, which means growth requires innovative approach however it’s better to have only a little with peace of mind than be busy all the time with both hands trying to catch the wind.

Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon

August 2001 - Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon invited Singaporean to visit Philippines.  He said that Philippines having 1.8 million tourists a year compared to Thailand with 7.5 million visitors and Malaysia with 10 million arrivals. But Gordon sought to dispel the Philippine image as unsafe for tourist and businessmen because of the spate of kidnappings for ransom. Gordon said the kidnappings are isolated only in part of southern island of Mindanao, noting that the archipelago has more than 7000 islands.

During our personal talk with Arroyo and Gordon, they said “now is the time to prove our mettle as a nation and as a people and we can start our economic rebirth wherever we are by thinking Filipino, buying Filipino and investing Filipino.”  Arroyo and Gordon entice us to invest business in the country to boast the economic rebirth.  A compliment of free air ticket was given to us (me) to visit Philippines. 

The Republic of Cambodia

The grinning Prime Minister Hun Sen invited us for dinner seeking for Singaporean to invest business in the country like Cambodia. 
And in my left side is the Secretary of the Prime Minister Nguy Ritz who demonstrated showing excessive pride of country's resources for tourism and businesses. He promises us to be our personal escort and representative from the Prime Minister’s office to secure our safety and security.

After the Storm....

I was struck by disparity of the latest blogger-mania that caused the Hilongos.com and its link into an unprecedented war of imprudent words of furiousity that struck between my closest acquaintances who belittle my hidden talent and strength.
Like a manner of inanimating and behaving like storm whether good or bad mode on conducting oneself be put upon one's good behavior, to be in a state of trial, in which something important depends on propriety of conduct. During good behavior, while (or so long as) one conducts one's self with integrity and fidelity or with propriety.

Like storm a violent disturbance of the atmosphere, attended by wind, rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning; hence, often, a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, whether accompanied with wind or not. A heavy shower or fall, any adverse outburst of tumultuous force of violence with a brave man struggling in the storms of harsh words that struck in his line of contractual obligation. A violent war of words between the protagonist and the like but is often used in the formation of self-explained compounds.

The presence of agitation, overly fearful behavior during a thunderstorm is far from rare among golden retrievers.This behavior simulates the effects of wind damage from storms. Its function is to assess whether or not storms have occurred in the current time-step, and if they have, how much damage they have caused. This behavior does not actually cause any trees to be damaged; that is the function of the storm damage applier behavior.

However after the storm a peacefully atmosphere may take place after an spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand apology or restitution. This definition, however, is subject to much philosophical critique. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven.

In some contexts, it may be granted without any expectation of compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is dead or wanted). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology, and/or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive.

As saying says that; “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”--Mahatma Gandhi-

Therefore the Hilongos.com can give to any party who want to exercise forgiveness if their apology is sincere and precise.

The damage has been done but time may fix the ruins of what the storms devastation it bring to bear and hail the wound he has made.

In addition; "Many people are afraid to forgive because they feel they must remember the wrong or they will not learn from it. The opposite is true. Through forgiveness, the wrong is released from its emotional stranglehold on us so that we can learn from it. Through the power and intelligence of the heart, the release of forgiveness brings expanded intelligence to work with the situation more effectively. "-- David & Bruce McArthur

The Governor of Leyte

The governor of Leyte Remedios 'Matin' L. Petilla is a hardworking, dedicated civil servant whose obsession is to make her province a tourist destination. She and her associate visited Singapore to entice Singaporean to invest and visit the beautiful island of Leyte.

Matin said that Leyte is a first-class province, the largest of six provinces in Eastern Visayas and it has a total land area of 5,172.80 square kilometers, and a population of 1,5 million. Its annual budget is a mere P600-million  from the IRA and 50-million from the realty tax collections. Its major income comes from coconut oil, but this has been drastically reduced on account of low coconut oil prices. It has shares for royalty from PNOC for its municipality, Tongonon being the site of a geothermal power plant, but these are a mere P3million a year.

A reliable source said that under Governor Petilla's administration, the province was judged most outstanding province in the whole country during the 1998 centennial celebration; it has the most outstanding local government unit in day-care services, local health board, and youth organization. It is a recipient of the gold medal for the most outstanding LGU in livelihood management, and a special awardee of the Presidential Assistance of Community Development. It is a hall-of-fame awardee as having the best destination showcase, most outstanding local government unit in population management, and judge the most statistically-developed province.

Personally, we take good care of Matin's visit in Singapore and we enjoy her simple and friendly personality. And this friendship leads in making one of Hilongos constituency's to become the Manager of a government project  in Palo Leyte who shame us.

In the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, Hilongos registered its second lowest growth rate of 0.28% since population census was first undertaken in the year 1903.The lowest was registered in the census of year 1960 with 0.05% from its population of year 1948.In 2000, Hilongos has 10,763 households, an increase of 6.96% from its 1995 figure of 10, 062 with an average household size of five persons.Several years before the 12th century, a nomadic tribe from Iloilo came to the place by accident as they were pursued by some warlike Malayan sailors. This place has been called "Ilong" an adoption based obviously on thename of the Ilongot tribe.Other stories, however, had claimed that Hilongos is a corruption of the words "ilong and lomos", the later referring to the frequent drowning at the nearby Salogriver.It was sometime in the 12th century when Hilongos become highly popular. Amahawin, a powerful barangay chieftain, conquered the neighboring barangays, thereby extending his territory to what is now the towns of Inopacan, Hindang, Bato and Matalom.At present, Hilongos anticipates to deal with new opportunities, new challenges as it recognizes its lofty position in this southwestern part of Leyte being thefastest growing municipality in terms of income and population. Hilongos will face the challenge with a vision - A development-oriented government working hand-in- hand with the residents to produce justly distributed improvements in the quality of life of all.

Hilongos leyte composed of 51 barangays;
Agutayan -Atabay
Baas -Bagumbayan
Baliw -Bantigue
Bung-aw -Cacao
Campina -Catandog 1
Catandog 2 -Concepcion

Himo-aw -Hitudpan
Imelda Marcos (Pong-on)
Kang-iras -Lamak
Libertad -Liberty
Lunang -Magnangoy
Marangog -Matapay
Naval -Owak
Pa-a
Central Barangay (Pob.) -Eastern Barangay (Pob.)
Western Barangay (Pob.)
Pontod -Proteccion
San Agustin -San Antonio
San Isidro -San Juan
San Roque -Santa Cruz
Santa Margarita -Santo Niño
Tabunok -Tagnate
Talisay -Tambis
Tejero -Tuguipa
Utanan -Bagong Lipunan
Bon-ot -Hampangan
Kangha-as -Manaul