Medical mission kicks off Lenten season

The Christian simply looks with excitement at the fact that the Lenten season started off this year in Negros Occidental with a medical-surgical mission in Bago City, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, and La Carlota City.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and the Lenten ritual is supposed to remind believers to transform their lives into "caring for the other." True fasting and abstinence are the rites for the day. But they are just reminders to conversion and transformation of lives.

There was the other good news. All is also set for Operation Smile, the international medical and dental mission with at least 20 US-based doctors and their local counterparts. This will be a 10-day activity at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, according to Edith Yotoko-Villanueva.

On Friday there will be a screening of potential patients of Operation Smile. This will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Operation Smile prioritizes help for those suffering from cleft palate and cleft lip with deformities. They are provided with reconstructive survey, according to Villanueva, Operation Smile International’s local representative.

The Urban Angels from Toronto, Canada were joined by nine Filipino physicians from the Cardinal Santos Medical Center and the University of Santo Tomas. They called on Gov. Joseph Marañon Tuesday.

Actually, this is now the third year the group is conducting its mission work in the province. They are being assisted by the provincial health office. On Feb. 25, they will undertake a similar mission in Guimaras province.

The participating physicians are Drs. William Gordon Squires, Dory Beth Abosh, Rajeev Muni, Feisal Akbarali Adatia, Christopher Anthony Kui Yew Chong, Gurinder Paul Sanhera, Joseph Christian Fabian, Barbara Marie Coady, Corazon Radcliffe, Colleen Mary Moriffey, Susan Noel, Azucen Gepilano, Lorie Martin, Zenaida Lopez, Anthony Daniel Cortes, Anastacio Lopez, Lorenza Ciccareelli, Rosa Floro, and Rita Buff.

The rest include Kathleen Joyce Grandy, Jo Anne Wilson, Mari Paz Santa Cruz Soriano, Cecilio Manrique, Arnulfo Ramos, Randolph Blair, Mary Gary Anuciacion, Cristhian Raelita Bumanlag, and Allison Jennifer Cooke.

The twin activities make more meaningful the annual celebration of the Lenten season. Both take care of the other and demand giving up of oneself to care for the other.

Another SuperFerry towed

Several days after a SuperFerry was towed by a sister ship, the engine of Superferry 9 conked out off Hinobaan-Sipalay in Negros Occidental. It had to be towed by Aboitiz’s SuperFerry 1.

The stalled liner had on board 517 passengers and 124 crewmembers. It was towed to Guimaras where a tugboat took over and escorted it to the Iloilo port yesterday morning.

It was only last week that the Our Lady of Medjugore stalled on its way from Manila to Palawan with 958 passengers and crew.

The SuperFerry 9 was expected to dock in Iloilo yesterday morning at 6 a.m.

But while being towed, the ship’s officers maintained a steady stream of reports assuring that the passengers were safe and being attended to by the crew.

Every hour, the report was updated by the Aboitiz Transport Group. ATS also apologized to the passengers for the inconvenience they had encountered and the unforeseen difficulties because of the incident.

Well, it shows that sea mishaps can actually be scaled down to manageable levels with speedy communication and swift response.

The SuperFerry 9 passengers have a lot to thank the Lord for with their safe arrival in Iloilo. They will be transported to Iligan City by another SuperFerry vessel, according to ATS.

Where’s the P800-M Guimaras rehab fund?

Usually, the national government announces with flair the allocation of big amounts of assistance for rehabilitation work in case of a disaster.

Well, that is something which has miffed Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava. Yesterday, Nava said the rehabilitation plan is in place but its implementation remains a big question mark.

The reason: the P800 million for the Guimaras rehabilitation fund has yet to be released. It is included in the 2007 supplemental budget of the national government.

Nava was scheduled to leave yesterday for Manila to finalize with the National Disaster Coordinating Council the internal rules and regulations for the rehabilitation program. The budget and finance departments will also send their official representatives to the meet.

Health Undersecretary Ethelyn Nieto also reportedly lamented the delay in the release of the funds, especially the P22 million intended for the medical surveillance systems to monitor the long-term effects of bunker oil on the health of affected Guimaras residents.

Nieto disclosed that P12 million will be for disease surveillance which includes the detection and response to outbreaks and the monitoring and evaluation of the operation, among others.

Gov. Nava disclosed that the local government was supposed to get P210 million; Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P130 million; DSWD, P250 million; and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, P100 million. The remaining amount will be distributed to the University of the Philippines, the health department, and the Department of Science and Technology.

What all this amounts to is simple – between the announcement and the implementation lies a major gap. And too often, this becomes too wide that people tend to lose their confidence in the government’s promises.

So, I can only hope that Gov. Nava does not get it on the neck for howling for his P800 million now instead of waiting for those holding the fund to release it at their convenience.

First National Arts Festival

Bacolod City plays host to the first National Arts Festival on Feb. 28 to March 4. The affair will gather the country’s masters, budding artists and art students, gallery owners, art brokers and dealers and even enthusiasts who might want to update themselves on the newest art bits.

Lyn Gamboa, president of the Negros Cultural Foundation, said ambassadors, local government officials, representatives of government agencies, art enthusiasts, leaders of business communities, the academe and even students have been invited to the series of cultural activities.

The National Arts Fair will also boast exhibits and workshops on topics like global market updates, how artists may tap the expertise of art galleries in trading their masterpieces, and the uniqueness of Philippine arts. It’s not just a visual feast, was how Gamboa puts it.

Actually, it will be Negros Occidental that will host the first National Arts Fair, with Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon giving the support of the provincial government to the fair.

The Feb. 28 to March 4 affair will help erase the traditional thinking that art is a non-renumerative undertaking.

The visitors or participants may roam around the arts fair where gallery owners and artists can display and make their art works available. One can participate in the art exchange, a series of workshops and demos intended to enhance art skills. There will be film showing, drumbeating, piano playing, and a litany of talks about curating art, gallery management, investing in art, art criticism, marketing and auctioning arts.

Ayco, Santiago, Severino and Tronco will put up their exhibits at the Negros Museum’s lobby. There will be street painting on March 2 at the provincial capitol driveway.

The morning ceremonial opening of the Arts Fair on March 1 will be led by Gov. Marañon, NCCA chairman Ambeth Ocampo, and Jose Mari Chan, the singer-composer from Iloilo City and Bacolod.

TV host Cito Beltran will emcee the topic "Art and Society." Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez will discuss "Culture: The Antidote to Politics" on the same day.

Well, those are just the starters of a series of activities in the National Arts Fair.