This You Tube version of the “Lupang Hinirang” national anthem of the Philippines touched my heart. Once in a while, we need to learn how our country evolved from one generation to another. Even short movie clips like this is enough to open our minds and hearts, how heroes of past and present cost their lives to build a nation named Philippines.

Lupang Hinirang For Every Gubatnon to See is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

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From: Ronnel Lim
To: gubat-lgu@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:01:05 PM
Subject: Gubat is Regional Winner in Local Governance

Dear all,

I am very pleased to announce that Gubat is the Regional Winner for the Second Class Municipality Category for the 2009 Award for Excellence in Local Governance.

I got a letter from the DILG informing me that our municipality obtained the highest rating using a point evaluation system based on the performance and development indicators of the Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), a summary of which I earlier emailed on this list a month ago.

I will receive the award on behalf of the municipality but the hard work for the award was, of course, done by former Mayor Ding Ramos, former Vice Mayor Dan Pura, the former SB and the many LGU employees who make sure our municipality does its duties every day of the year.

While we are being recognized as the best in performance and we have a valid reason to sit back and celebrate, we know that we still have so many things to get done and improve. So we should all soldier on to the next year, raise our revenue collection, improve the environment, set up our website, bring a local bank, increase our PHILHEALTH enrolment and I guess, we’ll be okay.

–
RONNEL U. LIM
Mayor, Municipality of Gubat
Province of Sorsogon, Philippines
T: 6356 311 7962
M: 63 918 9850130
Skype: ronnelim

Gubat Receives Regional Award on Governance is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

I was born in Bulan, with my father from Bulan and my mother from Tacloban, Leyte. But I’ve long claimed that I’m Gubatnon since our family moved to this town, when I was 6 years old. I started my schooling at the age of 6, when I was enrolled in a Kindergarten School at Gubat Central School. Believe it or not, I have classmates from Kindergarten who had been my consistent classmates until we graduated at Gubat High School. Then, we went to same university in college, and meet again in the northeast, USA when we both work abroad.

From the video clip below, you’ll see me with classmates and friends from Gubat, breaking the universal belief that the earth is big. To us, friends and classmates, the earth is too small, for even if we work from different parts of the world we always see each other. This time, one from Hong Kong, two from California, two from New York, and one from New Jersey met at Etta Escoto de Guzman’s house in New Jersey.

You’ll enjoy more of my works at my “blog farm,” links of which are listed below:

1. Around New York City 2. Blackberry Phones & More 3. Success Secrets for Filipinos 4. Filmmaking Hobby With Flip Video 5. What’s on Your Mind? 6. The Geek Senior Next Door 7. The City Never Sleeps 8. Gubatnon Connection 9. Do You Need My Help? 10. Just Call Me, Ian Ryne 11. Experts Write About 12. Mark’s Nokia Blog

Gubatnon Friendship Never Ends is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

You’ll enjoy more of my works at my “blog farm,” links of which are listed below:

1. Around New York City 2. Blackberry Phones & More 3. Success Secrets for Filipinos 4. Filmmaking Hobby With Flip Video 5. What’s on Your Mind? 6. The Geek Senior Next Door 7. The City Never Sleeps 8. Gubatnon Connection 9. Do You Need My Help? 10. Just Call Me, Ian Ryne 11. Experts Write About 12. Mark’s Nokia Blog

Gubatnon Finds “Gaway” or Gabi at Times Square, NYC is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

When I was working as a Fiber Technician, and assigned at Gubat, I’ve met an abaca stripper (parahag-ot abaka) at Barangay Tugawe. This stripper was living in a small hut just the size of his height when he lies inside it. It was from this man how I learned that happiness is not all about money and luxurious things in life. He told me happiness is about contentment. When you’re contented with what you enjoy now, then, you’re happy. So, I asked him what makes him happy actually. He told me, once he’s in the poblacion watching the cockfight at Balag’s cockpit arena on Sundays, then, he’s happy and contented already.

The farmer was single and all alone in his life. That’s what I’ve learned further from him. As I went back home, driving my 100 cc Yamaha motorcycle, I told myself, “Maybe if I’m alone, too, in my life I could just be like him – as happy and as contented as him.” But I’m the eldest in our family, with 10 more brothers and sisters looking upon what I could do to help them. My father was just a lowly-paid government employee, while my mother was just a plain housewife. We’re as poor as self-supporting chickens we locally called “isang-kahig-isang-tuka.” With this situation, I could not be as happy and contented as the abaca stripper.

Going back to the question “Why are we poor?” my answer is actually on how we could afford to say how happy and contented we are in our lives. “Contentment” is the magic work.

Postscript:

Jim Carrie, a comedian actor, wrote on a dummy check $10 Millions issued to his name and placed it on his wallet all the time, to inspire him to get a real check with that amount in the future. When he became a successful comedian actor, he cashed out a real check more than the amount he wrote when he was poor and penniless.

Read more of my blogs at “Negosyong Pangkabuhayan, ATBP.”

Why Are We Poor? is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

Here’s an invitation from the current GHS Alumni President, Nelson Fajardo. This request to post the announcement was emailed to me by my class ’74 classmate Leonora Funtanar.  Below is the content of her email:
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Please help us disseminate the info on the BARAGAT DINNER/DANCE FUNDRAISING initiated by the Gubat High School Alumni President Nelson Fajardo. The proceeds of which will support the association’ s scholars of the Meralco Foundation and the Gubat High School scholars.  Tickets are at P500.00 and P1,000.00 each. 

You may buy tickets at the gate of the venue or thru Ms. Bella Esparas Sanchez (class 73) cell no. 09298592085. The BARAGAT will be on June 5, 2010, Saturday, Kalayaan Hall, Club Filipino, Greenhils, San Juan.

As a backgrounder, the Meralco Foundation has so much respect and amazed by the performance of these scholars coming from our school.  Every year when they give these qualifying exams nationwide, they are awed by the outstanding results of the applicants from the Gubat National High School, surpassing other schools around the country.  As you may know, these scholars are from very poor families.    The Meralco Foundation shoulders only their tuition fees.  That’s why these kids are looking for sponsors on their lodging, and books.  Your assistance will be highly appreciated.

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As Gubatnon, I’m encouraging you to support this  Baragat 2010, and enjoy meeting old friends at the place.  So, whether you’re Anthonian or GHS graduate, please be part of this endeavor.

Dinner Dance Fundraising 2010 is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

Thanks for my decision to join the Gubat St. Anthony Credit Cooperative (GSACC) at my hometown (Gubat), where members joined together with their little investments to put up a credit cooperative. Here, members help each other in building and managing a credit cooperative union which serve as source for micro lending when they need money for their business. Through this cooperative, I’ve learned the powers of self-reliance (by an individual) and cooperation from among people in order to change your social status from poor to financially stable. The money that I borrowed from this cooperative from 1986 to 1992 (before I migrated to America) were used by me to open a sari-sari store, and later to buy equipments for my growing three grocery stores, then buy the computer that I brought here in US.

“You cannot wait for politicians. Society must save its own self,” was said by Mexican author Carlos Fuentes, in a convention of writers at the McAllister Auditorium in New Orleans, USA. He was referring to the same sufferings by Mexicans and people from New Orleans, which is considered as “third world” state of USA. Related to this, let me tell the Filipino people who could read this article that they should rely on themselves, and stop waiting for politicians to help them. These politicians have their own elite groups and small groups joining together for their own interests, and simply using the poverty and sufferings of the people as their point of entries to their corruptions. Filipinos should start grouping themselves from small clusters and build their own organizations that could alleviate their own sufferings. The revolution, the change, should start from within ourselves.

You Cannot Wait for Politicians is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

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When I was a teenager at my hometown, I still believed on those aswangs, ghosts, and kapres, specially when I’m out on the road. Everything changed after my long years of stay here in New York City.

One night, I went home from the capital town of Sorsogon to my hometown at Gubat – driving my motorcycle. It was moonless night, and the wind was cold – sign of forthcoming rain on early morning. On that 20-kilometer driving from Sorsogon to Gubat, I was really scared to the bones, specially that I was the only one driving in a dark highway that’s cold and creepy.

When I passed, the barrio of Payawin, almost reaching the barrio of Carriedo, a very, very cold wind hit my body. Then, from the distant I saw silhoutte of giants waving their hands on me. I thought, they were the “Kapre’s” everyone was talking about. My hairs started to rise from my skin. My perspirations were as cold as melting ice on my face and on my back.

I thought, what if I reach the place where they’re standing, they’ll get into the asphalted road where I’m running and block my way? As they waved their hands from a distant, I knew, they’d be much bigger when I’m near them!

Being alone in a dark, and cold highway all I could do was pray the “Our Father,” and the “Hail Mary.” I can’t close my eyes, or else, I’ll get into an accident. After several repititions of the two prayers, as I moved forward to the waving giants, I finally reached the point where they were standing and waving hands at me. Then, as my motorcycle’s headlight hits these standing, and waving giants, I finally saw them in close-up range. As my motorcycle gets closer to them, I finally saw tall banana plants with their leaves waving on the air.

I didn’t know, if it was because of the powers of my prayers that the giants turned into tall banana plants. But after my long stay here in New York City, I certainly believe that those giants waving hands on me were products of my own imaginations.

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Aswang and Kapre in Carriedo, Gubat is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

I’ve been very busy rewriting my movie script, “Root of Vengeance” lately. But thanks, God, I’ve made it good enough for submission. Actually, resubmission to literary agents, because I tried submitting this script to few agents already. Below is just a logline and synopsis of it. But if you have time, and really curious on how a movie script for Hollywood is written, you could follow this link.

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Title: Root of Vengeance
Author: Jess Guim
Genre: Sci-fi Thriller
Spec Script, 90 pages
WGAE# I47496

Logline:
Father and son venture on designing a super-hacking program which endangers their family and the world going into nuclear war. Now, they’re racing against time to save them and the world.

Synopsis:
Calvin Bailor, big-time programmer, is selling his hacking program to the FBI to save his $10-million worth problem on his consulting business and residential mansion. But Division Chief for Cyber Crimes, Hanz Graven, is interested in getting the program for his personal ambitions. So, he steals the program with the help of his Saudi Arabian secret partner, Sheik Ahmad, arms dealer and terrorist.

The program’s authentication process uses biometrics of Calvin’s eyes. To make Medusa work, he abducts Calvin, his wife (Adelle), and his son (Mark). While boarded in a private jet from New York to Paris, the group tests the program to hack a missile testing center in Japan. The test creates a pandemonium in Japan, and incites North Korean government to launch their own missile, targeting Japan.

Hanz considers the family as tough and dangerous. He chains them like hardcore criminals and terrorists in the jet. Hans orders father and son to remove the biometrics authentication on the program, or they’ll all die.

Mark finds a heavy-duty paper clip taped underneath his notebook. He always has this clip with him, to manually eject his broken DVD player, by inserting the clip’s wire on a pinhole at its front. Calvin unlocks his handcuff and other chains on his belly and feet using the paper clip. He fails to free his wife and son, when the paper clip cuts-off on Adellene’s handcuff.

The jet goes into trouble when a gangster accidentally fires and breaks its window, while he’s trying to stop the escaping family. Sheik Ahmad tries to escape with a parachute on his back, but Calvin shoots him while exchanging fire with him. Hanz gets the bullet-ridden parachute from dead Sheik Ahmad, and escapes the troubled jet. But the torn parachute opens like a blanket, and chokes him.

Calvin thought the tragedy created by Medusa program ended already after the jet crashed at the Atlantic Ocean. But five months later, the twin children of Sheik Ahmad, Abdul and Aisha come to avenge for their father’s death. Abdul explodes Calvin’s mansion using shoulder-type missile, and escapes on expensive limousine car with a backup rescue helicopter following them.

Calvin runs after the escaping car, using the EMS ambulance that’s going to rescue and bring him to hospital. The second fire truck that’s about to go to Calvin’s burning mansion accidentally hits the escaping car in an intersection. Calvin reaches the accident site and identifies the twin as children of Sheik Ahmad through an old French newspaper, “Le Figaro,” in the limousine car. The rescue helicopter picks-up the injured twins at the accident site.

Calvin finds the shoulder-type missile launcher of Abdul inside the car. He loads it with a projectile and fires it to the escaping helicopter – exploding it into pieces. Calvin vows to stop using his hacking program, and never to trust it to anybody else. Calvin receives $10 million reward from the FBI for killing Sheik Ahmad, a wanted terrorist.

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The script is 90 pages in all. So, you really need time to read this spec script. Once you’re done reading it, please send me your own personal criticism on it. You could post your comments here, or you could send them personally to jessguim(@)yahoo(.)com – parenthesis not included.

Again, the main movie script is at http://gubatnon.com/movie_script_the_analyst.html

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Movie Script: Root of Vengeance is a post from: Gubatnon Connection

As a citizen, exercise your right to vote.  Select the right candidates, select the “lesser evils,” and with more accomplishments in their past records. Why I was saying “lesser evil,” because I’ve read in many articles that politicians are all evil. So, select the “lesser evil.”

By the way, I would like to thank subscribers to this blog who had started following my advise to practice building their own exposures in the Internet by doing their own free blogs from Google at https://www.blogger.com/start, and from WordPress at http://wordpress.com/. If you are going to try, too, I advise you to open a free gmail or Google account, and open a free blog at https://www.blogger.com/start. Once you’ve made your own Google Blog, from your blog, there’s an option to monetize or earn money from it. The “monetize” button is at the upper right corner of the window, when you are at your admin control panel of your own Google blog. Here, you will be applying for Google Adsense, a pay-per-click advertising that will be placed by Google in your blog. The amount of pay-per-click depends on how valuable is the ad.  An ad for a car, for example, is $2.40 per click.  Imagine if your blog topic is about cars, and people who visit your blog click your ads (let’s say a minimum of 10 in a day or more if you have more visitors), you’re earning dollars without going abroad, without leaving your family. So, my best advise open up a blog that’s interesting to you, and at the same time will give you good earnings from the Google Adsense.

There’s a lot of opportunities in the Internet.  Don’t waste it, like the way you waste your cell phone loads by texting worthless rumors and green jokes. But don’t buy offers of opportunities by the scammers (there’s thousands of them). Learn these opportunities for free.  Again, don’t be fooled by offers of million dollars earnings by scammers. Start yours for free, from the one I told you – free Google blog with pay-per-click ads of Google Adsense. And one more thing, don’t risk your permanent job, by focusing on this Internet opportunity if you are not sure about it. Take it as a hobby, with the promise of an additional dollar earning. Finally, if you have questions, please send it to me by email, or post it here as comment. 

Postscript: In case you visit here, and you did not find an update or new article to read, please visit my other web site http://overseasfilipinos.com . It has articles pertaining to secrets of success for a larger audience. I love to take pictures of New York City, and if you wanted to see the beauty of the city where I’m living now, please visit http://aroundnewyorkcity.com .

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Election Fever, and More is a post from: Gubatnon Connection