Gubatnon ConnectionConceive. Believe. Achieve.

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.

The email below was forwarded to our Class 74 Yahoo group by classmate Aida Mendivel, who is working at the Mayor’s office of Gubat. As we read the current Mayor’s email, he was expressing thanks to the efforts of the past Mayor, who is now our Honorable Congressman Ding Ramos.

****************************************

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

I’ve never thought I could find a Gabi (Gaway) plant at Times Square, here in New York City. Of all the places, it was planted at the center island of the most popular square in the world – with 45 million visiting tourists from around the world every year. I found this plant while I was video recording the Times Square, which is a a favorite place for me. Here, you could be alone, but you’ll never feel alone with thousands of people enjoying the place. Everytime I come to this place, I always ask myself why thousands of people come to this place everyday. The answer, ‘though, need not come from other people, but from my own thoughts: Times Square is the symbol of the “American Dream” every person from other places have always dreamt about. The glittering neon lights, the giant digital billboards, the tall skyscrapers, the Broadway shows, the beeping and honking cars, and the sea of humanity at this small triangle, called “Times Square” is like a world in itself. Only that sadness and negative elements are hidden, tried to be forgotten for a moment. Only fun, happiness, and memories are enjoyed in this place.

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

“Why are we poor?”  runs a line of an Internet post I’ve read in one of my groups in Yahoo? There’s so many reasons to it, but you could only answer this question based on your own perception.

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.”

Election fever is extremely an epidemic in the Philippines now.  Friends and relatives are even going to the extreme of separating from each others’ long friendships and family ties, because they could not agree with their choices of candidates.  I warn you, my fellow Gubatnons, not to go into this kind of situation. These politicians don’t even know you.  Why would you gamble your friendships and family ties to these politicians? As my father had always told me, “In politics, there’s no permanent friendships, no permanent enemies. There’s only permanent personal interests.”  Those politicians who are opposing with each other now, will soon be friends again after the election time.  But I doubt with you if you will still be friend with your best friend after election, if you broke your alliance with him/her, because of your different choices on candidates.

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 .

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

This article is a reprint from http://onewebplaza.com . The reason why I’m posting this here, because I wanted to emphasize to my fellow Gubatnons how important is owning a web site now and in the future. If millions of other computer users and Internet hobbyists from around the world are earning now, while they are at their own homes, then, why not other Filipinos? Why would Filipinos sell their properties to pay unscrupulous job recruiters, to work abroad for their families, when they could stay with their families and earn money by using the powers of the world wide web? Below, follows the reprint:

***************************************************

Top 7 Reasons Why You Need a Personal Website
Having a website of your own equals entering into an invaluable communication environment. There are at least 7 reasons why it is highly advisable for you to be present online:

1. Represents your personal profile
A website can be your virtual portrait, showing off your personal self to the world on a 24/7 basis. Among the most popular ways of presenting your personality online is keeping a webblog (otherwise known as online diary) or a photo gallery, where your friends can stay up-to-date with your daily living.

2. Spreads your voice across the world
A website can be your global “tribune” where you are able to share your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm with people who have common interests, but with whom you might not otherwise have crossed paths. A very popular idea-voicing tool is the discussion board, better known as “forum”. You can also have a guestbook on your site, where people can discuss your postings.

3. Lets you be in touch with people at a distance
A website can be a meeting place for making new acquaintances with people of different religion, nationality and age, as well as for keeping in touch with friends who may be on the other side of the world. Thanks to the almost unlimited online communication possibilities you can conduct one-to-one conversations with many different people directly from your website.

4. Broadens disabled people’s interaction with the world
A website empowers people with limited access, due to handicap or illness, to broaden their communication with others. A website can be a physically disabled person’s door to the dynamic world, allowing him/her to bridge over the difficulties of having a “different” everyday life. It can even be their office, where they can present and deliver certain home-made products/services directly from their living room.

5. Creates a web skill development environment
A website can introduce you to the secrets of www. The contemporary web design technologies have brought the art of creating a website just a few clicks away from the inexperienced user. Thanks to the popular WYSWYG (what you see is what you get) web design tools, absolutely everyone (irrespective of age or education degree) can build their own web page without any previous experience.

6. Makes extra profit for you with minimum investment on your part
A website can make residual profit for you, while you are sleeping or enjoying your free time. Thanks to the up-to-date techniques for bringing traffic to your website, you can earn easy money by simply having visitors click on certain product/service promos or links that are relevant to your site content pages (e.g. Google Adsense/Adwords ad solutions) without any initial investment.

7. Makes you a member of the biggest community of the world
A website is a must-have personal attribute nowadays, just like mobile phones and computers are. The fast developing technologies have converted having a website from a whim into a modern necessity. As of today, almost everyone has a web site, whereas twice as many people are expected to be having their own personal space in the global World Wide Web cosmos in the near future. Be forward-thinking, join this trend.

***************************************************

You could start owning a free web site (or blog) by opening accounts in either Google.com or WordPress.com and start your own free personal blog as a starter. Don’t force yourself by buying immediately a domain and build professional web site until you’re already comfortable doing your blogging from free sites in Google and WordPress.com. If you know how to use Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, you could surely do blogging by your own. It’s really fun, specially when it starts earning an extra money for you.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Diyos marhay na adlaw uli, kapwa ko Gubatnon.  Awat-awat man ako na wara pakasurat dini sa ako “Gubatnon Blogger.”  Daghanon an ako gin-atendiran sa buhay dini sa Amerika. Grabe an inpurbaran ko na paagi, kun pa’no makabangon sini na krisis niyan dini sa Amerika.

An bagyong Ondoy nan Pepeng diri sa ako nakakapaturog dini sa Amerika, matapos kong maimod sa amo TV an mga nangyari sa mga biktima sini. Segun sa Weather Bureau sa Manila, may upat hanggang lima pa na bagyong ma-agi sa Pilipinas, bago tumapos an taon 2009.  Kaya ingat lang po kamo, nan sundon ta an motto san mga Boy Scout, “Laging Handa.”

Narumduman ko san bata pa ako, taon 1971 siguro yadto san may uminagi na bagyo sa Gubat na may kasabay na tidal web.  Sa Panganiban Street kami sadto naka-estar.  An amo saday na balay nakatungtong lang an mga harigi sa daragko na bato. Naiimod ko sa parting Dangkalan, sa ka-miyapihan, an lampas-kahoy na balud. San sumalpok na sa mga kabalayan an daku-dako na balud, inanod ini na amo balay.  Napalukso sa bintana an ako ama, nan saka man kami nagruluwas sa balay para mag-likas o mag-evacuate. Sa mura ko na isipan, diri ko malimutan na an pinas-an ko sadto an baul na may mga bado namo.  Sa Quezon Street, naiimod ko sa piyer an daragkuon na balud.  Pag-pusak sini na mga balud sa piyer nan pag naabot na sa ako inlalakawan an tubig-dagat, naabot sa ako dughan an tubig.  Salamat sa baul na purupas-an ko, kay mau ini an pagub-at ko, para diri ako guyudon san tubig pabalik sa dagat.

Sa buhay sin tawo, masahol pa sa totoong bagyo an mga problema na naabot sa ato.  Pero, dapat maging pareho kita sa kawayan na maski ipalid sin makusog na hangin, nabiwog lang siya kasabay sa usong san hangin. Sa sunud-sunod na pakol san hangin sa kanya, nabiwog siya hanggang sa kaya niya ibiwog.  Pero, pag-abot san tag-adlaw, nabalik man an kaniya tindog para langhapon an maasiwas na hangin nan kupuon an liwanag san adlaw.

An Gubatnon, irog san kawayan.  Masarig sa ano man na bagyo.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Diyos marhay na adlaw uli sa mga bistantes ko dini sa ako blog site.  Daghanon an malalagalag dini na masusorpresa kay in-asahan nira dini social web site o tambayan web site.  Well, this is not a place for sosyalan o tambayan.  Alagad sa ibang panahon, nag-iisip man ako maghimo dini sin chat room, o bulletin board.  Alagad daghanon na na Gubatnon sites an may-on suon.

An tema san mga blogs o diary notes ko dini puro manungod sa Internet nan sa world wide web. Mau ini an ato tinampo sa pag asenso.  Mao ini an dapat maaraman na teknolohiya san mga Gubatnon kun gusto nira mag-asenso, maski yuon sira sa Gubat.  Kun diri kamo maniwala sini na ako teoriya, badi sa maabot na napulo na taon, mao gihapon an Gubat nan san mga Gubatnon, kumparado sa 20 anyos na na nakalipas. Atrasado sa asenso, kay kulang sa kaaraman kun pano an pag gamit san Internet.

Kapwa ko Gubatnon, Diyos marhay na adlaw uli saimo!  An tema san ako blog niyan an manungod sa mga rason kun nano kay kaipuhan mo mag sadire sin personal web site; o kun may negosyo ka, business ecommerce web site.  Daghanon dini sa Internet an puwede niyo kadtuon para mag-bukas sin libre na personal web page o web site.  Nan di mo kaipuhan mag adal web designing kay duon mismo sa kakadtuan mo, mayon na duon sin programa sa web designing – masayunon, maski grade one na nakabasa English, makahimo tulos sini. An sekreto, i-search mo lang sa Google an”free blog,” ”free web,” “free web hosting,” daghanon yuon na puwede mo himuan sin sadiri mo na web site – libre.  Kun medyo maaramunon ka na, saka ka lang mag hanap sin professional web hosting na may bayad.

An Internet pareho sin planeta na mahiwason.  Sadto baga na panahon paurunahan magsakop sin sayo na lugar.  An mga nakasakop sin sayo na lugar, paurunahan magsadire sin mga ingod, kabas-an, kalubihan, o maski nano na klasing propredad.  Komo an Pilipinas sinakop sin mga Kastila, an mga pamilya na may daragkuon niyan na ingod (kalubihan, kabas-an, bakahan, abakahan) mga lahi yuon sin Kastila.  An kagayunan san Internet, kay mahiwason ini, wara limitasyon para masakop. Kaya lang habang maaga, dapat yaa na kamo dini, may sadire man na web site.  Para sa kaawatan, an inlalaban mo dini an imo popularidad kun pirmi may bisita an imo web site.

An web site mau an nagre-representar saimo o sa negosyo mo sa bilog na mundo san Internet.  Mau yuon an imo imahen sa Internet 24 horas an adlaw, maski turog ka.  Sayo ini na paagi para ipakilala mo an saimo persona, negosyo, komunidad, organisasyon,  banwa, o kawsa sa paagi sin web log (pareho sini na inbabasa mo niyan), regular na web page o web site, o photo gallery.

An imo web site mao an imo magiging venue o paagi, kun pano mo ibabalangibog an imo mga kaisipan, ideya, o kawsa.  Dini, puwede mo ibahen an imo mga kaaraman, experiensa, interes sa kapwa mo na parehong may entusiasmo sini na imo kaaraman, eksperiensa, nan interes. An ehemplo sini, an insasabi na discussion board o forum. An guestbook, mao an lugar kun diin nagpo-posting an imo mga bisita manungod sa imo mga artikulo.

An imo web site puwede maging tagpuan san imo mga amigo, ka-klasi, kababayan sa mga haragrayo na lugar.  Diri na nira kaipuhan mamasahe para magtaragpuan kamo, kay dini mismo sa imo web site baga man lang kamo an harampangan, lalo na kun an imo web site may feature para sa chatting.  Puwera lang san dati mo na mga amigo, ka-klasi, o kababayan, dahil sa web site mo magkaka-mayon ka sin mga bago na amigo o cyber barkada.

Kun ikaw paralitiko, o limitado an kusog para mag luwas nan maki-esturyahan, an web site mo an magiging pintuan mo sa bagong mundo na puwede ka mag komunikar sa mga tawong diri mo kaya abuton. Puwede mo pa ngani ini gamiton na lugar para mag-bukas sin negosyo na diri mo kaya himuon dahil san imo limitasyon mag hiwag dahil san imo kapansanan.

An web site o Internet sayo na necesidad na kaipuhan nato kupkupon na mga Gubatnon, para umasenso kita.  Ayaw niyo pag turugturugi an nagdadalagan na teknolohiya, kun gusto niyo mag asenso personal, o mag asenso an ato banwaan san Gubat.

Kapwa ko mga Gubatnon:

Madali na an ato mga school reunions na sisundan san kapistahan sa Gubat.  Gusto ko kunta mag- uli niyan na Abril.  Pero in reserba ko sa Junio na lang, para makasabay sa amo class 74 reunion nan sa fiesta sa Gubat.  San nakaagi na simana, habang insusurat ko an ako posting sa amo GHS Class of 1974 Yahoo Group, naobserbaran ko na baga an ako insusurat rhyming an mga durho.  Kaya sabi ko, himuon ko na lang siguro ini na rawit-dawit.  Maugma nan mamundo ini na ako rawit-dawit, na in dedikar ko saiyo entero na Gubatnon, lalo na na mga nasa haragrayo na lugar:

************************

KITA AN MGA AGILA SA GUBAT
by Jess Guim

An masabi ko lang: Gubat baga an pangaran san ato banwaan.
Dini sa kagubatan, sa mga kakahuyan an mga agila nabubuhay.
Kita an mga Agila na kun mag rulapad harayo nan halangkaw.
Kaya bihira mag tener sa mga kahoy o sa salag na nabuhayan.

Alagad an fiesta, nan school reunions na puno sin kaugmahan,
An nakaka engganyar sa mga agilang hali sa harayong lugar.
Masuwerte an mga agilang nakaka balik sa kanira kinadtuan -
Pag abot sa Gubat na hinalian, puro kaugmahan an taragpuan.

May mga agila, na maluya na an mga pakpak, mga wara suwerti.
May mga agila na wara na kahoy o estaran na mababalikan dini.
Kaya sa  kapung-awan nira nag duduwa-duwa, nag mumuni-muni:
“Ano, ma uli ako sa Gubat o diri? Ano, ma uli ako sa Gubat o diri?”

************************

Sa sino man na makabasa sini, kun may kila tabi kamo na GHS class 74, paki sabi tabi na magbatog na mag padara san kanira kontribusyon para sa reunion kan Leonora Funtanar-Dino.  Of course, kita entero na mga Gubatnon, dapat mag handa na niyan san ato pag uruli sa Gubat sa Junio.  Kay sabi ko na ngani, maski nag harayo kita sa Gubat, para maghanap san ato mga pagkabuhay nan pag asenso, pareho kita san mga agila sa kakahuyan.  Maski nano kaharayo san hinalian, na balik man gihapon sa kanya sadiring lugar – sa parte nato na mga Gubatnon, sa GUBAT.