Is there a leader in you? Do you have what it takes to win an election?

Here’s your chance to discover yourself and your leadership potential, learn from the experts, and know the basics of running an electoral campaign.

The Ateneo School of Government will conduct a Leadership and Campaign Seminar on December 1-4, 2009 at Duka Bay Resort, Medina, Misamis Oriental. This Mindanao run is supported by the Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung. It is also supported by the Emmanuel Pelaez Foundation as a part of the Ateneo School of Government – Emmanuel Pelaez Leadership Program.

Who may apply?
- Prospective candidates for local and district (congressional) elections.
- Advocates of effective and ethical governance.

Neophyte politicians, 21-35 years old, women and indigenous people are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to apply?

Visit (www.asg.ateneo. edu) to download the application form and question sheet. Said forms are also attached with this email.

Fax the accomplished form and question sheet to (02) 920-2920 or (02) 426-5997 or e-mail it to political_democracy @yahoo.com or jaceron@ateneo.edu

The deadline for submission of applications is on November 15, 2009, 5:00 p.m.

The Ateneo School of Government will choose only twenty-five (25) participants. Successful applicants will be officially informed on or before November 20.

What will be discussed?

Seminar topics include knowing yourself as a potential leader, power and leadership, political mapping, campaign strategies and operations, and campaign finance and logistics.

Seminar expenses will be shouldered by the organizers except for the costs for transportation and training kits, which will be borne by the participants.

NCCA-UNRC Film Competition on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) for a minimum of three (3) minutes and maximum of five (5) minutes is on for gurus as well as budding filmmakers.

There are eight (8) categories focused on the eight (8) MDG’s are: where problem and solution are creatively integrated to give message of hope, the force of united action and compassion, the spirit of patriotism and global citizenship.

In view of the urgency of forging a Copenhagen agreement in December, the priority concern is MDG No. 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability of protecting bio-cultural diversity by addressing global warming and climate change disasters including access to safe drinking water and uplifting condition of slum dwellers.

The other remaining seven (7) categories are: Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger; Achieve Primary Education; Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women; Reduce child Mortality; Improved Maternal Health; Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases; Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

Deadline for Submission is on December 1- for the 7 categories. However, the Climate Change category: “Save the World” has a crucial earlier submission deadline which is November 17, 2009 so that the winning entry can be shown during Climate Change Consciousness Week on November 19-25, 2009 in the Philippines in line with the Presidential proclamation including a Global Warming Telethon and Multi-Media Summit on Climate Change. Winning entry for each category will receive the amount of Thirty Thousand pesos (Php 30,000.00) prize tax free, a trophy and inclusion in the UN MDG anthology film.

Send Entries To:

National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
Office of the Executive Director
Attention: Wilyan Maglente or Rosswil Hilario
633 General Luna Street
Intramuros, Manila

“Her intention to run speaks volumes on how she ignores her consistent unpopularity ratings. After desperately clinging to her post for almost 10 years, it would be better for the Filipino people if she retires politically. The people have suffered enough,” Ocampo said.

“It would definitely be a massive step backwards in the political growth and maturity of the Philippines if Mrs. Arroyo insists on holding yet another post after the presidency. It would be akin to thumbing a nose at the fight against corruption and the struggle for good governance,” he said.

Ocampo said that the people of Pampanga – as well as the rest of the nation – deserve a leader who will not use her position to protect herself at the expense of her constituency.

“The watchword, ‘change’ or ‘pagbabago,’ is also a rallying call. We shouldn’t recycle politicians who have proven themselves highly unworthy of the public trust and who represent the worst of Philippine traditional politics. If Macapagal-Arroyo does decide to run, we can only hope that the people of Pampanga will choose someone else to represent them in Congress,” Ocampo concluded.

It’s our time to be heard and at the same time win your free trip to Malaysia to attend YES 2009 and at the same time win as much as USD 1,000,000.00.

All you have to do is Check this link out: http://tinyurl.com/yes2009

Many of the Leadership Conference’s panelists are expected to share their insights, expertise, and practical tips on how to develop inclusive business practices that will maximize the participants’ economic empowerment objectives. The event will be held from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Luncheon will be served at noon, where the assembly will be addressed by a keynote speaker. Members of Illinois and other Filipino American Chamber organizations in the Midwest as well as Filipino community-based associations are encouraged to attend the Leadership Conference. The Leadership Conference’s fee of $35.00 includes continental breakfast and luncheon.

From 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, PACCGC in coordination with Mabuhay Alliance and the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC) will hold its Business Forum. Admission is free and pre-registration is done at www.paccgc.org or through Cindy Flores at (312) 925-7812, Nancy Harrison at (773) 428-8002, or Marie Espero at (708) 443-5764. Timely topics during these uncertain economic times will be discussed, including: (1) Small Business and Economic Development, which will cover micro lending, business loans, SBA, and supplier diversity; (2) Home ownerships, which will include home foreclosures, how to own and sell a property; and (3) Broadband and ethnic media, that will cover communications, local ethnic papers, and the internet.

PACCGC’s 25th anniversary celebration will also feature an evening event, the “Gala and Dinner Ball” which commences at 6:30pm with no-host cocktail and a reception. A silent auction will be one of its major attractions. Invited to grace the event as the evening’s keynote speaker is Valerie Jarrett, Senior Legal Advisor for the White House. Also expected is Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner of Federal Communications Commission. Tickets for the Gala/Dinner Ball are $65.00 per person.

The original Philippine Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1984 and was recognized as Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Chicago in 1989. It was renamed Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Chicago to include businesses and entrepreneurs statewide in good standing. It is a non-profit organization under IRS 501 (c) 6 and a delegate agency of the City of Chicago.

The Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC), anorganization of Philippine Chambers of Commerce in North America led by its new President, Jaime Lim from Oregon, is at the hub of Filipino business activities in the US, an organization established by the coalition-based efforts of its President Emeritus, Yolanda O. Stern, and charter member organizations in the early 1970’s.

The Mabuhay Alliance, a non-profit organization, is an advocate for empowerment and recognition of ethnic minorities, especially Pan- Asian Americans, Latinos and Afro-Americans. The Business Forum is expected to be the first of many events that will be hosted by the group in Greater Chicago.

For more details, call Nancy Harrison, Chair, Leadership Conference, Business Forum (773) 428-8002; Marie Espero, Chair, Gala/Dinner Ball (708) 443-5764; Cindy Flores, Over-All Chair (312) 925-7812 or (312) 738-0201; or Ely Natividad, PACCGC President (773) 457-3402.

Results of the recent study show that, on average, it may take a voter six (6) minutes and one (1) second to fill up the proposed ballot for the automated elections. This is an improvement from the average of the first study conducted in Tanauan, Batangas, which recorded an average of eight (8) minutes and four (4) seconds.

“Proper orientation on the voting process can really help a voter fill up the ballot easier and faster,” said Ching Jorge, YouthVote lead convener. “The result is a welcome development and we’re gearing our voter education program to not only get people informed about the candidates but to also familiarize them with the ballot and the new process.”

The series of study, conducted with PoliticalArena. com, uses an improvised ballot based on the sample design of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The ballot used for the second study featured substitute questions for 32 electoral positions with 338 candidates printed on both sides of the paper. For its second round, YouthVote shortened the ballot size from 25 to 20 inches and adjusted the font size to Arial Narrow 11 also as per COMELEC advice.

In an exit interview, participants of the study generally had positive feedback. Several teachers, elderly and experienced voters, who participated in the study, said they were relieved that voting will still be done using paper ballots, as they were afraid that automated elections meant computerized voting. Previous Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) chairpersons also expressed relief that the voting process will not be very different from past elections. A 74-year old voter said he was thankful the youth were initiating change. A total of 534 people of voting age participated in the study.

“People are always wary about new processes especially for events that will impact them personally like elections. It’s important that experienced voters have seen that it is not so much changing the old process but making it more efficient,” said Jaime Garchitorena, YouthVote information technology strategist. “What we need to do now, especially COMELEC and other groups with voter education programs, is to enlighten the public on which parts of the process will be automated, which parts will be a bit different and which parts will be similar.”

“As we improve the way we conduct elections, we think we should also improve the way we conduct voter education. Aside from knowing more about the candidates and developing democratic criteria, people should also now be informed on how exactly to engage the electoral process so they won’t feel indifferent,” added Tanya Hamada, YouthVote regional convener.

Unlike the first round, the second time-and-motion study was multi-sectoral and included out-of-school and elderly voters. Also, participants were oriented on the mechanics of filling up the ballot to avoid over-voting and shading problems. “When we released the results of the first study, some people said we got a good average time because our participants were all students who are used to shading, like when they do it during exams,” Jorge explained. “But with the result of the second study, it goes to show that with proper guidance even experienced voters can easily adjust to the new process.”

The activity was the group’s proactive response to concerns regarding difficulties and delays that might be caused by the new process and clustering of precincts. The COMELEC plans to collapse the existing 320,415 voting precincts into 80,146 clustered precincts in order to match the available 82,200 counting machines, also known as PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan). The new set up will cluster up to 1,000 registered voters in every precinct, which will be open for 11 hours.

“We thought it better to experiment and investigate instead of whining about automated elections,” said Garchitorena. “I think the youth and the public in general deserves to know the facts of this new technology and process.”

Since June 2008, YouthVote has engaged COMELEC in dialogue to immediately resume the registration of voters to accommodate more new registrants. They have been working with COMELEC to ensure that the youth would be a significant voice in the 2010 elections and successfully lobbied for a petition outlining four (4) possible areas where YouthVote could help COMELEC address limitations of the registration process for students and young professionals away from their areas of residence: 1)utilizing schools  for a registration/ information campaign; 2)expanding the availability of  registration materials to schools and the internet; 3)setting-up satellite registration centers or field mobile registration units; and 4)assigning additional special registration days each first Saturday of the month.

Highlighting the Philippine trip of the US Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission are separate meetings of this top-level delegation with President Arroyo and Cabinet executives led by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap along with officials of almost 200 local companies and of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Yap said the itinerary of the Vilsack-led mission includes a business forum at the Shangri-La Hotel in  Makati City ; agricultural briefings, laboratory tours and a palay harvesting activity at the IRRI headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna; a milk and biscuit distribution in a public elementary school as well as a tour of a private flour mill.

According to the USDA, this mission’s goal is “to promote trade and investment, particularly in the fisheries, biofuels, processed goods, beverages, meat and poultry, dairy products, agricultural machineries and equipment sectors.”

“Participating U.S. companies will have the opportunity to form partnerships and joint ventures with Philippine companies,” added the USDA in a report.

Manila-Washington trade in agricultural products went up 23..22% to $971,676,804 last year from $787,931,812 in 2007. (based on BAS data)

The agribusiness companies represented in the US mission are the Agri-Ima GIS Technology, American Trading Services, LLC, Cargill, Inc, EcoVative Resources, , Garuda International, Hima International, Intervision Foods, Kraft Foods, Land O’Lakes, Novick Industries Ltd., The Alan Group, US Fed Group, Valmont Industries, Inc., and Verdant Ocean, Inc.

On Sunday, Vilsack’s group will go to IRRI with US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney along with Yap and other Department of Agriculture (DA) officials, among them Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano; Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat; Assistant Secretary Preceles Manzo; Director Ronilo Beronio of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice); and Marriz Agbon, president of the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation (PADCC).

The IRRI activities include presentations by Yap on the global rice stockpile station; by IRRI director-general Dr. Robert Ziegler on the institute’s agenda and goals; by Beronio on PhilRice activities; and by Gil Villancio, who is project leader of the Integrated R and D program on Jatropha curcas for biodiesel.

These presentations will be followed by tours of IRRI’s International Rice Genebank, GAMMA Laboratory and plant growth facilities, and capped by a palay harvesting participated in by Ambassador Kenney, Secretary Vilsack, Dr. Zeigler, Dir Beronio and  Secretary Yap.

Vilsack’s group and Kenney will go to Malacañang on Monday to meet with President Arroyo, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, Yap and other DA officials; and then proceed to the Shangri-La Hotel for  the business forum.

Are you a blogger who wishes to stay and relax at a white sand beach resort in Cebu for a Sunday?

Wait no more…

Maribago Bluewater invites bloggers all over the Philippines to enjoy its white sand by simply following these instructions:

• Write something about Maribago Bluewater and its offerings to guests. The post should not be less than 150 words.

• Indicate in your post the date you wish to enjoy this privilege.

• After that, the blogger should link the following words to the specified weblinks:
  1. Maribago bluewater blog (http://www.bluewater.com.ph)
  2. Maribago Bluewater video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUYhh_VAZNU)
  3. PinoyWorld (http://www.pinoyworld.org)

• Only 5 blogger’s per Sunday shall be given a chance to enjoy “Sunday by the beach” from October 25, 2009 to November 20, 2009.

• Blogs certified to have followed the procedures and had notified this blog will be listed below (updated as of 24 October 2009 @ 1AM) :

October 25, 2009 (Sunday)
1. Bryan Karl Yuson
2. Mikyu Maglasang
3. Karen Veloso
4. Ethelbert B. Ouano
5. Mark Monta
6. Vernon Go
7. Blair Arciete
8. Zyra Arciete
9. Mark Alessandrew Abitona
10. Agnes Jimenez

November 8, 2009 (Sunday)
1. Galleca E. Baylon
2. Armando N. Filosopo Jr.
3. Jim Villaflores
4. Mark Gallardo
5. Mark Kevin Garbo

November 15, 2009 (Sunday)
1. Doris Domasia
2. Guada Esmena
3. Audrey
4. Edcel
5. Pibi Zulla
6. Ricky de la Cruz
7. Gerrymie D. Tampus
8. Jun Rey

November 22, 2009 (Sunday)
1. Jorich R. Ponio
2. Prince Ryan Gilig
3. Kristian Lloyd Etulle
4. Clarence Andrew Mongado
5. Keneley Zyza Esmeña
6. Francis Daniel Maning
7. Orville H. Tadle
8. Mark Gallardo

= = = = = = =

If you see your blog name indicated herein, e-mail editor@pinoyworld.org your Full Name, Address, Mobile Number and e-mail address. We’ll send you a text confirmation.

As qualified blogger, you are entitled to:

• Complimentary entrance to the resort (worth Php 650.00)
• Complimentary towel, which you can use in the resort (worth Php 300.00)
• Free lunch buffet at Maribago Bluewater’s Sunday Family Picnic (worth Php 700.00++)

For more information, please feel free to contact editor@pinoyworld.org or pinoyworld.editor@gmail.com.

Haribon Foundation

The event aims to raise awareness on the importance of rainforests and the need to plant native tree species to restore the natural forests’ ecological services including its impact to mitigate global warming. This activity is a means to raise funds for our rainforestation initiatives and other projects in biodiversity conservation.

Haribon Foundation and its partners nationwide aim to plant one million hectares of native trees by year 2020.

The event will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center at North Avenue, Quezon City. It will be attended by the members and friends of Haribon Foundation as well as partners in conservation.

The more participants we have, the more trees we can plant to reach our target.

To register, just click on our website: www.haribon.org.ph

For questions and inquiries, please  contact:

Blas R. Tabaranza Jr.
Chief Operating Officer
Haribon Foundation
email  membership@haribon. org.ph
website www.haribon.org.ph
call (63 2) 421-1213, 421-1209 or 911-6088 (Lyn) or
text/call 0922-815-1942 (Maribeth).

An activity in line with the ongoing Christian Youth Month (CYM) 2009, “Jog for Fun” aims to promote exercise as part of every Christian youth’s healthy  lifestyle.

“Jog for Fun” organizing committee is currently headed by Jenny Cañete of the Sports, Culture and the Arts Committee of the KADIWA District Office.

To know more about the remaining activities of the Iglesia Ni Cristo youth for CYM 2009, you may e-mail CYM 2009 Chair Kenneth Ouano (0932 548 0651) or CYM 2009 Vice Chair Ivan Llesol (0928 520 9962) at christianyouthmonth@gmail.com.