Search for Banaue music for symphony orchestra on
Published Mar 11, 2018 12:05 am
By Deedee M. Siytangco
RESTORING BANAUE At the Banaue International Music Launch with Luchie Roque, Dr. Milagros How of International Harvester, Maestro Chino Toledo, Gen. Jaime de los Santos, and Mayor Jerry Dalipog. (Image by Lorne Lllanes)
ANGEL THOUGHTS
“Music is the language of the soul”
How many among us have dreamed of seeing the world heritage treasure, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Cordillera Autonomous Region and had this dream fulfilled? The terraces were immortalized by National Artist Gerardo de Leon in the movie Banawe: Stairway to the Sky, and the image was on the P1,000 bill issued in 1991 and on the P20 bill released on 2010.
Businesswoman Dr. Milagros How of International Harvester was one such dreamer but by divine design, she says she got to travel to Banaue and fell in love with the terraces. She also met the mayor, civil engineer Jerry U. Dilipog who like her loved the terraces. He is a native of Banaue and is passionate for its preservation too.
Sadly, Dr. How saw the eroded cluster of the terraces. Like Mayor Dilipog, she was inspired to do something to save the terraces instead of just lamenting its destruction due to neglect, climate change, and human indifference. They agreed to partner together to try and save the national treasure.
Dr. How has, since her initial trip to Banaue, has poured huge resources in getting foreign and local scientists to visit Banaue and assess the damaged terraces. They started coming to the terraces to repair them last year. Now, the pictures shown by retired general Jaime de los Santos, Dr. How’s consultant, reveal that the efforts by both natives and experts have born fruit. We saw the Japanese experts in the launch and they were very happy to be part of the restoration efforts of International Harvester and the local government unit of mayor Dalipog. Several hectares of once denuded terraces have been planted to rice successfully. The farmers are now enthusiastic to do more, said Mayor Dalipog and he is confident that the project of International Harvester will bear more repaired clusters of terraces.
Fast forward to the latest project of Dr. How—an ambitious international competition for composers to make Banaue-inspired symphonic music! This is the biggest musical competition in the country and already composers from several countries have signified their intention to submit their entries. Chino Toledo noted local composer is the chairman of this music competition, with the grand prize of $12,000 and second prizes of $6,000 each.
Twenty selected composers will be part of the exciting Banaue-immersion program where they will have a week to experience local culture and music. The composers will rehearse their pieces with the orchestra selected by Toledo in Banaue Hotel, which will be open to the public. Ten composer-fellows will be performing their pieces at the CCP on finals night, July 25.
“We want to let the world know that the Philippines is home to great wonders not just in terms of natural resources but also in inspiring talents from all over the world,” Dr. How said in the launch of the competition (She also has a film competition for farmers, but that’s another story). Businesswoman with a soul is what her co-cooperators say of Dr. How. She even brought the children dancers of Banawe to Hon Kong Disneyland after they performed for her and her party last year.
Composers have until April 15 to submit their compositions; www.banauemusic.org
* * *
State pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will restore the policy requiring the annual reporting of all GSIS pensioners.
Dubbed Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation (APIR), the program requires all GSIS old-age and survivorship pensioners to appear personally at any GSIS office or use the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosk to activate their status and ensure the continuous receipt of their pension.
Under APIR, GSIS will undertake a three-month reactivation period from March 23 to June 30. During this period, all pensioners who are 79 years old and below regardless of their birth month will have to do the information revalidation process and reactivate their status.
Not required to report for APIR during the three-month reactivation period are permanent total disability pensioners, pensioners aged 80 and above or those with medical condition, legal guardians (who are not survivorship pensioners) of incapacitated and/or dependent children, and old-age pensioners who are active GSIS members at the same time.
GSIS pensioners may reactivate their status in GWAPS kiosks that are installed in GSIS offices; provincial capitols, city halls, selected municipal offices, large government agencies, such as the Department of Education, Robinsons Malls, and selected SM City branches in Mall of Asia, North EDSA, Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and SM Aura in Taguig.
GSIS will also set up APIR caravans in selected municipalities to bring its services closer to pensioners. The details of the APIR caravan will be announced through text messages as well as television and radio stations.
Pensioners who are residing abroad and in the ARMM areas are also exempted from undertaking the APIR during the three-month period, as they have continuously been subjected to the annual renewal process of GSIS.
“We are calling on our pensioners to revalidate their status as guardians of GSIS fund. This is one way of ensuring that the system will be sustainable, which will benefit not only the present crop of pensioners, but future pensioners as well,” president and general manager Jesus Clint Aranas said.
For the purpose of reactivation, pensioners have to bring their GSIS eCard or Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card. If the UMID card or eCard is not available, any two valid government-issued IDs with picture and signature may be presented. After the scheduled three-month reactivation period, pensioners are reminded to renew their status during their birth month as well.
* ** *
Hear ye, hear ye! Good news for Casino patrons with gambling problems. They will now be given more options to seek professional help and start anew. Yes,Virginia, we have gambling addicts in our midst!
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has joined hands and signed a Memoranda of Agreement with Bridges of Hope and Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) to strengthen PAGCOR’s responsible gaming campaign. While this might sound ironic to us non-gamblers, PAGCOR recognizes the problem among those severely addicted to gambling in any form.
The agreements include setting up responsible gaming programs with a referral system for professional assistance and services for clients who acknowledge the need for support in dealing with addiction to gaming.
Bridges of Hope and LCRC will provide life coaching, counseling, wellness, and in-house rehabilitation services to clients referred by PAGCOR. At present, family members who may want to refer any member of their family addicted to gambling and the Casinos will ban them from entering the club premises.
PAGCOR chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo said this initiative will contribute significantly to the Corporation’s drive to strengthen the mental health and well-being of problem gamblers.
“If there are people who need these kinds of interventions, we will refer them to these institutions. Although we cannot totally stop gambling, we are here to regulate it, ensure fair play, and have a system of helping those who want to be helped,” Domingo said.
Meanwhile, Guillermo Gomez, senior program director of Bridges of Hope expressed his appreciation of the partnership and commended PAGCOR on its initiative.
“Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to help. This venture is actually a very brave, very arduous concept taken on by PAGCOR. Bridges of Hope is up to the challenge, to provide the necessary discernment before irresponsible gaming becomes an inflicted self-destruction,” he said.
Apart from the partnership, PAGCOR has also set up other services and support facilities to help prevent the ill-effects of gambling addiction. These services include a 24/7 hotline for casino clients and their families who want to seek help and an exclusion program for customers and their families as well. Anyone who needs assistance may call the Casino Filipino RG Helpline at 02 521-0957 or send an email [email protected].
PAGCOR also requires its licensees to establish their own gambling-related complaint resolution mechanisms to address gambling concerns. The agency also strictly reinforces the limited access of minors, students, government officials, and their families from gaming venues.
Gambling addiction is not casual players who go to the casinos once in a while to enjoy the amenities and try their hand on the machines. They are the hardcore gamblers who spent hours trying to break the bank. They will spend their last money, beg or borrow, sell or pawn their jewelry or even in extreme cases, their bodies to continue gambling. A relative of my late husband had come to that point of gambling addiction. She almost lost her husband too. But he took her back and now she is on a regulated program. She gambles on an allowance per outing and when her money is gone, she goes home. It was so bad her pictures were in the major casinos (requested by the family) as among those banned from the premises.
RESTORING BANAUE At the Banaue International Music Launch with Luchie Roque, Dr. Milagros How of International Harvester, Maestro Chino Toledo, Gen. Jaime de los Santos, and Mayor Jerry Dalipog. (Image by Lorne Lllanes)
ANGEL THOUGHTS
“Music is the language of the soul”
How many among us have dreamed of seeing the world heritage treasure, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Cordillera Autonomous Region and had this dream fulfilled? The terraces were immortalized by National Artist Gerardo de Leon in the movie Banawe: Stairway to the Sky, and the image was on the P1,000 bill issued in 1991 and on the P20 bill released on 2010.
Businesswoman Dr. Milagros How of International Harvester was one such dreamer but by divine design, she says she got to travel to Banaue and fell in love with the terraces. She also met the mayor, civil engineer Jerry U. Dilipog who like her loved the terraces. He is a native of Banaue and is passionate for its preservation too.
Sadly, Dr. How saw the eroded cluster of the terraces. Like Mayor Dilipog, she was inspired to do something to save the terraces instead of just lamenting its destruction due to neglect, climate change, and human indifference. They agreed to partner together to try and save the national treasure.
Dr. How has, since her initial trip to Banaue, has poured huge resources in getting foreign and local scientists to visit Banaue and assess the damaged terraces. They started coming to the terraces to repair them last year. Now, the pictures shown by retired general Jaime de los Santos, Dr. How’s consultant, reveal that the efforts by both natives and experts have born fruit. We saw the Japanese experts in the launch and they were very happy to be part of the restoration efforts of International Harvester and the local government unit of mayor Dalipog. Several hectares of once denuded terraces have been planted to rice successfully. The farmers are now enthusiastic to do more, said Mayor Dalipog and he is confident that the project of International Harvester will bear more repaired clusters of terraces.
Fast forward to the latest project of Dr. How—an ambitious international competition for composers to make Banaue-inspired symphonic music! This is the biggest musical competition in the country and already composers from several countries have signified their intention to submit their entries. Chino Toledo noted local composer is the chairman of this music competition, with the grand prize of $12,000 and second prizes of $6,000 each.
Twenty selected composers will be part of the exciting Banaue-immersion program where they will have a week to experience local culture and music. The composers will rehearse their pieces with the orchestra selected by Toledo in Banaue Hotel, which will be open to the public. Ten composer-fellows will be performing their pieces at the CCP on finals night, July 25.
“We want to let the world know that the Philippines is home to great wonders not just in terms of natural resources but also in inspiring talents from all over the world,” Dr. How said in the launch of the competition (She also has a film competition for farmers, but that’s another story). Businesswoman with a soul is what her co-cooperators say of Dr. How. She even brought the children dancers of Banawe to Hon Kong Disneyland after they performed for her and her party last year.
Composers have until April 15 to submit their compositions; www.banauemusic.org
* * *
State pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will restore the policy requiring the annual reporting of all GSIS pensioners.
Dubbed Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation (APIR), the program requires all GSIS old-age and survivorship pensioners to appear personally at any GSIS office or use the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosk to activate their status and ensure the continuous receipt of their pension.
Under APIR, GSIS will undertake a three-month reactivation period from March 23 to June 30. During this period, all pensioners who are 79 years old and below regardless of their birth month will have to do the information revalidation process and reactivate their status.
Not required to report for APIR during the three-month reactivation period are permanent total disability pensioners, pensioners aged 80 and above or those with medical condition, legal guardians (who are not survivorship pensioners) of incapacitated and/or dependent children, and old-age pensioners who are active GSIS members at the same time.
GSIS pensioners may reactivate their status in GWAPS kiosks that are installed in GSIS offices; provincial capitols, city halls, selected municipal offices, large government agencies, such as the Department of Education, Robinsons Malls, and selected SM City branches in Mall of Asia, North EDSA, Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and SM Aura in Taguig.
GSIS will also set up APIR caravans in selected municipalities to bring its services closer to pensioners. The details of the APIR caravan will be announced through text messages as well as television and radio stations.
Pensioners who are residing abroad and in the ARMM areas are also exempted from undertaking the APIR during the three-month period, as they have continuously been subjected to the annual renewal process of GSIS.
“We are calling on our pensioners to revalidate their status as guardians of GSIS fund. This is one way of ensuring that the system will be sustainable, which will benefit not only the present crop of pensioners, but future pensioners as well,” president and general manager Jesus Clint Aranas said.
For the purpose of reactivation, pensioners have to bring their GSIS eCard or Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card. If the UMID card or eCard is not available, any two valid government-issued IDs with picture and signature may be presented. After the scheduled three-month reactivation period, pensioners are reminded to renew their status during their birth month as well.
* ** *
Hear ye, hear ye! Good news for Casino patrons with gambling problems. They will now be given more options to seek professional help and start anew. Yes,Virginia, we have gambling addicts in our midst!
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has joined hands and signed a Memoranda of Agreement with Bridges of Hope and Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) to strengthen PAGCOR’s responsible gaming campaign. While this might sound ironic to us non-gamblers, PAGCOR recognizes the problem among those severely addicted to gambling in any form.
The agreements include setting up responsible gaming programs with a referral system for professional assistance and services for clients who acknowledge the need for support in dealing with addiction to gaming.
Bridges of Hope and LCRC will provide life coaching, counseling, wellness, and in-house rehabilitation services to clients referred by PAGCOR. At present, family members who may want to refer any member of their family addicted to gambling and the Casinos will ban them from entering the club premises.
PAGCOR chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo said this initiative will contribute significantly to the Corporation’s drive to strengthen the mental health and well-being of problem gamblers.
“If there are people who need these kinds of interventions, we will refer them to these institutions. Although we cannot totally stop gambling, we are here to regulate it, ensure fair play, and have a system of helping those who want to be helped,” Domingo said.
Meanwhile, Guillermo Gomez, senior program director of Bridges of Hope expressed his appreciation of the partnership and commended PAGCOR on its initiative.
“Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to help. This venture is actually a very brave, very arduous concept taken on by PAGCOR. Bridges of Hope is up to the challenge, to provide the necessary discernment before irresponsible gaming becomes an inflicted self-destruction,” he said.
Apart from the partnership, PAGCOR has also set up other services and support facilities to help prevent the ill-effects of gambling addiction. These services include a 24/7 hotline for casino clients and their families who want to seek help and an exclusion program for customers and their families as well. Anyone who needs assistance may call the Casino Filipino RG Helpline at 02 521-0957 or send an email [email protected].
PAGCOR also requires its licensees to establish their own gambling-related complaint resolution mechanisms to address gambling concerns. The agency also strictly reinforces the limited access of minors, students, government officials, and their families from gaming venues.
Gambling addiction is not casual players who go to the casinos once in a while to enjoy the amenities and try their hand on the machines. They are the hardcore gamblers who spent hours trying to break the bank. They will spend their last money, beg or borrow, sell or pawn their jewelry or even in extreme cases, their bodies to continue gambling. A relative of my late husband had come to that point of gambling addiction. She almost lost her husband too. But he took her back and now she is on a regulated program. She gambles on an allowance per outing and when her money is gone, she goes home. It was so bad her pictures were in the major casinos (requested by the family) as among those banned from the premises.