President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in Dumaguete with Secretary Dinky Soliman helping rebuild homes. (Photo by: Malacañang Photo Bureau)

“Lord, thank you for the mornings of my life. Make me see them as moments of rising and renewing, of sharing and caring. bringing me ever closer to You. Bless this day with your grace and mercy.”  --- A morning prayer from Alice V. De La Cruz

MANILA, Philippines — Happy Valentine to all lovers and those who believe in the power of love! I do, and my One Great Love left me with enough happy memories to see me through all the Valentine's Days of my life!

Now, for those who want a quiet, romantic celebration with excellent Filipino cuisine and choice wines, try my favorite, XO46 Heritage Bistro and the New Visayan Room next door at the Le Grand Tower on Valero street, Salcedo Village in Makati.

Or get away from it all and drive to Tagaytay for any of the fine dining restaurants there by the ridge. Stay at Taal Vista Hotel for the night but be ready for traffic.

Now, last Wednesday, President Noy spent his 52nd birthday on a working visit to Dumaguete  and other the earthquake-hit areas. He  brought along his two sisters, Ballsy and Pinky, who were saddened with the destruction that greeted them. With DSWD’s Dinky Soliman, DPWH’s Babes Singson, DOH’s Enrique Ona,  DOE’s Rene Almendras, DILG’s Jesse Robredo and other officials, the President made an aerial survey of the areas and later released more than P10 million for the  cash-for-work program for the victims.

He ordered all concerned agencies to work together to help bring back normalcy to the affected places. His message was that the government is now able to respond quickly to natural disasters because of preparedness and good fiscal practices.

What particularly touched the survivors was the President’s sincerity in wanting to know how they were coping and what the government could do for them. P-Noy assured them that he would monitor his directives, and to please let him know if they were not being followed.

This hands-on President also took pity on an old woman who was lying down on a small bed out on a street. He asked his driver to stop and jumped out to inquire about her. The daughter told the President that she was traumatized by the earthquake and was semi-paralyzed because of a stroke.

P-Noy immediately called Sec. Ona to check her out and see if she could be brought by chopper to the nearest hospital. But she was too frail to be moved so Ona had his doctors stabilize her. The President then asked the local health people to follow up the old woman’s condition. Again, he said he wanted to be informed about the woman’s progress.

To the people who crowded around him at the stops, the President  said that he was doing everything possible to help them. He ordered Almendras to restore power right away and to Singson, to check government buildings like the markets if they were structurally safe.

As Sec. Dinky observed, P-Noy was in his element, easily mixing with the people, bringing them hope by telling them “We will do what we can to help you but we can’t do it alone….you all have to help too. And please pray!”

At one stop, the people burst into a “happy birthday”song  to P-Noy who blushed furiously. The group had a very simple lunch in Dumaguete at 4 p.m. and then it was back to Manila.

One urban legend that should forever be erased from everyone’s minds because it is a FALSEHOOD is that one of the president’s hobbies is playing PSP or video games. HE DOES NOT, so there!

More good news….In support of the P-Noy Bayanihan project, PAGCOR together with the DepEd, TESDA and DENR, recently donated 3,900 armchairs to two of the most populated schools in the CARAGA Region. Butuan Central Elementary School (BCES), which currently has over 5,000 enrollees, received 1,900 armchairs. The donation reduced the school’s armchair backlog to 100. Meanwhile, the 2,000 armchairs given to Agusan National High School (ANHS) substantially lessened the school’s armchair shortage of 5,458.

Apart from BCES and ANHS, the other schools that received new chairs are the Butuan City School of Arts and Trades, Libertad Elementary School, Villa Kanangga Elementary School, La Trinidad Elementary School, OngYiu Elementary School, Kinamlutan Elementary School and San Vicente Elementary School.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. said the P-Noy Bayanihan project’s objective is to help solve the backlog on school desks in public schools nationwide. “Through this project, we are manufacturing thousands of school desks or armchairs using confiscated logs from illegal logging ,” he stressed  during the turn-over ceremony in Butuan Central Elementary School and Agusan National High School.

It is estimated that the public school sector lacks at least 2.5 million chairs in 45,000 public elementary and high schools nationwide. Sec. Luistro said the Pnoy Bayanihan project aims to end this backlog by June 2013. “Hindi nanatin hihintayin pang matapos ang term ng ating mahal na Pangulo bago tuluyang masolusyunan ang problemang ito.  Agad nating tatapusin ito sa susunod na taon.”

Sec. Luistro also thanked PAGCOR for bankrolling the Pnoy Bayanihan project. The state-owned gaming firm allotted an initial P100 million funding for the retrofitting of existing TESDA and DepEd facilities. It also financed the woodworking facilities established by TESDA in 10 sites nationwide.

The partnership among PAGCOR, DepEd, TESDA and DENR was forged in response to the directive of President Benigno Aquino III to work together and fast-track the production of school furniture made out of logs confiscated by the DENR from illegal loggers. TESDA Secretary General Joel Villanueva, for his part, stated that around 15,000 chairs are still due for delivery to other schools. “By April, depende sa delivery ng logs ng DENR, sinisiguro po naming zero backlog na ang buong CARAGA Region pag dating sa armchairs,” he vowed. TESDA is presently looking at other provinces that have needs for additional armchairs like Isabela and Quezon. PAGCOR, DepED, DENR and TESDA officials noted that the Pnoy Bayanihan project makes one evil like illegal logging a solution to one of the pressing problems of the country’s education sector, lack of school chairs.

Naguiat stressed that a lot of things need to be done to address the concerns of the education sector. “PAGCOR, through the help of other concerned agencies like the DepED, TESDA and DENR, will try to do its part in improving basic education.There is a P1billion funding for the “Matuwid na Daan sa Silid-Aralan Project” which aims to build 1,000 classrooms nationwide from PAGCOR."

BCES School Principal Rey Collado noted that the new 1,900 armchairs from the Pnoy Bayanihan project would be a big help to their school and its students. Jeaneva Marie Amper, a graduating elementary pupil and student council leader at BCES, cheerfully noted: “Mas makakapag-concentrate na po kami ngayon sa mga lessons namin kasi sigurado nang may mauupuan kami habang nagkaklase.”