What is good and bad about celebrating Bukidnon’s Kaamulan Festival every year?

Please key in your response here.

Favorite part on President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech

I glued myself to early morning television to see the inauguration.

Here’s my most favorite part, what’s yours?

“Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. “

Read full text here.

Law banning aerial spray in RP?

While a court battle upwards is still being fought on this struggle for the environment, this senator from Mindanao has mulled passing a bill banning aerial spraying in the country.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who styled himself as an environment advocate while in the House of Representatives, said he backs Davao City’s ban on aerial spraying and vows to come up with a bill to make the ban nationwide.

“I am in full support of the (Davao) city ordinance. I am 200 percent supporting the ban and I will file the bill in Senate when I get back,” he said.

Zubiri was in town to lead inaugural rites of Bukidnon’s P125-million Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center here. He was supposed to join President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but her trip was cancelled due to “bad weather”.

The Mindanawon senator threw his support to Davao City’s local ordinance a week after the Court of Appeals in Cagayan de Oro declared the aerial spray ban “invalid and unconstitutional”.

“It is extremely an environmental hazard, dangerous to the people, dangerous to animals, including wildlife,” Zubiri said. He described the threat of chemical sprayed from planes as “to whom it may concern — it affects anyone.”

Zubiri said the city government of Davao should take the case up to the Supreme Court since the appellate court’s January 9 decision reversed the verdict of Davao’s Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 17, which saw the aerial spray ban as valid and constitutional.

Is this possible? We have a parallel movement one in the judiciary and the other in the legislative. Let’s see if the other strand could be opened at all. See full story in MindaNews.com.

Valencia City’s ex-mayor Galario: from radio adversary to broadcaster

He used to be a staunch critic of the broadcast media, even padlocking radio stations in Valencia City during his two-term stint at city hall. But guess who is now a broadcaster himself — operating, programming, and going on-air in his own radio station.

Former Valencia City Mayor Jose M. Galario Jr. now operates DXVC, a new 1-kilowatt FM radio station broadcasting from Bagonta-as, Valencia City.

The station styles itself as a member of a network of radio stations owned by the Polytechnic Foundation of Cotabato and Asia, Inc. (PFCAI).

Aside from playing music, the station airs a commentary program hosted by Galario himself. He said its programming is not “scripted” and is determined to report the truth in the city.

Read full report here.

Happy New Year Mindanao!

We welcome the new year with hope for peace and progress for all in Mindanao.

It is good to anticipate more good news in 2009 for the “Land of Promise”.

Here is one:  MindaNews is selling unique 2009 Mindanao calendars featuring photos by Bobby Timonera.

For a glimpse! (Photo grabbed from www.mindanews.com)