Helping OFW's thru the friends of Pedro!

For tonight's special presentation on Straight from the Sky, we bring you the first group of finalists of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation's 3rd Triennial Awards, which have been categorized into two groups... one for exemplary Individuals and another for Outstanding Institutions. Tonight we start with the Ramon Aboitiz finalists for Exemplary Individuals.

Let me point out that we had to do the taping for this show when all the finalists, most of whom come from Mindanao, were in Cebu, hence we are giving all finalist a chance to tell their story... after all, in the hearts of many and especially in the eyes of God, all of them are winners. We have with us, Margarita dela Cruz who created the Guiuan Development Foundation, something that few academicians can claim. Then there's Hadja Bainon Karon of Kabunsan, Cotabato City, a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) member who turned from fighting the government into fighting the poverty of the Bangsamoro in Cotabato.

Then we have Domingo Tadena, a former carpenter/laborer who ended up becoming the country's foremost conservationist, keeping the Philippine Eagle from the fringes of extinction. Fr. Roberto Layson was the only finalist who couldn't make it to our taping or even accept his recognition. But his story is worth telling because at the height of the war, this priest turned his church in Maguindanao into a sanctuary for all the people living in his community and many of them are Muslims. I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet him.

Finally, we have Mayor Ramon Piang Sr. of Upi, Maguindanao who talks about good governance as if he wasn't a politician. Mayor Piang is this year's Triennial Awardee for Exemplary Individual and rightfully so because this public servant thinks exactly like what public servants should be... to serve their constituents and not be served! So these are the first group of Triennial Awardees, see them tonight on SkyCable's channel 15 at 8:00 p.m.

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If we've given more than enough media mileage to what the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) is doing, it is only because we've been plagued by so much bad news, good news these days is akin to finding a pearl in the middle of the ocean. But like what we said before, good news doesn't sell newspapers, which is why we have to go to the extra mile in promoting the good that people have done.

I'm pretty sure that the people who've read about the Triennial Awardees or watched them on TV may be thinking of ways they can help out on their own. Mother Teresa once quipped, "If you can't feed a hundred poor people, then just feed one."

Well if you're thinking of helping out a group, allow me to present to you the Friends of Pedro Foundation, Inc. (FPFI) of Fr. Carmelo Diola, who wrote me a letter asking me to help disseminate what the FPFI is doing on Mar. 24, 2006, when he is organizing a dinner-forum at the Casino Español at 7:00 p.m. to invite partners for his outreach program, helping the Overseas Foreign Workers (OFW) and their families cope with the separation they experience, which we all know results in unimaginable family trouble. This is a way we can show our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by supporting this noble effort... after all, we have recognized the OFW's as the modern heroes of our time, especially that they bring precious dollars to our shores and stabilize the pesos to the dollar rate. The dinner forum on Mar. 24 will have two speakers, Ms. Yoly Ong of Campaigns Group of Companies and Mr. Nonoy Espeleta of Julie's Franchise Corp. Now's your chance to give back to our heroes and do something for the least of our brethren.

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We've presented to you some of the good things happening here, but unfortunately, there's still a lot of evil plaguing our streets. Last Friday, we got a lot of texted messages referring to last week's gang rape of that young and promising graduating coed in a resort in Mactan. It seems that the silent majority is trying to fight back... texting the names of the four rapists, all of whom live in Guizo, Mandaue City. This text message is now being spread like wildfire to warn families that the four football players/punks are on the loose, including the John Doe who still has to be identified.

Now you ask yourself, how many football players do we have here in Cebu? Well not many, and we've seen them in action in one of the TV channels in SkyCable. But what I cannot fathom is that, their coaches (some of them are foreigners) are not only teaching these kids the basics of football, but they are also bringing the ugly side of football to our shores, which is hooliganism, lack of respect for laws or authority. This is why, it was very easy for these young punks to gang rape that poor girl. I would have thought that the case of the rape-murder of the Chiong sisters have taught those rich kids certain lessons, but apparently, they haven't. More on this... Abangan!

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