Cayetano: To decongest Manila, go rural
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano drew my erstwhile tepid interest the other day when a news item reported his formula for decongesting Manila’s streets and focusing attention to developing the country’s rural areas and their economies. I like the Senate majority floor leader’s formula.
He said the government should use government resources and infrastructure funds to develop other regions in the country if it wants to solve the congestion problem in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The senator said embarking on development projects outside of NCR would help decongest Metro Manila which is now way too populated, and already experiencing the effects of a booming economy.
He said, “The government must promote a more inclusive economic plan that will allow the implementation of a specific economic strategy for each of the 17 regions.
“This has been the answer that was given to us: the way to solve congestion in Metro Manila is to build, build and build; more, more and more. That is what makes it ridiculous.”
“If you have a house that’s already full, do you think dividing the room would be an answer? Shouldn’t be the solution is to buy another house or to expand your lot?”
The senator proposed that a more feasible solution to decongest NCR is to allot more funds for infrastructure programs in other regions to encourage people to consider looking for employment opportunities and moving in to cities outside the capital region.
He said many Filipino families are robbed of opportunities because the biggest chunk of the national budget pie is allocated to NCR.
“The solution to decongesting Metro Manila is not to show the new roads or the new Skyway. That’s not the solution. It would only constrict the NCR more. The solution is to implement those projects outside Metro Manila.”
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Having visited Turkey twice in a period of three weeks, courtesy of Turkish Flour, Yeast and Ingredients Group, my interest in religious artifacts attributed to Christians living in the fabled land centuries ago was stirred further by a report on the Internet regarding the discovery by archeologists of relics of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The story goes that excavating the ancient Balatlar Church, a seventh-century building in Sinop, Turkey (Sinop is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of the Black Sea) the archeologists uncovered last year a stone chest that contained objects that may be directly connected with Jesus Christ.? Excavation head Professor Gülgün Köro?lu definitively stated: ”We have found a holy thing in a chest. It is a piece of a cross, and we think it was [part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified]. This stone chest is very important to us. It has a history and is the most important artifact we have unearthed so far.”
Many churches claim to possess relics of the so-called “true cross,” though the authenticity of the items is not fully accepted by scholars and scientists. Protestant theologian John Calvin noted that, “if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load,” referring specifically to the cross. On the other hand, the 19th-century French archaeologist Charles Rohault de Fleury supposedly said that all of the catalogued relics would only make up less than a third of the mass of a roughly 12-foot-high cross.?Legend says that Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena, found the cross in Jerusalem and distributed pieces of the wood to religious leaders in Jerusalem, Rome, and Constantinople. Balatlar Church, built in 660, has proved an especially rich dig site. In addition to the stone chest, the archeologists found the ruins of an ancient Roman bath and more than 1,000 human skeletons since they started working in 2009. This discovery, says the report, provides further evidence of the historical Jesus, a man who really existed in ancient Palestine, who is the subject of the much-publicized book “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,” by Reza Aslan.
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In an effort to accelerate momentum prior to the U.N. Climate Summit in New York next week, women leaders from across the globe will present their world views on the role of women in addressing climate change.
These views will be presented at the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International’s “Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change” event, which will take place on September 22 — a day before the UN climate change summit — at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.
Among the list of presenters is Jody Williams, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work toward the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines. She also established the Nobel Women’s Initiative in 2006, and remains a renowned political activist for her work in the defense of human rights, and particularly those of women.
The event will also engage other women in a discussion on the global activities and policies that threaten the Earth and its people, and the diverse array of visions with which they are shaping a just and sustainable world.
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Former House Speaker Joe de Venecia and Rep. Gina de Venecia hosted a dinner for officers of the Elginkan Group, the largest company in Turkey for building materials, ceramic sanitary wares, taps and mixers. Guests who relished the engaging talk of Joe regarding the historical relationships among nations in Asia Minor, and savored the delectable native cuisine of Manay Gina, were Gaye Acken, chair of the group; Gozde Dizdar, international affairs consultant, and members Dilay Caner, Nesrin Elmas Yurtesen and Muttalip Serdar Demir.
The group will now be doing business in the Philippines, with Francis Manglapus as the local representative. Expect to find quality but affordable Turkish doorknobs and taps in Philippine homes.
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Congratulations to my balaes, Nanding and Connie Caluag, for staying happily married for 50 years. Their children gifted them with a nice wedding anniversary dinner party at Oasis Resort Hotel in Quezon City. A good number of Nanding’s barkada at the Rotary Club of Manila were in attendance. Mass was held, with a nephew, Father Francis Caluag Cruz, presiding. Singing and dancing and playing guitars and the piano were rendered by the Caluag brood: Paul, Chiqui, George, Mark, Joabi and Oliver. Cheering them on were their spouses Lyn, Danny Engo, Andoy Suarez, Karen, and Ella. The apos, entertaining guests without inhibitions, were Teen, Panjee, Josh, Daniel, Ellis, Trina, Santi, Jacob, David and Via. The apo who couldn’t participate but just watched was Arya, only a few months old.
How did I get to know Nanding and Connie? When their daughter Joabi married my son Andoy and gave me my only apo, Santi, the smartest boy in the world.
In his brief remarks, Nanding spoke about how his love affair with Connie flourished through the years. His advice to couples: “Never let a day pass without telling each other ‘I love you.’”
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