Some visitors might have asked that question after finding me missing everytime they opened this blog. I did not go away. I was just around. Only that a series of events pushed me away from the site: flu/cold followed by a bad case of cough; deadline for a chapter in the history book on Tudela that I am writing and nightmares from the past that left me psychologically wasted.
I would like to thank those who posted their comments here, like Renato Pacifico, Anne Paulin, Mei Joy, pinoyapache, Emil Justimbaste, Michelle Marie Amper, etc. because at least they presented a semblance of movement in this blog. Some of these posters are mere passersby and are not regulars but I hope they will come back from time to time.
Some of the names are actually familiar. I have a classmate in high school in Southwestern University with the surname Pacifico and when I was in The Freeman newspaper one of the regular contributors there was a Pacifico (Vicente). I actually admired his style of writing in articles that I read in the newspapers even before I became a professional journalist. He was already a “senior citizen” when I was in The Freeman and that was years ago.
As for Anne Paulin, Noy Tonying was his lolo so she must have been very young when I interviewed him in the ’90s. I was a listener of Noy Tonying on dyLA where he was once a commentator so I was excited when I went to his house along Urgello St., Cebu City. When I arrived he was naked from the waste up and playing mahjong. He was a colorful figure and a jolly one, and that’s probably a reason why he was still active even at his age at that time.
Emil is, of course, a fellow journalist whom I worked with when I was in The Freeman (he was one of our correspondents from Leyte). I haven’t met him in a long while. I like Michelle Marie Amper’s reaction to Ray Cabigon’s comments. She really has the blood of Rene, the great Cebuano poet, with her use of the language.
Until my next blog, which hopefully won’t take another four weeks (he-he).
Rebelmind 
Sept. 24,2008
Dear Sir:
My 3 pages article that I send to you is not a response to the abovementioned article entitled “Where Did This Blogger Go?”. This is another idea about how our Visayan/Cebuano songs should be treated equally by our disc jockeys in the Visayas and Mindanao together with the English and Tagalog songs. Here it is below this letter
that I want to share with the numerous viewers and readers of the Cebuano WordPress,
most particularly to the music lovers and radio stations’ Managers.
Exclusively For Music Lovers
Yesteryears Songs, Regional Songs And New Songs Must Be Played Side By Side
On The Airwaves
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Yesteryears songs, regional songs and new songs must be played side by side on the airwaves in the three mediums-English,Tagalog,Cebuano-or other languages and current hits because these compositions whether in English,Tagalog,Cebuano or other languages in the Philippines and in other countries’ languages are irreplaceable, timeless and inimitable.
I have been observing for many years now that majority of music stations here in the Philippines only play a very limited number of songs within weeks or months. They keep on repeating the same songs for weeks or months making it monotonous to listen to by listeners particularly the music lovers in us-full-blooded music lovers. Their style in playing the limited number of songs seems to show that there are only few songs available in the record bars and stores. The reality is that there are numerous and thousands of good songs available in various recording companies that were sold during the past decades. Does playing a limited number of songs means that they have no collections of various albums in the past years?
Station Managers must choose discs jockeys who are full-blooded music lovers themselves that will handle the musical programmings.This kind of music lovers have the natural inclination to listen to various kinds of songs and music. They are the kind of disc jockeys who can meet the music lovers’ expectations of providing them with a wide variety of songs during musical programmings.
In the Philippines there are many languages, so that playing only English and Tagalog songs is a kind of disc riminatory approach on the part of disc jockeys managing the different musical programs. It is only fortunate that Tagalog was chosen as the country’s national language.However,the fact is that majority of the inhabitants in the Visayas and Mindanao are Cebuano-speaking people, aside from other form of languages in these areas. Making as one of the subjects in all school levels, Tagalog, which was dubbed as Pilipino as a subject has gained it s influence in achieving the objective of the Tagalog-speaking people in Central Luzon who want it to be our national language.
Speaking on the matter of predominant languages in the composition of songs in the archipelago, regional songs refer to the song compositions written in Cebuano, Waray-waray, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Ilocano and other language predominant in a particular region. In Samar provinces and part of Leyte, the inhabitants speak inWaray-waray.Although there are places in Samar and Leyte whose denizens also speak and understand Cebuano.The same also in Negros Island whose people speak in Hiligaynon(Ilonggo)and Cebuano languages.
When it comes to recorded songs the predominant languages used by the composers in different regions are those that I have aforementioned. There are various and many original songs in each of the predominant languages in the Philippines . They are worth playing on the airlanes for the listening pleasure and entertainment of its respective people who speak and understand these languages side by side with English and Tagalog. It should not be relegated to the sidelines by playing only casually at the start of the opening program or in the dead of night when majority of the radio listeners are already sleeping. Like the English and Tagalog songs that were being played during the whole of daytime, so also with those regional songs in every particular regions of the country.
FMs, including AMs and SWs disc jockeys have the great privilege in adapting this idea since they are always on the airlanes belting out songs from various artists for their listeners nationwide, and even perhaps outside the Philippines via the internet links.
Generally, most of the radio stations have a voluminous stock of records/albums in their shelves so that some are perhaps gathering dust and untouched for years. Some were either dotted with moist and molds. Time to open wide these shelves now and start cleaning those dirtied albums and instrumental pieces
and play them on the airwaves for additional entertainment.
Since there are too numerous to count those various compositions of songs-adaptation songs, love,classic,rock,ballads,jazz,reggae,rap,antic songs,etc-covering the 1930s,40s,50s,60s,70s,80s and 90s,a round-robin scheduling in playing these songs should be adopted as a policy for a fair playing. This system of playing should be strictly imposed by the FMs/AMs/Sws Station Managers to their disc jockeys who should be obliged to implement the new musical programmings. Not forgetting that in playing English and Tagalog songs, regional songs in a particular region should be played side by side with it. Cebuano songs in the Cebuano-speaking regions; Waray-Waray and Cebuano in the Waray-Waray-speaking region; Hiligaynon and Cebuano in Negros Oriental and Occidental; Bicolano in the Bicol region and Ilocano in the Ilocandia regions.
In applying this new kind of musical programming, which is a radical departure from the traditional ones employed by the majority of disc jockeys in the country for many many years now, it must be closely monitored by the respective Station Managers. This is to see that the newly-adopted system will be put into practice and maintain by all of the FM s/AMs/SWs stations.
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As it is discussed earlier, songs of the past 7 decades are irreplaceable, timeless and inimitable. What were composed at that time cannot be composed anymore by the breed of composers and songwriters nowadays. The simple reason is that the gift of music varies from composers to composers. We should not abandon the songs of the past decades. They are precious and priceless as long as real and full-blooded music lovers, young and old, are concern. Songs are also agless.Only man will aged. Songs will always remain unchanged by the movement and the passing of time. If the songs were pleasant and melodious to hear and listen to in the past, it will remain the same. The pleasantness of its tunes and melodies will not be affected by the passing of years and even decades. Relegating yesteryears songs unto the shelves of oblivion is a waste of talent and time among the composers’ efforts in creating those songs. Its existence would then become meaningless. The only way to make it meaningful and useful to the society of music lovers is to play them from time to time via the round-robin scheduling.
All music lovers, regardless of his/her nationality, creed or race, will love to listen to various music and all kinds of songs and music.
When I was a kid in the 1950s,I love listening to music/;songs and instrumental pieces done in guitar and in piano. Although I do not understand English, Tagalog or Spanish songs at that very young age, I love to listen to their songs everytime I heard it on the radio. Much more to Cebuano songs. It seems that irrespective of what kind of lyrics the songs were written I always love the singers’ renditions of the songs’ tunes and melodies. I’ve also learned that some of the songs I’ve heard at that time were in the1930s and 40s compositions. It is also much better for the current disc jockeys to revive the style of the past disc jockeys of announcing the titles and names of the singers of some songs that are seemingly “new†to the listeners but in truth have already recorded ten or more years ago. The purpose of this measure, which is actually a public service, is a kind of sharing of informations to make their respective hundreds and thousands of listeners become familiar with those songs. This is the main reason why until now I can still recall some titles of songs and names of singers in the past decades.
Notwithstanding the kind of songs an FM/AM/SW stations have compiled and kept, the important thing is that it will adopt a system of a round-robin scheduling so that every song has the opportunity and a chance to be heard by radio listeners. Disc jockeys in either aforementioned radio stations should not wait for a request of songs to be played. They should adopt a free-wheeling style of playing various songs from various bands and different local/foreign soloists/singers for 3 days. What would be the only changes is the time the various songs are being played. The three-day successive playing is an important measure for the listeners to embed the lyrics and tunes of the songs in their minds for familiarity. and easy recall. Then another set of songs will be culled from the same bands and soloists as every band and soloist has commonly numerous songs to their credit, also for 3 successive days playing. When all of the songs of some bands and soloists were already played on the airwaves, and then time to subject other bands’ and soloists’ albums for selections. The same pattern will be continually applied to other bands and soloists until all stock of songs available in every radio stations will all be played, then back to square one.
The playing of selected songs schedule always start every Monday.It would mean that the playing of the second batch would start playing on Thursday up to Saturday. Sunday would always be featured songs from various bands and soloists that a certain FM/AM/SW stations have possessed. Songs played on that particular
Sunday should be repeated the next Sunday. Of course with the same purpose to embed the songs’ tunes and lyrics for the listeners familiarity.
The round-robin scheduling of playing numerous collections of songs/music is the only fair and effective way in order that available songs in all FM/AM/SW stations in every country throughout the world will have the time to be played on the airlanes and be heard by its respective listeners for total musical entertainment.
How can the young, adult and old music lovers recognize and appreciate a song or songs if they don’t hear them at all? How can they make a request of any songs if they do not know its title and name of singers and its composers? Putting this idea into sustainable implementation and serious application by all concerned Station Managers of all kinds of radio stations in all countries of the world is profoundly beneficial to all peoples who are under the mantle of a Musical World.
Songs of (living and dead)bands and soloists to be covered in a wide collections of repertoire in the three mediums, local and foreign, among others, are the following: Jaime Salazar, Nora Hermosa, Al Comendador,Taks Suguete,Serges dela Peña,Carmen Camacho, Pauline Sevilla, Ben Zubiri,Dos Compadres, Max Surban, Yoyoy Villame,Diomedes Maturan, the new breed of Cebuano singers in the 1970s,80s and 90s,Pelita Corrales, Nora Aunor,Carmen Soriano,Linda Alsid,Mercy Molina, Eddie Mesa, Eddie Peregrina,Victor Wood, Carmen Pateña, Louie Levant, Fred Panopio,Cenon Lagman,Ruben Tagalog,Ric Mandrique,The Reycard Duet, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Pat Boone,Sherley Boone, Helen Reedy, Andy Williams, Buddy Haley, DianaRoss, Whitney Houston, Bobby Goldsboro, Barry Mannilow,The Platters, The Drifters, The Four Seasons, The Temptations, The Association, The Turtles, The Animals, The Four Tops, The Righteous Brothers, Freddie and The Dreamers, Connie Francis, Doris Day,Timi Yuro,Brenda Lee, Sue Thompson, Paul Anka,Niel Sedaka,Herman’s Hermits, Del Shannon,Niel Diamond, Cliff Richard, Carole King, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Sarah Vaughn, Dusty Springfield,Lulu,Lettermen,Dave Clark Five, The Beattles,The Rolling Stones, Gerry and the Peacemakers, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Village People, Credence Clearwater Revival, The Monkees,The Beach Boys, Bee Gees, The Cascades, The Bread,Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel,Carmen Soriano,The Ghost Squad,Air Supply, The Platters, Firehouse, Bobby Vinton, The Ghost Squad, Shamrock and the Pharaohs,Ohio Express, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, Patti Page, Celia Black, The Hollies, The Searchers, The Spiral Staircase, The Fabulous Echoes, Anita Bryant,Petual Clark, Jerry Vale, Teddy Randazzo,Matt Monroe, Patsy Cline, Joni James,Engilbert Hamperdenck,Chubby Checker, Michael Jackson, Julie Andrews, Steve Lawrence, Johnny Mathis, Anita Bryant, The Eagles, Johnny Tilottson,FreddieFender,TheScorpions,Metallica,Queen,Bon Jovi;Tito,Nash and Bill;Harry Velafonte and all Spanish songs, instrumental numbers done in guitar and in piano pieces, and among other singers whose songs are available in some of the music stations worldwide.
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Since there are countries in the world whose mother tongue is not English, the round-robin scheduling of playing various songs in 3 or 4 languages in any music stations is likewise applicable and adaptable to those countries that have music stations. We must sustain, cherish, nurture and patronize the songs and music written and compose in our respective mother tongues so that each country throughout the world can develop its respective strong multicultural foundations as a distinct identity of each race and nationality.
This novel idea, unperceived by the majority of disc jockeys in the Philippines, and most probably in other countries, is a win-win thing to adopt.1)FM/AM/SW disc jockeys who will adopt this ideas discussed in this article and put into regular practice in weeks, months and years indefinitely from generation to generation will have a gradual increase on its listeners, thus making their respective stations popular;2)Their respective listeners will be able to hear and listen to a wide variety of songs that would satisfy their cravings for various melodies and tunes;3)Recording companies would increase their sales of different albums to meet the demands from music lovers who want to listen and sing it themselves for learning and mastery;4)Paying of radio slot time for advertisements would increase as well as free-of-charge public services;5)Composers/Musicians will also continue to receive their royalties from their recorded songs that they’ve composed, thus encouraging and inspiring them to compose more and more songs for the pleasure and satisfactory entertainment among music lovers worldwide.
Additionally, all recording companies in the Philippines and worldwide must have their respective files of every song’s lyric and its music sheet that they have recorded for future references. This is vitally important because in the future some music lovers and musicians may want some lyrics of the songs they like but could not find any lyrics of some songs anymore even in the internet.
(Copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Excuse me for being harsh. Most of the time I’m extremely a harsh critic. Just tell me if i’m going out of line. I’m highly critical of our journalists. There seems no watchdog over these so-called 4th estate. They think a flash of their press cards is an amulet of their invincibility that gives them authrotiy to malign, publish gossips, intrigues and haphazardly fact-check news.
I understand journalists livelihood is strewn with mine. They have families. They have lifestyles. They have life. Most of the time they look the other way to maintain their sanity, families and safety.
What ticks my ire is when they publish freedom of speech, freedom this, freedom that, principle this, principle that when actually they are not really practicing … well, it still boils down to their safety, pockets of money and lifestyle …
I missed Jerry Tundag’s column. Whatever happened to him. The last time I heard (from his column) that he worked with San Miguel as a PR person …
Oct.2,2008
Dear Sir:
Here are my 2 articles that I want to share with the viewers/members and readers
of the Cebuano.wordpress.com. These are not replies to whatever kind of artilces that
are published here.
Yours truly,
Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Achieving A Sustainable Preservation Of The Ozone Layer
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The recent annual commemoration of the Preservation of Ozone Layer that falls on Sept. 16 should severe as a reminder for us the need to continually sustain the mandate of the Montreal Protocol signed by the leaders of nations on Sept.16,1987. This kind of treaty enjoins all leaders of the world to gradually phase out in a certain period of time the production of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) in particular. The scientists believed that CFC is the cause of the disastrous damage in the depletion of ozone layer which serves as the protective mantle of the earth.
The main function of this element/substance is to diffuse the ultraviolet rays from the sun’s light needed by the animals, plants, humans and other forms of life on Planet Earth, which if excessive, will ensue an ominous
effect to all living things if remain unchecked.
Sometime in the 1980s, a group of scientists have discovered a huge hole in the Antarctic region of our planet that has raised alarm in the scientific communities. The phenomenon has created a wave of shocks
and fear by the experts and ordinary citizens. This finding has led in the gathering of all leaders to sign the abovementioned treaty.
It is now 21 years since that historic event. Did the gradual reduction in the manufacturing of CFC has a prevailing effect in the healing of the wounded ozone layer? The facts I’ve gathered revealed that as of NASA’s 2006 report the big hole was 11.5 million square miles. However, NASA’S latest report indicates that
the hole has shrunk to 9.7 million square miles, a 16 percent decrease from that in 2006 report.
This disclosure is a significant development despite of the fact that the hole is still as big as North America, it was disclosed. Still large enough to cause disastrous effect to all life on earth.
Based on the information we have gotten, there’s a continuing necessity to seriously and religiously implement all the provisions and guidelines under the Montreal Protocol. All the leaders of the world must possess the political will to commit themselves relentlessly to realize the objective in achieving a full recovery of the damaged ozone layer.
This kind of undertakings manifested by leadership by example from among conscientious, persistent and determined govermment officials and NGO leaders should prod and inspire future leaders and the next from generations to generations to also implement and devotedly apply the Montreal Protocol to the letter.
Nevertheless, I have the suspicion that other substances/compounds created by some chemists worldwide of various specializations possessed some contributory characteristics which is potential to the destruction of the ozone layer. This cover substances/compounds that inherently possessed pungent and excruciating odors. There’s also the need to examine the different brands and classification of chemicals by our experts and scientists worldwide to determine if really these man-made chemicals that pollutes our environment are equally disastrous to the ozone layer. If after some in-depth research and experimentations, proofs would surface that some of the available chemicals and compounds in the market also cause to the destruction of the ozone layer, then such kind of chemicals must be stopped from its production.
When all nations of the world will reach the target of achieving a full recovery of the ozone layer in the coming years after NASA’s space survey, man’s temptive tendency for the restoration in the production of CFCs and other harmful chemicals that damage the earth’s protective mantle, must be resisted and prevented.
Bitter lessons learned out of man’s carefree, abusive attitude and ignorance in the caring, conserving and protecting our environment which resulted to its destruction cannot be overemphasized. The kind of implementation that will achieve the objective by the current leaders of nations in attaining a strongly sustainable preservation of the ozone layer must be seriously and religiously followed from generations to generations of mankind.(Copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
The Real Causes Of Guinsaugon Mudslides According To Geoscientists
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-What are the real causes of massive landslides in brgy. Guinsaugon which “unexpectedly” occurred on Feb 17,2006 at past eleven a.m. burying less than 2,000 people alive coincidentally during a Women’s Day celebration? At that time elementary schoolchildren, teachers, some barangay health workers, some town employees and some visitors from nearby barangays were gathered at the auditorium for the aforesaid celebration.
The several causes that the geoscientists were discussing and revealing one by one during a conference on Guinsaugon mudslides were also attended by scientists from Canada, United Kingdom, Japan,Sir Lanka,Nepal and the Philippines. Richard Guthrie, a landslide expert and a research assistant of Dr. Stephen Evans, both from the University of Waterloo in Canada visited Guinsaugon after the great catastrophe, as part of the Canadian government’s aid to the Philippines following the landslide.
The weeklong international conference that were held in 3 places of Tacloban City, Palo town and in St.
Bernard recently were also attended by Prof.Mark Albert Zarco of the Dept. of Engineering Science, University of the Philippines,Diliman,Quezon City and St.Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza. On the other hand, Guinsaugon is one of St.Bernard’s barangay which is less than 10 kilometers away from the town proper. While St.Bernard is about 124 kilometers away from Maasin City, the capital city of Southern Leyte
Prior to the great disaster, there was a continual heavy rains as early as October 2005 up to February 2006 according to the residents in the area. The continual 4 months heavy rains have caused a gradual saturation of Mt. Kan-abag’s “soft soil”. The condition of its soil compounds was aggravated with the scarcity of forest plants with very less population of huge trees that could hold large volume of soil.
At the foot of Mt. Kan-abag, six barangays were established where hundreds and hundreds of folks have inhabited and earned their living by farming. But only Guinsaugon was hit and even sparing a nearby brgy. of Magatas. A resident of Magatas who is now a teacher and teaches here said.” If you look at the situation of Brgy.Magatas,it is also highly vulnerable and a potential hit by the mudslide, but we were thankful that it was spared.” The said teacher had lost a cousin, a UCCP pastor who was assigned in Guinsaugon.A close family friend of my late mother had also lost 2 siblings living in Guinsaugon and 5 cousins. Indeed, the great unforgettable tragedy has brought sudden orphans to many children and students, lost of loved ones and hundreds of relatives grieving in anguish, sorrow and agony.
Former St.Benard Mayor Erlinda Lim, who was supposed to be with the group of town hall’s employees as the speaker on a Women’s Day Celebration in Guinsaugon including a municipal nurse, was luckily spared from the mudslide.Instead,she went to San Juan, the next town which is 7 kilometers away, to attend to another appointment. Another town hall employee w ho was instructed to go back to their office to get the forgotten camera for taking pictures, was also luckily save. As he left Guinsaugon in haste by walking towards brgy. Tambis located along the road, he said, he heard a roaring sound like an airplane. When he turned his back, he said, he was engulfed with fear and ran as fast as he could to save himself.
When the shocking news reached her in San Juan via cellphone, Mayor Lim who was obviously shock of the unexpected tragedy, and somewhat controlling some injured emotion,said:”Maybe it is not yet my time..But I could not believe that Guinsaugon would be hit by the mudslide and be buried entirely, because it is located one kilometer away from the foot of the mountain…”Until now I could not l believe what happened to Guinsaugon”she said during her speech before some barrio folks, visitors, dignitaries, donors and the press at Ground Zero.
According to the geologists, the less than 900 meters High Mountain is also located within the Philippine fault line that’s responsible for the yearly movements of pyroclastic deposits estimated at 2.5cm./year.Guthrie study had also confirmed to this claim by saying “that tectonic weakening of the failed rock mass had resulted from active strike-slip movements estimated at 2.5 cm/year”. “Within that, the rocks have been stretched and strained”, he said “As time moves on, the rock began to age and die and finally it collapses”.
Zarco said that there were many existing evidences within the area prior to the landslide but people (the residents) were not aware of these. Among the things were cracks on the grounds, muddy water coming out from the holes and irregular water flow from the mountain.
Another contributory factor to the landslide was small magnitude earthquakes which happened the night before the massive landslide and another tremor the following morning prior to the actual mudslide.
In a report Mayor Rentuza said that many of their questions were clarified by the visiting geoscientists, just like how it did happen and how come it’s very devastating. “While there were studies conducted by the national government”, the Mayor said, “the researchers from the academe and foreign geoscientists are more comprehensive considering their vast experiences in working in different calamity-striken areas of the world”.
On the other hand, Zarco further said, there are many existing evidences within the area confirming that Mt. Kan-abag is very prone to landslide. He said: “The calamity happened already. What is important is that we all agreed that this area is highly vulnerable to landslide. If the people have been more careful, noticing that the signs are already there, many lives were spared…There should have to be ways to get people report their information to authorities. That’s very good early warning system. For landslide, we don’t have a warning system. We can only warn people by way of monitoring”.
This report from the geoscientists and experts should also served as a lesson to all residents in other areas of the country and other nations with similar geological make-up to that of Guinsaugon.One of the ways to detect a potential landslide is to be aware of the signs of an incoming massive landslide that were revealed in this article.
(Copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Oct. 9,2008
Dear Sir Bong:
Hello! I hope you and your family are fine.Here are my 3 opinion articles that are not a reaction to any comment posted in this website, but articles that I want to contribute to your website and to share these articles with the viewers and readers of the cebuano.wordpress.com.Here they are below this letter.
Yours truly,
Jun Gorpido
Compressed Natural Gas: An Alternative Fuel
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
It’s good that Metro Manila bus operators are now realizing the economic hardships all Filipinos have experienced by asking the government to start opening access to Malampaya gas field in Palawan and make compressed natural gas more available to the public transport sector. The request can even include the private sector for their private vehicles and cars (People Journal’s “Start Change To CNG, Govt. Urged” by J.V. Antiporda).However, the operators access to CNG, must also cover all the provinces in the country. Like Metro Manila bus operators, provincial bus operators also want to shift to Compressed Natural Gas since they also feel the heavy burden of costly diesel fuel and gasoline.
Since there’s only one field of CNG operated by Shell Philippines today, our government agencies in-charged in providing and tapping renewable energy, must conduct a nationwide survey in all areas of the archipelago where possible deposits of natural gas can be found.
Once an acquaintance has disclosed that there’s a place somewhere in Davao or Cotabato where water from the spring has a fire.Surprisingly, according to him, it will not burn a hand. Does this indicate that the water there comes from a geothermal source or that there’s a great possibility of a natural gas deposits in the area? Our geologists and experts should go there and examine this rare kind of water source.
The government should not be contended with just one source. There are hundreds and thousands of private and passenger vehicles operators in the country who would be in great demand of compressed natural gas supply as they would like to follow suit.
Akin to the desire of the Metro Manila operators for government financial assistance in the conversion of their motor vehicles to fit for the CNG fuel, the current administration, the next and the future administrations, must continually adopt this program by providing zero interest loans to all passenger bus owners throughout the country.
Furthermore, our CNG should remain pure. Adulterating it with pollutant crude oil, like the kerosene that we are buying at gas stations would defeat our purpose in reducing pollution in our already polluted environment
like Metro Manila and other big metropolitan cities.
During the past decades, pure unadulterated, very cheap natural gas placed in tin cans and used in house lamps for lighting the whole night, does not produce soots.Curiously,if a person would insert his finger inside his nose the following day, an infinitesimal soot if ever there is, is almost invisible. This is the kind of a natural gas placed in tin cans that I used to buy, when my mother or uncle would let me do an errand as a kid. In contrast, if you used the current kerosene at gas station to fuel your lamps to light your house during the night, you will see a different result. Inserting your finger inside your nose the following day, you will see some soot
sticking to your finger..
On the other hand, is the natural gas I knew in the past decades, similar as to the compressed natural gas of the present? If the past very cheap natural gas is the same in quality and content with the current compressed natural gas, then it should be kept as is. Companies that mined it should not dare to taint it with pollutant element or substance like crude oil. In the continually indefinite use of CNG, producers must give priority to the reduction of our environmental pollution which is now in its worst condition by indefinitely maintaining a supply of pure unadulterated natural gas to all CNG-fueled vehicles. This measure will also serve as a contributory step in the gradual healing of our deteriorating ecology and for the health betterment of the Filipino people.
We are also hopeful that all nations of the world will follow suit in the use of CNG as alternative fuel and other alternative fuels that scientists and experts in other countries have discovered to be indigenous in their respective areas. This is in order to achieve our global objective of greatly reducing the volume of heavy pollution which has some adverse effect to our health and wellness, and which likewise, resulted to a global warming badly affecting our weather.(Copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Local Bands Need Professional Coaching
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Local bands in Maasin,Baybay,Ormoc,Tacloban and other cities in region 8(Leyte and Samar)and even in Cebu and perhaps in Mindanao and Luzon, really need coaching from professional musicians. My years of observations on how some bands here were playing during live concerts have led me to this kind of suggestion and admonition.
Bands in Maasin and from Cebu that performed during the previous years here thru sponsorships and invitations have the habit of playing too loud their musical accompaniments during live concerts on stage. The overwhelming voluminous sounds of guitars and drums from each 4 or 5-member bands as they rendered their successive delivery of songs have drowned the singers’ voices. The audience could no longer hear clearly the lyrics of each song rendition, making them unable to understand the message or the meaning of each song, whether rock, love song or ballad.
I wonder if a technician or the members of the band themselves can properly adjust the volume of each guitar and the half-beating of drum of each performing band. This is in such a way that both the voice of the soloist and the musical accompaniment of each song can equally be heard by the entire audience during the live concert.
Recently Urbandub, a homegrown 4-member band from Cebu City, had performed in Maasin.Their live performance was principally sponsored by the Philippine National Red Cross-Southern Leyte Chapter, Ads Pacific Unlimited, Floi Quinne, Southern Leyte Times together with several other co-sponsors. Part of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross for its programs. Prior to their schedule at the city gymnasium,3 invited local bands have served as the opening numbers. Each band was also composed of 4 members who rendered 4 songs each. I was to expect a good delivery of their stage presentations. The vocalist’s voice quality was also alright and could have been a pleasure and entertaining to listen to.
However, as what I’ve observed in the past concerts of local bands and that from Cebu, their respective musical accompaniments of songs have caused a displeasure to both young and adult music lovers who were there to watch and see. Yet what could have been a general consensus of bad performance was switched to mute as the crowd may have avoided shouting their grievances.. When Urbandub finally appeared on the stage there were whistles and cheers from the audience, mostly in their 10s,20s and 30s.Comparing its audience to the previous concerts here, theirs however, was sparse. Their newly-acquired popularity is not yet heavily felt here by the young breed of music lovers. After rendering the first song Urbandub’s vocalist/guitarist Gabby Alipe beckoned to the young audience to come close to the stage. Some responded. They moved and rushed on closer to the singer’s location and danced with abandon.Neverhteless, akin to the local bands’ performances, Urbanbdub’s songs were incomprehensiveable since the singer’s voices were drowned by the very loud musical accompaniment.
I asked an acquaintance about what I have observed in a series of local concerts which he also has similar observations. HE said one of the main reasons why the singer’s voice will always be drowned during a concert is because band members always have the tendency of readjusting what the technician has already done with the adjustments in the volume of sounds for the balance delivery of songs and the musical accompaniments.
He disclosed that mostly, these young organizations of local bands always want to make their own way in adjusting the volumes of sounds during a concert, apparently rejecting what a technician has done more appropriately.
Because of this kind of stage performances from the current breed of young bands, I still miss the point of getting a pleasure and entertainment from hearing the lyrics of each of Urbandub’s 12 rock songs. Like the other bisrock bands that performed here, there will always these “uncured” voluminous sounds of guitars and drums, again drowning the singers’ voices. Concert enthusiasts can no longer comprehend and perceived what each song means, -with that kind of lashing uncontrolled sounds. Would it not be a pleasure and entertaining if each person in the audience, young and adult, can hear a balance delivery of each song and its musical accompaniment? Is this not what concertgoers and music lovers are up to in watching a concert? Cannot young band members perceive this important aspect in all of their concerts everywhere? Are our local bands composed mostly of teenagers and young men too callous and too insensitive to perceive this unwritten law in all of concert performances? Are our bisrock bands in the Visayas and Mindanao not watching live concerts of popular international bands on cable TVs or at their homes’ videos? If they are indeed watching, are they not aware on how these performing bands deliver a balance sound of the vocalist voice and t heir musical accompaniments so that the lyrics of their songs can be heard clearly by listeners and the audience?
When singer-composer Jose Mari Chan,Apo Hiking Society, The Aegis, Donna Cruz and a Cebuano duo called MYMP from Cebu held a separate concert here in various venues, their respective audiences in all walks of life have had very much enjoyed their shows. Music lovers young and old alike could hear clearly the lyrics of their songs and have appreciated it because these were presented in balance sounds of songs and musical accompaniments to the delight of their respective audiences. I believe that our bisrock and other bands in the Visayas, Mindanao and Luzon can exactly do what the professional bands, both local and foreign, have been doing.
Furthermore, as I have listened to Urbandub’s 2 recorded songs shared by an internet user, the wordings of their songs can be heard clearly.Apparentlly because of the proper and correct adjustments of the volume for both the singer’s voice and the musical accompaniment delivered in balance. If this can be done inside a recording studio, why not in a stage during live concerts as well?
This seemingly complicated problem in the prevalence of uncontrolled voluminous sounds of guitars and drum that perennially drowns the singer’s voice in every concert performed by young breed of band members in most of the V isayas and Mindanao areas, is in closed analysis is so simple a problem that needs only a simple solution. How can this be done effectively for the pleasure and entertainment of all kinds of audiences? Young men/women members of bands must listen and learn from the professional musicians’ coaching and to cooperate/accept an expert technician’s advice, who most of the time is the one who make the necessary adjustments prior to the start of the concert. Nonetheless, professional band members are doing themselves the adjustments of the volumes on sounds of their guitars and drums without the assistance of a technician. Another important thing is that the members of the different bands must also learn how to make proper and correct adjustments of their guitars and drums’ sounds before the start and during the performance of their concert. This is in such a way that when they start singing, their voices will not be drowned by the sounds of the guitars and the beating of drums. It is also important that all drummers themselves must learn to effectively control the beatings of the drums that will spice, enhance and add beauty to the songs’ melodies and tones.(copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Wheat Flour Substitutes
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Now that the price of wheat flour is always rising and the taste of bread is getting lesser and its sizes diminishing, it’s time to look for a substitute or alternative flour. However, it’s not wise to completely abandon the use of wheat flour in making breads and cakes. To lessen the expenses of buying sacks of wheat flour, which we import from the USA, Canada or China, our local manufacturers or flour millers should turn to rootcrops like camote, gabi, ubi and palao.
I have read an article that camote can be made into flour.Camote, considered by some people as the poor man’s staple, is nutritious as it contains some vitamins and minerals. If camote can be made into flour, it is also
possible that other rootcrops like gabi, ubi, palao and other edible rootcrops under the gabi family can be made into flour.
We should exclude cassava (kamoting kahoy or balanghoy in Visayan term) as alternative flour since this rootcrop is not recommended for eating by the doctors to those who have goiter. With the ubiquitous
availability of flour substitutes/alternatives in the near future nationwide from the four aforementioned rootcrops, the ratio of mixture for both bread and cake should be 50 percent wheat flour, 25% camote and 25% gabi or ubi or palao.
By these 2 or 3 combinations of flour substitutes, bakery owners throughout the country can save some money for buying wheat flour without minimizing the palatability or deliciousness of a bread, sopas, cake and other bakery products. Bread and cake eaters can also get a double nutritional value from such kind of mixture which can be sold in cheap price to the customers. Squash puree can also be added as the third party ingredients if bakery owners so desire to boost the reputation of their respective bakeries.
Our agriculture experts and scientists must start now doing a research on some edible Philippine rootcrops and legumes if it can be converted into flour. If a series of experimentations would prove that these organic plants are viably versatile for flour conversion, a milling machine must also invented design to suit the plants texture in the milling process. The kind of milling machine to be invented should be unique that will retain its high percentage of the flour’s vitamins and minerals. What’s the benefit of eating plant flour if it’s already devoid of its vitamins and minerals contents due to the application of various stages of refinement process?
When some applied measures necessary for the attainment of our objective have already been realized, our millers, producers and businessmen who are engaged in the mass production and selling of rootcrops’ flour must not be tempted to export it to other countries, like what I’ve read about the camote flour. They must first serve the almost 90 million Filipinos who are in need of nutritious flour to help lessen our malnutrition problem afflicting millions of young and old. It should be made available in every municipality and city in all regions of the country where there are bakery establishments. Our farmers should also be encouraged and persuaded to plant more and more rootcrops and legumes, aside from rice, fruits and vegetables in their vacant lots and farms. This is in order to sustain the needed materials in the mass production of local flour that could be mixed with 50% wheat flour. The achievement of a self-sufficiency status in local flour production from rootcrops and legumes would eventually lessen our expenses in buying imported wheat flour, which is already very expensive nowadays. It would be good and better to experiment if, like grapes, wheat can also be grown here in the Philippines.
It would be better still if bakery owners would shift to using brown sugar to sweeten their breads and cakes since it contains vitamins and minerals, compared to refined sugar that only gives us sweet and nothing else. What’s wrong if your bread or cake now looks brown because of brown sugar? Although white color can easily attract the eyes of the beholder, in its superficial sense of beauty, but when it comes to food nutrition, color white would mean nothing important if it does not contain vitamins and minerals needed for the body.
On the other hand, attracting more consumers/customers to buy bread and other bakery products in a certain bakery would always depends on how the master baker has balanced the various ingredients he puts in each of his cooked product that would become palatable when eaten. It would also mean that each bakery or the master baker himself has to maintain the ingredients formulated in each kind of bake for sale. Taking out 2 or 3 of the formulated ingredients of a certain type of bread would unwittingly mean driving away some of patronizers, which is detrimental to ones business. (Copyright 2008 byQuirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Oct. 23,2008
Dear Sir Bong:
Here is my other article that is not a reply or a reaction to any of the articles here,but an article that I want to contribute and to share it with the viewers and readers of the Cebuano.wordpress.com. Here it is below this letter.
Yours truly,
Jun Gorpido
Biofuel Blend Should Start AT 5%
(By: Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
The initial one percent biofuel blend for diesel as reported by the Manila papers is very insignificant considering the bulk of pollution that we have in the country particularly in the Metropolitan cities where pitchblack smoke-emitting factories and pitchblack-belching countless cars and vehicles abound. Like the 5% initial ethanol blend for gasoline, similar percentage should likewise be implemented on biofuel blend on crude oil. This fuel is mostly use in passenger buses, cargo trucks, cranes, bulldozers, loaders, forklifters and other heavy equipments for various infrastructure projects and constructions.
This initial percentage of 5% biofuel blend be likewise increased by 5% yearly on both the diesel and the gasoline. This means that 5% would then raise to 10% next year and then 15% the following year and so on until we can achieve a 50-50 biofuel blend for crude oil. The biofuel blend for gasoline will also follow the same pattern of yearly increase until we can gradually reach a 95%-5% blend for ethanol on gasoline just like what Brazil have achieved.
If the 95-5 ratio of ethanol and gasoline blend is achievable, as could be seen from the Brazil experience,. then most probably an 85-15 ratio on bio-oil and crude oil blend might also be achievable with the help of our experts and scientists.
In case there are still loopholes found in the provisions of the Biofuel Act then it should be amended. We want to have a free wheeling implementation of the law, which is badly needed now that the threat of global warming in our Planet Earth is imminent. Global warming is the result of accumulative years of heavy pollution in our environment that remains unchecked until it reaches its threatening height which uncontrollably affect the normal condition of our weather. How can we restore the weather back to its normal trend? It’s a tall order, indeed.. And one of the things that we should do now is the application of sustainable reduction of our environmental pollution starting with the blending of organic fuel. to fossil fuels. The people should also be educated on garbage segregation and to let them understand that plastic burning is bad. Its bad smell when burning is equally bad for ones health. That it’s better for them to bury the waste plastics on the ground and to cut their inveterate habit of burning it. Thanks to now US-based Southern Leyteño scientist Dr. Rico Cruz who discover that coco oil and other indigenous oil from other plants can be blended with fossil fuels to reduce its black-belch emission. on motor vehicles and thus reducing pollution in our surroundings. This was proven from his laboratory experiments and demonstrations he had given to the seminars’ attendees during his several visits in Maasin, his hometown in the province of Southern Leyte.
The heavy pollution in our environment especially in big cities of the country really poses as health hazard for all of us. Now that the law on the Biofuel Act has been approved and has started its implementation last May 2007, there should be no hindrance now in our pursuit to have a much lesser pollution, if not a pollution-free environment, although it will take many many years to achieve this goal.
The Government should lead in this effort and the private sector like the NGOs who have the capabilities must give their full support to realize the objective of the program. Likewise fossil fuels factories and all gasoline stations throughout the country must be mandated .to start selling the biofuel mixtures.. Those who will violate the order must be fined. Or order to close shops if they continue to disobey the law. We need to seriously and strictly implement the law on Biofuel Act because our problem now on environmental pollution and the global warming that we have all experienced is indeed very serious as it affects our life on earth.
In addition, a continuous study, research and development of the biofuel is now a must for our experts and scientists to improve its usage and to discover its other functions. (copyright 2008 by Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Sir, thanks for mentioning me. I might be just passing by but I carved your blog in my weblog as one of my links under “Opinion”.
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