Pagbati ni House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco

Mula sa inyong lingkod at sa aming buong pamilya, Maligayang Pasko po sa 

inyong lahat!

 

Dalawang mensahe ni Gov. Presby Velasco, Jr. sa Kapaskuhan

 

Sa paggunita natin sa kapanganakan ng ating Dakilang Manunubos, kaakibat nito ay panibagong simula.

Sa aking mga kapwa lingkod-bayan, maraming salamat sa inyong paglilingkod.

Sa mga kapwa kong Marinduqueños, maraming salamat sa inyong kooperasyon upang labanan ang krisis na ating kinahaharap.

Sa pagdiriwang natin ng ating Kapaskuhan, manatili nawa ang diwa ng paglilingkod, pagbibigayan, pagbubuklod at pagmamahalan.

Mula po sa inyong lingkod kasama si Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, ang aming buong pamilya ay bumabati po sa inyo ng Maligayang Pasko at Masaganang Bagong Taon!

 - Gov. Presby Velasco, Jr.  24 Disyembre 2021

 

Ipinagdasal at pinagsumikapan natin masugpo ang COVID-19. Wala akong ibang hiniling ngayong Pasko kundi ang kaligtasan sa sakit at panganib ng ating mga minamahal na kababayan.

Salamat sa biyaya ng Diyos at mga taong nagpursige lalong lalo na ang mga medical frontline workers upang sa kaunaunahang pagkakataon ay magkaroon tayo ng 0 active case status.

Patuloy po tayong mag-ingat at ipatupad pa rin ang minimum health protocols upang manumbalik na ang sigla ng ating pamumuhay.

Sumainyo nawa ang pagpapala at paggabay ng ating Panginoon.

            - Gov. Presby Velasco, Jr., 24 Disyembre 2021

Look beyond the lights and remember the poor, pope says on Christmas eve

VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, leading the world's Roman Catholics into Christmas, said on Friday that people who are indifferent to the poor offend God, urging all to "look beyond all the lights and decorations" and remember the neediest. 

Francis, ushering in the ninth Christmas of his pontificate, celebrated a solemn vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for about 2,000 people, with participation restricted by COVID-19 to about a fifth of the size of pre-pandemic years. 

Minutes before the Christmas Eve Mass started, Italy reported a second successive record daily tally of COVID-19 cases, with new infections hitting 50,599. 

Francis, wearing white vestments, wove his homily the around the theme that Jesus was born with nothing. 

"Brothers and sisters, standing before the crib, we contemplate what is central, beyond all the lights and decorations, which are beautiful. We contemplate the child," he said in the homily of the Mass con-celebrated with more than 200 cardinals, bishops and priests. All but him wore masks. 

Francis, who turned 85 last week, said the baby Jesus born in poverty should remind people that serving others is more important than seeking status or social visibility or spending a lifetime in pursuit of success. 

"It is in them (the poor) that he wants to be honoured," said Francis, who has made defence of the poor a cornerstone of his pontificate.  

"On this night of love, may we have only one fear: that of offending God's love, hurting him by despising the poor with our indifference. Jesus loves them dearly, and one day they will welcome us to heaven," he said. 

He quoted a line from a poem by Emily Dickinson - "Who has found the heaven – below – Will fail of it above" - and added in his own words: "Let us not lose sight of heaven; let us care for Jesus now, caressing him in the needy, because in them he makes himself known."

When a supertyphoon also sank seven victorious galleons on their way to Marinduque astilleros (shipyards)

A supertyphoon also hit Marinduque in 1617, and seven victorious galleon that fought in the famous Battle of Playa Honda were on their way to the Marinduque shipyards for repairs. All of them were sank, hit hard by the superbagyo.

Battle of Playa Honda illustration

“…In October of 1618 the Dutch were back at the entrance of Manila Bay with five warships. Once again the colony was placed under the hard necessity of building ships to send against them, for the seven victorious galleons of Playa Honda, every one of them, had been lost in a storm while on their way for repairs to the Marinduque shipyards… -  The Jesuits in the Philippines, Horacio de la Costa, (page 339).

There were definitely several shipyards in Marinduque in those days. We're still into finding their specific locations through physical and documentary evidence.

Previously, I have written:  Tungkol sa malaking trahedya noong 1617, 404 years ago!

Naisulat na ang naganap sa Karagatan ng Marinduque noong 1617 sa panahon ni Geronimo de Silva ang "pinakamatinding trahedya na nangyari noong kapanahunan niya" nang lumubog ang anim (sic) na galleons sa lugar na ito. Kung ganoon, hindi mawawalan ng mga pinaglumaang dokumento tungkol dito maliban sa nahalukay kong sulat ni Alonso Fajardo de Tenza (sa Blair and Robertson), kay Felipe II, Agosto 10, 1619, kung saan kinumpirma niya ang pangyayari.

May kakulangan nga lamang sa mga detalye ang kanyang naisulat na mahalaga naman para sa mga mag-aaral ng kasaysayan, lalo na sa mga interesado sa shipwrecks.

May isa pang liham na pinadala pa rin ni Fajardo kay Felipe II eksaktong isang taon o Agosto 10, 1618, bago niya ipinadala ang sulat na nabanggit sa itaas. Sa salin sa Ingles ng bahagi ng sulat ay ganito ang nakalagay:

 

Letter to Felipe III from Alonso Fajardo de Tenza, Agosto 10, 1618

"After our aforesaid misfortunes the six galleons that were to be fitted up at the shipyards were, while going there, overtaken by a hurricane, and were all wrecked, together with seven hundred persons whom, it is said, they were carrying—namely, natives, Sangleys, and Spanish sailors and shipbuilders, and some infantrymen—besides those who escaped, who were very few. Consequently, these islands were left without any naval forces and with few enough on land, by the above-mentioned disaster and the many private persons who died on the expedition to Sincupura or Malaca. The result was very great sorrow to the citizens, because of these troubles.."

 Sa sinulat naman ni Bennett, na nakuha naman niya sa iba pang source na nabasa ko na, napakaikli ng  nasabi tungkol sa mga lumubog na galleong ito sa Tablazo ng Marinduque. Tungkol sa anim na barko, narito ang karagdagan niyang palagay:

  "Marinduque wrecks Six large vessels, (assume 300 tons) said to be sunk in a tidal wave/typhoon off Marinduque. 14 Oct 1617 Six vessels lost, assume large vessels, Cargo not known."   - Treasure Ships of the Philippines, Tom Bennett

Rotary Club of Marinduque North: Turnover ng Dialysis Machines at Water Treatment para sa ospital

 

Ang Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Marinduque, sa tulong ng iba’t ibang sangay ng pamahalaan katuwang ang pribadong sektor, ay patuloy ang pagsasaayos at pagdadagdag sa mga pasilidad ng ospital.

Ang  Rotary Club of Marinduque North kamakailan ay nagsagawa ng Turnover of Dialysis Machines at Water Treatment para sa pagtatatag ng kauna-unahang Hospital-based Hemodialysis Clinic sa lalawigan.

Nagpahayag ng pasasalamat sa malasakit at pag-agapay ng mga opisyal at miyembro ng Rotary Club sa kanilang ipinagkaloob na Dialysis Machines at kagamitan para sa Water Treatment.

“Napakalaking tulong nito para sa mga dialysis patients na hindi na kinakailangang lumuwas pa ng Lucena o NCR para magpagamot”, pahayag ni Gov. Presby Velasco, Jr. sa kaniyang Facebook account. 

“Sa ngalan ng lahat ng Marinduqueños, taos-puso akong nagpapasalamat sa Rotary Club sa pagkakaloob ng mga mahalagang donasyon para sa ating Dialysis Center”, dagdag ng gobernador.

Ecotourism sites pa more

 

Pasado na sa Kamara, na pinamumunuan ni Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, ang mga panukalang nagdedeklara sa apat na bagong ecotourism sites: ang Managong Waterfalls sa Sibagat, Agusan del Sur (HB 10516), Tugonan Waterfalls sa Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur (HB 10517), Paraiso Ti Caribquib sa Banna, Ilocos Norte (HB 10532), at Malasi Tree Park & Wildlife Sanctuary sa Cabagan, Isabela (HB 10533).

Tugonon Waterfalls, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur

Malasi Tree Park & Wildlife Sanctuary, Cabagan, Isabela

Paraiso Ti Caribquib, Banna, Ilocos Norte

Speaker Velasco: Time to give private sector wider role in COVID-19 vaccination drive

To sustain the momentum of COVID-19 vaccination, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is urging the national government to explore the possibility of giving the private sector much wider role in the inoculation drive against the deadly coronavirus.

Velasco said the national government can start by reviewing and revising the policy on COVID-19 vaccine procurement in order to allow the private sector to purchase directly from manufacturers.

“Since there is now ample supply of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines globally, it is time that the national government consider allowing the private sector to deal directly with manufacturers to ensure a more sustainable and dependable supply of life-saving vaccines for Filipinos,” Velasco said.

Pursuant to Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, private companies and local government units (LGUs) are authorized to procure vaccines which have been given emergency use authorization through a tripartite agreement with manufacturers and the national government, represented by the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF).

Velasco, who was the principal author of RA 11525 in the House of Representatives, said he was open to amending the law to allow private companies to directly purchase vaccines for their workers and their dependents.

The House leader said he was also amenable to devolving some responsibilities and functions in the COVID-19 vaccination program from the national government to LGUs.

Velasco said that granting the private sector the authority to directly purchase COVID-19 shots will “relieve pressure on government resources considering that vaccine procurement and administration entails a lot of logistical challenges.”

“By granting the private sector greater participation in the vaccination campaign, the government can focus its resources on the inoculation of frontliners, uniformed personnel and vulnerable sectors,” Velasco pointed out.

“The amount the government will save  can be channeled to efforts to help economic recovery post-pandemic,” he added.

Given the high-level of efficiency associated with the private sector, Velasco said its greater involvement in COVID-19 vaccination would enhance government efforts to ensure rapid and efficient rollout of available vaccines.

Meanwhile, Velasco urged the DOH and NTF to make public any findings as to how long does COVID-19 vaccine-induced immunity last.

“They should inform the public how long a certain vaccine brand lasts so that people would know when they get a booster or get inoculated again,” Velasco said.

Velasco had earlier lauded the national government for its aggressive vaccination efforts, which resulted in the dramatic decline in COVID-19 infection rates, particularly in the National Capital Region where a good number of residents are already fully vaccinated.

He also congratulated the Duterte administration on the successful holding of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Days, where an additional 9.9 million Filipinos were vaccinated from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. The vaccination drive will have a second run on Dec. 15 to 17. (FSC)

Speaker Velasco receives Award of Distinction from UST Law Alumni Foundation

 

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has been conferred with the Award of Distinction by his fellow alumni from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law.

This award, the highest honor the UST Law Alumni Foundation Inc. can bestow, is given to distinguished law graduates of the university in recognition of their outstanding career achievements, leadership in the professions, and noteworthy public service.

The foundation recognized the 44-year-old Velasco for his “sterling leadership” as Speaker of the House of Representatives; representative of the lone district of Marinduque province;  past president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Marinduque Chapter; and provincial administrator of Marinduque.

It said that in all of which positions, Velasco has “proudly exhibited an unqualified commitment to serve God and the nation through a strong adherence to the Thomasian core values of competence, compassion and commitment.”

The House leader was also recognized for his “impeccable governance marked with honesty and selflessness.”

The foundation likewise noted Velasco’s “firm determination to conduct his professional and personal endeavors with integrity, thereby enhancing the honor and prestige of his venerable Alma Mater, the Faculty of Civil Law of the [UST].”

The foundation officials, led by their president Atty. Maria Elena Go Francisco and Committee on Awards chair retired Sandiganbayan Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos, personally handed over the award to Velasco at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

They also gave the plaque of appreciation to Velasco as keynote speaker at the 287th Founding Anniversary of the UST Faculty of Civil Law and Grand Alumni Reunion for 2020 and 2021 held on December 5.

In response, Velasco thanked the foundation for the recognition as he attributed his career brilliance to the sound education he acquired from his alma mater.

“It is my honor to uphold the values and embody the Tomasian spirit in my career as a public servant,” Velasco said.

“I consider this a privilege and as proof that I am treading the right path in my work as a legislator,” he added.

Velasco earned a degree on business management from the De La Salle University.  He obtained his law degree from UST and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2005.

Prior to becoming provincial administrator under then-governor Jose Antonio Carrion, Velasco worked at the Supreme Court—first as court attorney and then as judicial staff head.

"Tingni Idi": Gasan cultural mapping completed

 

“TINGNI IDI” is a local expression in Gasan that means “tingnan ito” or “look at this”.  It calls for the attention of the people of Gasan to see the congregated data and information on the town’s historical culture, old and living traditions, religion, nature, institutions, and reverent personalities who made great contributions and gave a unique identity to Gasan.

The project “Cultural Mapping of the Municipality of Gasan, Marinduque” was developed through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Local Government Unit of the Municipality of Gasan.

In a worldwide context, cultural mapping is a technique that leads to the preservation of both the tangible and intangible cultural assets of a certain place as everyone needs to understand the factors influencing perceptions of places while at the same time giving focus to personal and community interpretations of culture.  It is a collaborative endeavor to identify and document local cultural resources.

As a response of the Mayor of Gasan to the opportunity given by the NCCA, training was conducted for the Local Tourism Officer, Lead Mapper, Cultural Mappers, and Editor. The training was rigorous and required much attention to detail.  The acquisition of relevant data and information that comprise historical notes and photos from identified informants made it even more demanding given the 4-month timeline from February to May 2021 to include the community validation with invited internal and external validators for the elements vetting.  The target of 150 elements for mapping was even exceeded as 180 elements were mapped with 160 elements finalized for inclusion after the vetting process.

The challenge brought by the Covid-19 pandemic did not hinder the goals of the NCCA and the Local Government of the Municipality of Gasan.  The Cultural Profile of Gasan which accounts for its heritage is finally realized.  A treasure of the townspeople of Gasan. - Gasan Tourism Office