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Palompon cradle of progress, home of the peaceful and
hospitable,” the Palompon Hymn goes. It is also the home of a
strong cooperative movement, environmental initiatives, a famed bird
sanctuary, the boneless danggit, the potpot—Palompon’s
pedal-powered tricycle—and a lot more!
Palay was laid out for drying on
most of the roads during my recent visit. The harvest, however, was
reported to be 20 to 25 percent lower than the previous season, due
to adverse weather conditions. The March edition of Budyong sa
Palompon, the LGU’s monthly publication, reported “soaring
prices of fish and other marine products.” The local government is
addressing this problem. However, there seemed to be no food crisis
in general. Of course, as a guest, I was treated to the
best—simple but excellent meals at the house of Mrs. Judith
Donayre, Palompon’s leading caterer and one of Palompon’s
gentle and hospitable ladies.
On April 22, Palompon launched
its nine-day long celebration of Earth Day. I joined the one-hour
walk for the environment shortly after 6 in the morning. During the
walk I had a chance to talk to Vice Mayor Lloyd Surigao, 33-year-old
who, aside from being tall, dark and handsome, is the epitome of the
peaceful and hospitable Palomponganon. He took up political science
and law at the University of the Visayas in Cebu City. UV, the alma
mater of my husband and owned by the Gullas family, is known as the
school of hardworking and struggling students whose families cannot
afford Cebu’s more prominent colleges.
Chedna Romero, the Tourism
Officer, is another gentle Palomponganon who has “willing hands
work for thee” (Palompon Hymn). Chedna lost her 6-year-old
daughter to a hit-and-run motorist a couple of years ago. She has
since poured her passion into promoting Palompon as a tourist spot.
She accompanied Councilor Bong Villardo, me, and our companions to
the stilt house located a short banca ride from Palompon’s center.
Watching the sunset and the almost-full moon while feeling the sea
breeze cool the skin after a hot day was refreshing for body and
soul.
Aside from the Walk for the
Environment, Palompon also launched its waste market. The PASAR
Foundation, a partner of Palompon in several environmental projects,
has organized solid-waste management seminars for barangay
officials, preparing them for the soon-to-be-passed ecological solid
waste management ordinance. As part of the program, PASAR Foundation
also sponsored an educational tour to Negros and Cebu for barangay
officials and others involved in the promotion of sound waste
management.
Palompon Institute of Technology,
a state college, produced the 1st and 3rd placers in the recent
licensure examination for OIC Deck Navigational Watch conducted by
the Professional Regulation Commission. On April 18, the Netherlands
Shipping Training Centre and Dormitory was inaugurated. This
impressive building is a project of the Netherlands Shipping
Training Centre Foundation, a joint undertaking of the institute,
the Shipping and Transport College (of the Netherlands) and the
Royal Association of Netherlands Ship Owners. Dutch ship owners
cannot find enough qualified crew in the Netherlands. By investing
in the training of Filipino seafarers, the Dutch are assured of not
simply qualified crew and officers, but the very best, as the
results of the licensure exam show. The students have their
practicum (or cadetship) on board Dutch vessels. They are hired
after graduation provided that they pass the Dutch licensure
examination, which a majority does. Some quarters reportedly
objected when they heard that the Dutch would establish the center
at the institute, in far-flung Palompon. Yet, the achievements of
PIT graduates in the licensure exam show that this was a good
decision. Congratulations to 1st Placer Edmon Bartolome Boloy, 3rd
Placer Joseph Marl Neis Parilla and PIT President Dr. Delia Combista!
While graduates from the
institute’s maritime courses leave to become seafarers on foreign
seas, others return. “With willing hands we work for thee/Thou art
so dear to all of us/In progress we forge ahead” are not empty
words of the Palompon Hymn. Young lawyers Bong Villardo and Lloyd
Surigao returned to Palompon because the aspirations of their town
are their aspirations, too. Bong and Lloyd, like countless other
Palomponganons, see the Palompon Hymn as a call to action.
opinion@manilatimes.net
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