EDITORIAL OF INFORMATION

108th Year of the Land Management Bureau:

Gearing towards effective land
administration and management
The Land Management Bureau, currently under the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR), has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

The Insular Bureau of Public Lands was created on September 2, 1901, by virtue of Act
218, which placed it under the Department of Interior. In 1906, Act 1407 renamed it
Bureau of Lands, and placed it under the Department of Agriculture and Natural
Resources (DANR) in 1916. Later, by virtue of Presidential Decree 461, the DANR was
split into the Ministry of Natural Resources, under which the Bureau of Lands was
placed, and the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1987, the Bureau of Lands was renamed Land
Management Bureau (LMB), pursuant to Executive Order 192.

Today, the LMB is tasked with land administration and management. Through the LMB
and the DENR field offices, DENR is able to carry out its functions of administering,
surveying, managing, and disposing if alienable and disposable (A&D) lands and other
government lands not placed under the jurisdiction of the other government agencies.

Among its major ongoing projects are the Handog Titulo sa Taguig and Oplan: Fake
Titles Project. The latter hopes to restore the public’s faith in the Torrens System of land
titling and registration, that has been eroded by the existence of spurious and
fraudulently issued titles. Another priority program of the Bureau is the fast-tracking of
cadastral surveys in the country, which is instrumental in efficient patent distribution and
in accelerating countryside development.

Also, with the objective of improving the physical condition of its records and facilitate
the identification of missing records, the LMB has embarked on the creation of a
computer-based inventory of land records with its Land Records Management
Information System (LRMIS). This LRMIS, which prescribes the adoption of modern
technology that will improve and make easy the access to reliable information, is one of
the effective preventive measures adopted by LMB’s Oplan: Fake Titles Project.

Another significant initiative of the LMB is the Unified Projection System of map
preparation, which seeks to eliminate conflicts and overlaps of issuance of permits of
stewardship contracts, tenurial instruments, and other licenses and agreements.

We congratulate the Officers and Staff of the Land Management Bureau, led by Director
Gerino A. Tolentino Jr., on the occasion of their 108th Founding Anniversary, and wish
them success in all their endeavors.
 EDITORIAL OF INTERPRETATION

Lee Kuan Yew's Prayer

By BERNARDO VILLEGAS
MANILA, Philippines – When I read Seth Mydans' piece "Founder of Singapore reflects
on his journey" in the International Herald Tribune last September 11-12, 2010, I could
not help thinking back to the years I studied at Harvard 50 years ago. In the late 1960s,
there was still much talk in the Harvard community about a Catholic priest who was
excommunicated by the Bishop of Boston then for refusing to stop teaching a heretical
interpretation of the Biblical expression "Outside the Church there is no salvation." This
priest, who for a while was the chaplain of the Harvard Catholic Club and who fortunately
was reunited with the Catholic Church when he died, had angered the non-Catholics at
Harvard by telling them in no uncertain terms that they were all going to hell. He did not
take into account the Catholic teaching that those non-Catholics who try to live a good
life can receive what is known as "baptism of desire."

If there is a public figure whose actions and accomplishments merit his receiving a
baptism by desire, it is Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who in Mr. Mydans' words "made
Singapore in his own stern and unsentimental image" and transformed it into "a first-
world oasis in a third-world region." Through his personal example of integrity and
servant leadership, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has helped to build institutions and a culture of
hard work and discipline that are unparalleled in the whole of Asia. Contrary to the image
projected by some sectors of the international press, he has sufficient humility to admit
that he has made certain mistakes. As he told Mr. Mydans, "I'm not saying that
everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honorable purpose. I had to do
some nasty things locking fellows up without trial."

Let me review here the doctrine about "baptism by desire." As Fr. John Flader wrote in
his best-selling book "Question Time" (Sinagtala Publishers, 2008), "When we hear
about the need for Baptism, though, we should not think only of the sacrament of
Baptism, in which water is poured on the head of the recipient, making that person a
Christian and member of the Church. The Church has always admitted that people can
be saved by a ‘baptism of desire,’ which can be explicit in the case of catechumens who
desire to enter the Church, or implicit in the case of people who perhaps do not even
know the Church, but who strive to live a good life....

"The Second Vatican Council took up this teaching in Lumen gentium: 'Those who,
through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who
nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to
do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may
achieve eternal salvation.' As the Catechism explains, 'it may be supposed that such
persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.'"

There is enough outward evidence that in his 87 years of life, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has
habitually followed the dictates of his conscience. Especially outstanding is his capacity
for work, which as Pope John Paul II wrote in Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) is a
sure way of doing God's will on earth. Although a self-proclaimed agnostic, Mr. Lee has
demonstrated more than many so-called Christians that marriage is a sacred bond which
should be indissoluble. One cannot but be moved by his devotion to his wife to whom he
has been married for 61 years. Unable to move or speak for more than two years
because of a stroke, "his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, 89, had been by his side, a confidante
and counselor, since they were law students in London." It is not surprising that he is
attracted to the Christian concept of marriage. He confided to Mr. Mydans that lately, he
had been looking at Christian marriage vows and was drawn to the words: "To love, to
hold,and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, till death do us
part."

There is also evidence that his desire for baptism is more than implicit. At night, hearing
the sounds of his wife's discomfort in the next room, he would find solace in meditating
for some 20 minutes, "reciting a mantra he was taught by a Christian friend: 'Maranatha.'
" As every reader of the New Testament would know, this prayer means: "Come to me,
O Lord Jesus." At the end of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul wrote: "I Paul
greet you, with my own hand...Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. My
love is with you all in Christ Jesus."

EDITORIAL OF CRITICISM

Command responsibility
By MELITO SALAZAR JR.

During the presidency of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, department secretaries had the
final say on the members of their team. Most of them relied on the career bureaucrats
although there was also the weeding out of the political appointees (which was easy as
the Marcos government structure clearly differentiated them from the career officials).
Those they brought in from the private sector were carefully vetted with the end result
that there was hardly any criticism of any appointee. The Corazon Aquino administration
was careful to choose those who had already made a mark in the private sector, whether
in business or civil society. If President Cory wanted to have a person placed in a
department, she would always consult the department secretary concerned and in a
number of cases, decide not to burden the department, depending on the reaction of the
secretary.

In the Corazon Cojuangco Aquino administration, while there was intense infighting
especially during the first year, this was confined to the Cabinet. Within each
department, the team held fast. The undersecretaries were answerable to the secretary
who in turn was responsible to the President. None of them would dare go straight to
Cory, knowing that their first loyalty was to the department secretary. On the other hand,
the secretary having placed them in their positions acknowledged his command
responsibility for the actions of those under him. Despite the turbulence of the early
years, especially during the series of coup attempts, the departments functioned well
and each department was united in rendering service to the public.
In the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration, the exact opposite happened.
Appointments to the undersecretary, assistant secretary, and sometimes even on the
regional level were decided in Malacañang with the clear message that loyalty was owed
to the President alone. There were instances where the appointment of the
undersecretary was even done before the appointment of the secretary. Instructions
were also given to these officials without the knowledge of the department secretary. I
remember asking a department secretary why he would agree to such an arrangement.
His reply was that he was not so conversant nor did he want to be involved in the
political aspect of the job. So it was all right with him if his undersecretary handled it with
guidance from the Palace. This surprised me because he had been an effective
executive in the private sector, where as CEO, he had full control of the company,
subject only to the board’s authority. I knew that in business, he would never have
accepted a situation where his vice president was reporting not to him but to the
chairman of the board and yet here in government, he was agreeing to a clearly
anomalous situation.

When his undersecretary was prominently fingered as the perpetrator of an alleged fund
disbursing scam in aid of the reelection of the President, he was also drawn in. Since he
had also signed some of the papers and in others, given the authority to the
undersecretary, he was pinpointed as an accessory to the crime. He learned the painful
lesson of command responsibility, suffering together with his undersecretary national
indignation and losing the respect of his peers in the private sector; all because he
agreed to head a department even without full control of the officials and staff under him.

It is unfortunate that the Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III administration seems to
be following the GMA model in the appointments process rather than the Cory example.
We hear of instances where the department secretaries are surprised by appointees
reporting to them with Malacañang approval or appointments are announced in the
press without prior consultations with them. I could almost feel the discomfort of one
department secretary being interviewed on radio on one such appointee with a string of
cases and the best he could answer was that a person had weaknesses and strengths.
Not a convincing response but what can you expect when the appointment never passed
through him.

The recent hostage crisis highlighted such a situation where Secretary Jesse Robredo
does not have control over the police affairs as the President (?) has designated
Undersecretary Rico Puno to handle public order issues. Yet, Robredo is secretary of
the Department of Interior and Local Government, which has administrative control of
the Philippine National Police. Since Jesse Robredo, my former student in UP, accepted
the position of secretary, he should also accept the command responsibility that comes
with it despite knowing that Puno was not his choice to be on the DILG team.

One good that can come out of this tragic affair is for President P-Noy to adopt President
Cory’s approach and shun the GMA model. Let him allow his department secretaries to
review all appointments in their departments and to approve only those vetted by them.
Henceforth, all appointments to the department positions should be upon the initiative of
the department secretaries without the meddling of any Palace official. This will certainly
make the Cabinet members accept command responsibility for all the acts of their
respective departments.
Business Bits. We congratulate the Metrobank Foundation for 26 years of the Search for
Outstanding Teachers. The 2010 awardees exemplify the best of the best and give us
hope for a better future with a strong foundation in education.

EDITORIAL OF COMMENDATION, APPRECIATION, OR

TRIBUTE

77th Birthday of President Corazon Cojuangco

Aquino
Born in Manila on January 25, 1933, the sixth of eight children of Jose C. Cojuangco, a
former congressman, and the former Demetria Sumulong, a pharmacist, Corazon
Cojuangco Aquino was a member, by birth and marriage, of three political clans – the
Cojuangco, Sumulong, and Aquino.

Despite this, from her early until adult life, she never aspired for political office. But
circumstances brought her to submit to the will of the people and the Almighty, and she
led the country through a difficult political transition and remained a steward of
democratization until her death.

As a young girl, the future President Cory remembers handing out cigars and cigarettes
to political leaders and their supporters who visited her father at election time. For the
most part, however, her life revolved around school, church, and vacations in Antipolo in
Rizal Province, the Sumulong bailiwick, and in Tarlac. Her passion for learning and
service was ingrained on her by her forebears. President Cory recalled that her
Grandfather Sumulong – whom she called Lolo Juan – encouraged her to read when
she was young and also impressed upon her his own values, especially the belief that
the elite should not dominate Philippine politics. A nationalist, Lolo Juan also taught all
his grandchildren to speak in Tagalog and interact with ordinary folk, skills that the late
President Cory practiced and valued.

While she had lived a life of relative comfort, the President Cory also knew what
adversity brings and mustered the strength from within and from God to overcome such
difficulties. Immediately after the assassination of her husband, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino
Jr., President Cory was asked to rethink her political role. While she was apprehensive
over taking on the leadership role at first, President Cory remembered what her late
husband said when asked why he decided to go home despite the threat to his life: “I will
never be able to forgive myself knowing that I could have done something and I did not
do anything.” And so, she contested the presidency in 1986. With the massive support
from her compatriots, she was catapulted to the presidency after the success of the
popular uprising in EDSA in February 22, 1986.

When she assumed the presidency, the President Cory immediately buckled down to
work, with her priorities clear – restore democracy and the fundamental rights of the
people and improve the quality of life of Filipinos. In her years in the presidency, she
confronted many challenges and had to deal with contending interests. She
subsequently fulfilled her promise to transfer peacefully the power of the President to an
elected successor.
After her term, President Cory continued her crusade for democracy and development.
Through her foundation, the Benigno Aquino Jr. Foundation, she worked to provide
financial and technical assistance to micro enterprises to alleviate poverty. In episodes
when the country’s political order was in danger of regression, she lent her voice and her
presence to protests and campaigns to restore order, protect the rights of the people,
and secure the accountability of all leaders.

When she died last August 1, 2009, the outpouring of prayers, support, and sympathy
was massive.

Her death rekindled the commitment of many Filipinos to continue her campaign to
empower the ordinary Filipino to make each one of us to contribute, in our modest ways,
towards the creation of a truly just, democratic, and humane Philippine society. This
commitment is the most fitting tribute that we can give to the woman whose 77th Birth
Anniversary we observe today.

EDITORIAL OF ARGUMENTATION

Development Priorities
By FR. EMETERIO BARCELON, SJ

THIS year’s business conference on September 16-18 in Cagayan de Oro will focus on
electric power, agriculture, and mining. After safety, economic development depends on
availability of electricity. Four- hour brownouts of last summer ruined the potentials of
Mindanao as business location. But something can be done; just as Davao was once
notoriously violent, it is now the safest town in the country. The hope of the country is
Mindanao for catching up economically with its neighbors. Once safety is assured, the
next need is electric power. We have enough water resources to produce all the
electricity we need. El Niño wrought havoc on the Mindanao economy last summer
because the present hydro establishments are all in the western side of the island. When
the west was dry the eastern side was wet. But we had no hydro harvesting
establishments in that side of the island. Over 55% of the power in Mindanao is from
hydro which causes no pollution and spends no foreign exchange but just uses the
abundant water to go through the turbines and returns it back to the river. The Dept. of
Energy has identified over 20 potential large hydro projects and over 100 mini hydro
projects. The island needs 100 Megawatts additional a year for the next ten years to just
keep up with the projected demand without the extra demand to spur economic
development. Mindanao like Palawan is not interconnected with the power grid of Luzon
and the Visayas. Wind and nuclear sources would not be as practical as geothermal,
solar, or hydro for Mindanao. What then is still missing? The policy on incentives for
investment and pricing are still in the making. But once these are clear, the power
situation should turn from brownout country to power surplus. On the part of consumers,
they want better transparency.

The agriculture topic of the conference hinges on determination of government policy.

Corn and rice self sufficiency might be a priority for food safety. But it may not be the
best economic way for the land use in Mindanao. An alternative is to produce high-value
crops like bananas, pineapples, and other fruits for export while we import our rice
supply. Should we encourage small farmers to produce rice and corn against high-value
crops like fruits in Mindanao? These may still be small holding but these can be banded
together for export marketing, e.g., bananas, pineapple, rubber, etc.

The third item in the conference is mining. Its potential is vast. But the pollution watchers
and small holder protectors are vigilant, as they should be. There is a cost and a risk to
everything; even crossing the street entails the risk of being run over by a car. Should
we then forego the use of cars? The risks have to be weighed against benefits. It is a
crime to leave the gold in the bowels of our mountains while one in five of our people are
hungry. Mining can attract billions in investments. What we need is to mitigate any risk or
pollution that comes with it. There is a cost but it should not be excessive or
unreasonable. The next question is whether the ordinary or the small people will benefit
from the investment. The general principle is to seek the good of the greater number,
and skew the benefits a bit toward those who have less in life to get more in law. But the
condemnation of any mining out of hand can be to the detriment of the poor who can
benefit from the investment. Another problem is argumentation to save our patrimony for
future Filipinos (meaning the rich ones) cannot be accepted while present Filipinos go
hungry. It can be a question of confidence of our being able to enforce our laws for the
benefit of the majority. The benefits should be now and not tomorrow. This can be a pie
in the sky when there is potential bread at hand. This is a difficult decision that has to be
made. What are our priorities? Hunger and the fight against poverty are priorities.

EDITORIAL OF ENTERTAINMENT

World Tourism Day

MANILA, Philippines – To highlight the importance of strategies that protect and
strengthen both natural and cultural diversities, World Tourism Day is celebrated on
September 2 each year. With the theme “Tourism and Biodiversity,” this year’s
celebration will focus on the development of a sustainable tourism model with
biodiversity strategies.

Tourism today is the largest and most intensively developing world industry. Data from
the World Travel and Tourism Council reveals that the current share of tourism and
tourism-related industries is 8.3% of global jobs, 9.3% of international investments, 12
percent of exports, and 3.6% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Before tourists began traipsing all over the world, social interactions involving different
cultures usually occurred in the context of commercial trading, wars, or migrations. As a
result cultural exchanges were relatively restricted, occurring in regions within the limits
of political and military domains.

As a relatively new social activity, tourism has expanded with a shift in people’s attitudes
in travel and with the advent of technological advances in communications and
transportation. When tourists arrive at their destination, they bring with them their beliefs
and behaviors which, to some extent, influence the host country and they are in turn
changed by their experience.
In the face of the powerful forces that shape the tourism industry, harnessing the
opportunities and dealing with issue such as island, marine, and coastal biodiversities,
forests, and invasive species are of utmost importance for the survival of an industry that
makes up one of the main sectors of the global economy.

MOOD EDITORIAL

The Dreaded Hangover

By DR. JOSE S. PUJALTE JR.

“I drink no more than a sponge.” — Francois Rabelais (1490-1553), French Renaissance

writer, doctor, humanist. Works. Book i. Chap. v.

MANILA, Philippines – The malls are blasting Christmas songs in heavy rotation (in
September!). That’s one reason I decided to write about hangovers – in preparation I
guess, for the drinking parties of the coming holiday season. But then again, no one
needs Christmas to get drunk and feel like mierde in the morning.

What is a hangover? Simply put, a hangover is the collection of signs and symptoms
associated with taking too much alcohol. It is different from being drunk and it comes
after inebriation. MayoClinic.com lists these signs and symptoms as: Fatigue, thirst,
headaches, and muscle aches, nausea, vomiting or stomach pain, poor or lack of sleep,
sensitivity to light and sound, dizziness (feeling the head is spinning) or vertigo (feeling
it’s the room that’s spinning), fast heart bear, bloodshot eyes, shaking, inability to
concentrate, and mood disturbances – anxiety, irritability, or depression. Simply put, it’s
not what you want the day after a partay.

But why? Alcohol is, depending on the amounts taken, a stimulant or a depressant, a
social lubricant. But it’s also a stealthy poison with what it can do to the body. Alcohol is
a diuretic (makes you pee more) making you dehydrated. It irritates the stomach lining
because it stimulates more acid production. It can make blood sugar dip leading to
fatigue and weakness. Alcohol dilates blood vessels causing headaches and while it can
make you sleepy, the quality of sleep is bad, consequently leaving you more fatigued
and groggy.

Risk factors. It’s true that light or occasional drinkers are more likely to suffer hangovers
than frequent drinkers. And in getting a hangover, some factors increase its likelihood or
severity. These are: Drinking on an empty stomach (food slows down alcohol
absorption); combining alcohol and nicotine; not sleeping enough after a night of drinking
(why week night drinking is not for the office worker); imbibing darker colored alcoholic
drinks – red red wine, dark beers, brandy, tequila, scotch, bourbon. These beverages
contain congeners, chemicals that add color and flavor to alcohol. Unfortunately,
congeners add to the risk of hangovers.

Treatment. Getting over a hangover is the stuff of urban lore but a few do’s are
mainstays. Do take liquids (not more alcohol!) – water or fruit juice preferably, to offset
the dehydration. Do eat starting with bland food such as bread or crackers to boost
blood sugar. Do take medicine: Pain killers for headache, muscle pains. And do go back
to sleep.

Complications. Aside from feeling terrible, a hangover undercuts your routine because of
its effects on dexterity, concentration, and memory. So if you work the next day, brace
yourself for a reprimand if tasks are shabbily done, if you slump over and snore, or if you
injure yourself handling tools or instruments.

Prevention. Choose your poison – alcohol less likely to make you miserable the next day
are clear (fewer congeners) – like vodka and gin. Eat before taking alcohol. Don’t drink
too fast. The rule of thumb is one drink per hour. Don’t combine drinks and finally, take
water in between the hard stuff.

SPECIAL OCCASION

Eid’l Fitr
Ramadan covers a month of religious observance by the over one billion Muslims
worldwide.

Ramadan is defined in the Qu'ran as “the month during which the Qu'ran was revealed,
providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you
who witness this month shall fast therein.

Those who are ill or travelling may substitute the same number of other days. God
wishes for your convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to
glorify God for guiding you, and to express your appreciation.’’

Today is Eid’l Fitr, the end of the month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word which means
“festivity’’ while Fitr means “charity’’ or “nature.’’ The celebration today thus marks the
breaking of the fasting period.

Eid’l Fitr is celebrated for three days in Arab and other Muslim countries after the
observance of the arduous fasting month of Ramadan, the ninth in Islam’s Hijrah
calendar. In the Philippines, the day is a special non-working holiday to allow our Muslim
brothers and sisters to observe the end of a month-long period of fasting, prayer, and
reflection.

Our Muslim brethren will start this day with a small breakfast before attending a salah, a
special Eid prayer.

The Eid prayer is followed by the khutbah (sermon) and then a supplication (dua) asking
for forgiveness, mercy, and help for all living beings around the world. The khutbah
instructs Muslims as to the performance of rituals of Eid, such as the zakat, where
believers freely share what they have with others, especially the less fortunate members
of the community.

On the occasion of Eid’l Fitr, we wish our Muslim brethren, ‘Id mubarak.’’
 PROJECT
IN
JOURNALISM

PIERRE RANDALL I. SANSARONA

III-FAITH