Post-Wuhan Training Nostalgia

I'd been attending international trainings, and it is always good to win new friends and acquaintances. My recently finished international course is another life-time experience worth-keeping. Just as in other courses I attended, one of the most difficult moment in this course was when everybody started to pack-up things and go back home. It is here when you get mixed feeling - sad as your group start to disintegrate, but exciting as you hope to see your family back home.

Nov. 11 when I together with a compatriot Dr. Sen and Mr. Amour of Kenya left Wuhan and took a 13-hour travel by train to Guangzhou. The trip was convenient as we took "sleeper" accommodation when one can just lie down on to his destination. We reach Guangzhou early morning, but our flight was on the evening yet, thus, we have to wait for another day before boarding our plane to Manila.

I reached my residence Nov. 12 in the afternoon, started checking my e-mails a day after, and the words of greetings from our classmates certainly made me nostalgic. So nice experience, so nice Wuhan City. I simply love it. Ni hao . . . saijan!

STCC Observes Thanksgiving Sunday as 6 Souls receive Baptism

13 November 2011, Sto. Tomas, San Jose City (Nueva Ecija). The Sto.Tomas Church of Christ celebrates today a Thanksgiving Day with the usual Sunday worship at the CLSU Interfaith Chapel, where six souls accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and received holy baptism. As it is 2nd Sunday of the month, the guest speakers were the Team of 3 young Church workers from Munoz Church as being discipled by Bro. Roger Miguel, with STCC as some kind of training field.

After the worship service, the congregation proceeded to its pastorate at Brgy. Sto. Tomas in the residence of this Church elder, where the water immersion took place using a small plastic pool as the baptistry. Praise and worship follows with a series of thanksgiving prayers. Activity ends with a simple merienda fellowship.

The occasion also served as bienvenida for this blogger, who has just arrived from a 3-week sojourn to the People's Republic of China. All praises be to the Father.(30)

PhilRice deputy chief, CMU prexy, 28 others receive GEI-UPLB Omega GAWAD AGILA, GRAND ECHELON Awards

9 October 2011, UP at Los Banos, College, LAGUNA. A total of 30 Omegans and 2 guest brethren-awardees were honored today as the Gamma Epsilon International UPLB Omega Chapter celebrates its 45th founding anniversary. The awarding, as lead by Dr. Manny Regalado (PhilRice Executive Director) and Dr. Malou R. Soliven (current Central Mindanao University president), coincides with the traditional celebration of UPLB Loyalty Day 2011, where alumni and guests of this state university pay their annual tributes to the beloved alma mater. The following paragraphs constitute the report of the GEI awards committee chaired by this blogger.

This year’s grand homecoming of the Gamma Epsilon Fraternity and the Gamma Lambda Epsilon Sorority (UPLB Omega Chapter and Alumni Council) is one of the rare opportunities for us to meet each other while giving due recognition to selected brethren who have done outstanding deeds to this organization, as well as those who achieved the highest formal degree by the academe, our bonafide residence.

This significant reunion coincides with the 45th founding anniversary of this Chapter (Sept. 8, 1966), and the traditional UPLB Loyalty Day (October 10) for our beloved Alma Mater; indeed a double-whammy for us fellow Omegans to be with our alma mater.

Time flies so fast. Thus, it is indeed fitting to present awards and recognize brethren who made a difference in our fraternity/sorority, as well as in our academic achievements, making them a “cut above the rest”.

This first- ever formal Awards and Recognition for GEI are categorized into two:

A. Gawad Agila . Described as the “Outstanding Falcon Award”, Gawad Agila may be considered as the most prestigious, as it recognizes select brethren who made a significant impact to the organization resulting from their exemplary dedication and unrelenting commitment to Gamma Epsilon International, making this organization ever-honorable and sustainable. The first recipients under this category are as follows:

1. Bro. Percival “Percy” Bertuso – Batch 1967
2. Bro. Manuel “Manny” Reyes – Batch 1967
3. Bro. Rolando “Rolly” Labios – Batch 1968
4. Sis. Nancy “Nancy” Morales-Belvis – Batch 1968
5. Bro. Daniel “Anye” Onate – Batch 1971

6. Bro. Roberto “Bert” Natividad – Batch 1972
7. Sis. Cerila “Ela” Lanceta-Caramihan – Batch 1972
8. Bro. Rodolfo “Rudy” Galang – Batch 1973
9. Bro. Jeremias “Jerry” Corrales – Batch 1973
10. Sis. Felicidad “Fely” Udanga-Matundan – Batch 1975

GA Conjugal Special Award

1. Bro. Virgilio “Gil” and Sis. Blessie Villancio – Batch 1976/77
2. Bro. Felimon “Toto” and Beth Faner – Batch 1977

GA Special Award for (Non-Omegans) Outstanding Brethren

1. Bro. Tomas “Tom” Rodriguez – Founder 1963 (Alpha Chapter)
2. Bro. Diosdado “Dado” Melegrito – 2011 National President (Sigma Chapter)



B. Grand Echelon Award. Based on GE/GLE history, the term “Grand Echelon” was used and made as a public media outfit to “whistleblow” outstanding achievements and breakthrough in the organization. In this awards category, the same term was used to recognize brethren who successfully completed their terminal (doctoral) degree course (or equivalent). In the academic and research community, they are the so-called the “cut above the rest”. They are as follows, (with doctoral field, in parenthesis) :

1. Dr. Anastacia M. Gochangco – Batch 1968 (Crop Protection)
2. Dr. Sergia P. Milagrosa – Batch 1968 (Plant Pathology)
3. Dr. Luciana M. Villanueva – Batch 1969 (Crop Protection)
4. Dr. Jerry T. Amoloza – Batch 1969 (Economics)
5. Dr. Josue S. Falla – Batch 1973 (Educational Research and Evaluation)

6. Dr. Catalino I. Flores – Batch 1973 (Genetics and Plant Breeding)
7. Dr. Bonifacio F. Cayabyab – Batch 1973 (Entomology)
8. Dr. Manuel Jose C. Regalado – Batch 1974 (Agricultural Science)
9. Dr. Lucena U. Mercado – Batch 1974 (Rural Development)
10. Dr. Blesilda M. Calub – Batch 1974 (Soil Science)

11. Dr. Audimar P. Bangi – Batch 1975 (Wood Polymer Composite)
12. Dr. Marina Alipon – Batch 1975 (Wood Technology)
13. Dr. Eduardo C. Fernandez – Batch 1975 (Crop Protection)
14. Dr. Ma. Luisa R. Soliven – Batch 1976 (Economics)
15. Dr. Virgilio T. Villancio – Batch 1977 (Community Development)

16. Dr. Lex Badayos – Batch 1994 (Medicine)
17. Dr. Edgardo N.Fullante, Jr. – Batch 1998 (Medicine)

Congratulations! Keep up the good works, folks. (JSF blogs)

PhilSCAT II Opens in November 2011

21 September 2011, PhilSCAT Headquarters, CLSU, Nueva Ecija - A 7-man delegation from the neighboring country of People's Republic of China (PROC) is in town to sign a document for the final resumption of operations of the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT). The mission is headed by Yuanxiang Fang (chief engineer of the unit representing the Chinese government) with the following members: Xuequan Mao, Cheng Liangji (Chinese director of PhilSCAT I), Yongxing Li (Biogas technology expert), Hehua Tu, Ke Zhang (English interpreter) and Qiu Zhijun, First Secretary of Chinese Embassy Manila. They are here to discuss and eventually sign the so-called Minutes of Technical Discussion on PhilSCAT-II, which proposed implementation is in November this year.

On the Philippine side, the Mission is received by the Department of Agriculture represented by Philippine rice czar Dr. Santiago R. Obien, Director Zeny Villegas of PMS and representatives of partner agencies like PhilRice, DA-RFO III, PhilMech and PhilRice. The Central Luzon State University which is the lead implementing agency of this bilateral program was represented in this forum by its VP for Administration Dr. Raul Divina, PhilSCAT director himself Dr. Emmanuel Sicat, Dr. Carlos Abon, Jr. and other officials of the university.

The joint Filipino and Chinese delegates discussed the detailed components of the Phase 2, which basically includes research and commercialization of hybrid rice technology, rice mechanization and biogas technologies.

Unlike its Phase I program (which Chinese executing unit was Ministry of Agriculture, Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (MOA-FECC), PhilSCAT II will be executed by the Ministry of Commerce, with Yuan Longping High Tech Agriculture Co., Limited (Longping) as the lead implementor. On the part of the Philippine government, the same arrangement as Phase I shall be followed, that is the DA as the executing agency with CLSU as lead implementor together with PhilRice, PHilMech, ATI and DA-Regional Field Office III as members.

PhilSCAT is a bilateral program between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China on Agriculture and related fields, which initially covered hybrid rice and agri-mechanization technologies R and D. Under Phase II, a new component is added, the promotion and adaptation of Chinese biogas technology as rural energy generator. (JSF Blogs)

STCC Has Regular Guest Ministers of the Word

The Sto. Tomas Church of Christ (STCC) has currently no full-time minister, but have regular Sunday sermon speaker, as arranged with the cooperating local Churches and individual brethren.

On the first Sunday of the month, the Cluster 5 Churches' management scheduled the guest speaker, who is also a minister from the Cluster member Churches of San Jose City, Maligaya, Malayantoc, Bakal 3 or San Francisco.

On the second Sunday, Munoz Church, care of Bro. Roger Miguel's team of disciples are the resource persons, who would give and provide the Communion reflection, Offertory challenge and the message. This arrangement is also part of MCC's discipleship training with STCC as the training ground.

Our third Sunday regular speaker is a roving minister of Nueva Ecija who has just relocated from Isabela. He is Pastor Romeo Sumaway, a graduate of Aparri Bible Seminary.

The last Sunday of the month is a Youth Sunday where the youth sector takes charge of the Sunday worship program including the identification of guest speaker. Invited speakers are usually the junior ministers in the vicinity. Previous invitees include Bro. Ariel Vergara, Bro. Dennis Gabato, and Bro. Migs Nad, Jr. to name a few.

STCC elders Bros. Josue Falla, Rod Nonog and Mario Salazar are on the watch, and ready to pitch-in, in case of "emergency".

STCC holds the regular Sunday worship celebration at the CLSU Interfaith Chapel inside the beautiful campus of this state univesity of Central Luzon, with time slot of 7:30 to 9:30 AM. Mid-week schedule is every Wednesday, where the campus ministry lead by Munoz Church use the chapel. (JSF reports)