PAGAMUTANG LUNSOD, PAPATAPOS NA

Ngayong papatapos na ang pagtatayo ng gusali para sa Proposed San Pablo City General Hospital sa Barangay San Jose, sa kabalantay na lote ng kampus ng Dalubhasaan ng Lunsod ng San Pablo (DLSP), napag-alamang si Dr. Ubaldo Ciabal, bilang City General Services Officer ay may patuluyang pakikipag-ugnayan sa pangasiwaan ng Pagamutang Panlalawigan ng Laguna dito sa Lunsod ng San Pablo, upang matiyak na ang mga diagnostic equiptment and paraphernalia ay iyong wala sa pagamutang pinakikilos ng pangasiwaang panlalawigan upang maging maayos at ganap ang pagtutulungan ng dalawang institusyong pangkalusugan sa paglilingkod sa mga mamamauyan.

Dapat tanggapin ang kasalukuyang Provincial Hospital sa lunsod na ito o ang dating San Pablo City District Hospital ay kulang sa mga makabagong kagamitan sa pagsusuri, tulad ng X-Ray Machine, mga Ultrasound facilities at mga katulad nito na salig sa makabagong teknolohiyang pang-elektroniko.

Napag-alaman mula kay Mayor Vicente B. Amante, na ang Proposed San Pablo City General Hospital ay magagawang self-liquidating, sapagkat ito naman ay mapagkakalooban ng accreditation ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), kaya ang mga mahihirap na mamamayan ng lunsod na naipatala sa PhilHealth sa ilalim ng sponsored program na umaabot na sa 10,000 ay malalagay din sa payward sapagka’t sasagutan ng PhilHealth ang kabayaran sa mga pangunahing paglilingkod ng ospital.

Bahagi ng balakin ni Mayor Amante ang paglalagay ng Specialty Clinic sa naturang ospital para sa malawakang pagpapagaling sa mga dinapuan ng karamdamang diabetes, puso (cardiology), psychiatry o suliranin sa isip, pulmonology, sakit ng mga sanggol at bata, physical theraphy at orthopedic para sa nababalian ng buto.

Siyempre pa ang OB-GYN ay regular na kagawaran ng mga pagamutang panglahat, at dapat ding paghandaan ang mga paggamot sa mga malulubhang karamdaman sa bahagi ng larangan ng Nephrology o ang may kaugnayan sa pagsasagawa ng dialysis.

Sa tulong ng mga manggagamot na nasa Estados Unidos, na nagsisipagbalak ng bumalik sa Pilipinas, at maging ang maraming propesyonal na kilala sa Metro Manila, ay umaasa si Mayor Amante na ang proposed hospital ay magkakaroon ng mga specialist doctors and diplomate na magkakatulungan sa pagkakaloob ng tulong na pangkalusugan sa mga mahihirap na mamamayan. (RUBEN TANINGCO/sec. gen. 7 lakes press corps)

BRIEF HISTORY OF MALINAW LODGE NO. 25

The first glimmer of light of Masonry in the City of San Pablo was sparked by its prominent residents who were members of Manila Lodges , namely, LOGIA NILAD, WALANA, DALISAY and SINUKUAN. The historic date was the first half of the year 1912. Fourteen masons met in the house of Feliciano F. Exconde and first formed a “triangulo”, then LOGIA MALINAW NO. 340. It was granted “Gran Consejo de la Ordern” on October 23, 1912 by the “Gran Logia Regional de Filipinas” under the jurisdiction of “Grande Oriente Español”, which was then headed by Dr. Miguel Morayta. The fourteen fourteen (14) founders were: FELICIANO F. EXCONDE, MELECIO FULE, ZACARIAS B. SAHAGUN, DALMACIO AQUINO, MARCIAL ALIMARIO, MARTIN ALVERO, MIGUEL LEONOR, EUSEBIO DIAWATAN, SANTIAGO GUTIERREZ, ANTONIO AGUIRRE, DAVID AGUIRRE, ROSENDO REYES, MARIANO SAYO AND CATALINO VILLAS.

The first principal officers were: Worshipful Master Feliciano F. Exconde, Senior Warden Mariano Sayo, Junior Warden Antonio Aguirre, Treasurer Miguel Leonor and Secretary David Aguirre.

Malinaw Lodge No., 340 of San Pablo City was granted its Charter on February 14, 1917 by the “Gran Logia de Masones Libres y aceptados de las Islas Filipinas” (Grand Lodge of F.& A.M. of the Philippines) and became MALINAW LODGE NO. 25.

The word MALINAW was culled from Brgy MALINAW (San Lucas 1 & 2) of San Pablo City where most of the founders originated.

The first meetings of the lodge were held in the residence of Feliciano F. Exconde. The following year, meetings were convened in the house of Dalmacio Celino as the membership grew in number. Further increase, forced the “brotherhood” to transfer to the second floor of the building owned by Mr. Pablo Tan.

The Masons, desirous to build a permanent meeting place, organized MALINAW TEMPLE ASSOCIATION, INC. for that purpose. Their fervent desire was realized when a two-storey building was erected in 1919 in Gen. Luna St., in 1925, the local government expropriated the site to build a hospital (now the Panlalawigan Pagamutan ng Laguna or the District Hospital). After two years, the government also bought the adjacent lot where the “temple” was relocated to construct a nurses’ dormitory. A lot was bought in the corner of T. Azucena and J. Zulueta Sts.

Without a temple to hold their meetings, the “brotherhood” rented a space in the Escudero building in Bonifacio St. This was so until the outbreak of World War II. The labors of the lodge was suspended from 1942-1945 when the Japanese occupied the building. Records and paraphernalia were either lost or destroyed. The Lodge meetings were resumed in 1946. They convened in the office (at old City Hall Building of San Pablo) of Meliton Cruz, a member of Malolos Lodge No. 46, who was then the City Treasurer of San Pablo. After a time, the venue was transferred to the house of Werner P. Schetelig in Barangay Concepcion.

Spearheaded by Werner P. Schetelig, Howard R. Hick, Cirilo O. Constantino, Eduardo L. Constantino, Celso P. Borja, Rouben C. Belulia and many more dedicated masons, a new temple was completed in 1948 at its present site. A portion of the lot bought before the war was sold to finance the building of the temple.

Hence the Malinaw Temple was erected three (3) times, firstly in the spot which is now the Panlalawigan Pagamutan ng Laguna (PPL), secondly, on the lot adjacent to the hospital, and thirdly, on its present site at the corner of Azucena and Zulueta sts..

To date, the Lodge has ninety-four (94) active members, almost half of this are “life members by longevity.”

The Malinaw Lodge is proud to have two (2) of its members occupied the “Grand Oriental Chair”- Mr. WERNER P. SCHETELIG and Mr. HOWARD R. HICK. Two others, Mr. CIRILO O. CONSTANTINO and RUBIN A. ALCANTARA served as “District Deputy Grand Master for Masonic District No. 11.”

Today, Malinaw Lodge No. 25 is very much visible in the community through its charitable institution-the Malinaw Foundation, Inc. (Sandy Belarmino/DBB)

SAN PABLEÑO...ART D. BRION, NATALAGA SA KORTE SUPREMA

Pormal nang nanumpa bilang associate justice ng Korte Suprema si dating Labor Secretary Arturo D. Brion sa harap ni Punong Mahistrado Reynaldo Puno kamakailan, na hahalili sa nabakanteng pwesto na iniwan ng nag-retirong si Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez.

Ang pagkakatalaga kay Brion ay sa bisa ng rekomendasyon ng Judicial and Bar Council na tuwinang pinangungunahan ng dating kalihim noon pa mang associate justice pa siya ng Court of Appeals at batay na rin sa lawak ng kanyang kaalaman sa batas.

Nag-aral si Brion sa Ateneo de Manila at bar topnotcher sa gradong 91.65% noong 1974. isa siyang matagumpay na manananggol noong mapansin at akitin sa public service ng yumaong Senador Blas Ople. Nahalal si Brion bilang assemblyman ng Laguna sa regular na Batasang Pambansa.

May kasanayan si Justice Brion sa mga labor laws ng bansa at mga alituntunin sa Foreign Service, kung saan nakapag-akda siya ng maraming aklat ukol dito na ipinatutupad at sinusunod pa hanggang ngayon ng mga nasabing kagawaran.

Si Justice Brion ay tubong San Pablo City. Ang kanyang mga magulang ay sina Judge Edon Brion at Laura Dizon na kapwa iginagalang na angkan ng naturang lunsod. Naging kolumnista ang bagong associate justice ng mga local na pahayagan, kabilang na ang Herald Publications, noong kanyang kabataan.

Bukas palad na tinanggap ng mga legal luminary ang pagkakatalaga kay Brion kabilang na ang mga kritiko ng administrasyon dahil sa kanyang angking kakayanan at track record sa larangan ng serbisyo publiko. (NANI CORTEZ-Pres. 7LPC)

HAGDANG BATO SA LAWA

Ngayon ay bahagi na ng Logo ng Lunsod ng San Pablo, ang makasaysayang hagdang bato pababa sa Lawang Sampalok ay sinimulan ang konstruksyon noong Nobyembre 1915 sa isang loteng inihandog sa mga mamamayan ni Kabesang Sixto Bautista sa pangangasiwa ni Presidente Municipal Marcial Alimario.

Ito ay nahahati sa limang seksyon at binubuo ng 89 na baytang, at batay sa isang lapidang nakalagay sa dakong kalagitnaan ng istraktura, ito ay pinsinayaan noong Enero 23, 1916.

Ang pangasiwaang municipal ng itayo hanggang sa mapasinayaan ang hagdang bato ay sina: Marcial Alimario, presidente municipal; Isidoro Alvaran, bise-presidente municipal; at Gregorio Laurel, Pedro Alcantara, Miguel De Rama, Macario Maghirang, Avelino de Guzman, Zacarias Sahagun, Ponciano Atienza, Esteban Cordez, Crispin Avanzado, Miguel Leonor, Feliciano Exconde, Francisco Sobreviñas, Marciano Brion, at Eusebio Diawatan, mga konsehales.

Servando Brion, Kalihim ng munisipyo, Telesforo Reyes, Ingat-yaman ng munisipyo at Gregorio de los Santos, Kasangguniang Arkitekto.

Ang tinamong kasiraan ng hagdang bato dahil sa may sumabog na bomba na inihulog ng U.S. Air Force sa malapit dito sa pagtatapos ng Ikalawang Digmaan, ay isinaayos noong taong 1965 sa pangangasiwa nina Alkalde Zacarias A. Ticzon at City Engineer Guillermo P. Inciong mula sa pondong ipinagkaloob ni Pangulong Diosdado Macapagal, bunga ng pakikipag-ugnayan ni Justice Undersecretary Manuel A. Concordia.

Ang kasalukuyang kaayusan ng Hagdang Bato sa Lawa, na may maayos na pailaw, at puting pintura, ay sa pangangasiwa ni Gng. Nercy Sahagun Amante, mula sa pondong kanyang napagwagian bilang tagapangulo ng Lupon sa paglahok ng Lunsod sa ANILAG FESTIVAL 2007. (Ruben E. Taningco-seven lakes press corps)

TILAPIA MONUMENT

This tilapia monument was erected by the Heirs of Jose C. Agahan, opposite the now famous Hagdang Bato sa Lawang Sampalok, inaugurated on May 30, 2005 by City Mayor Vicente B. Amante and PCAMRD Executive Director Rafael D. Guerrero III during the commemoration of the Fisherfolk Month declared by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and to commemorate the 50th year of the local tilapia industry in the city.

Mr. and Mrs. Jose C. Agahan introduces tilapia industry in the city by seeding Sampalok Lake near the City Hall, and Palakpakin Lake at Barangay San Buenaventura with tilapia fingerlings as authorized by the City Government under Resolution No. 85 of the Municipal Board approved by City Mayor Tomas D. Dizon on April 16, 1955.

Tilapia is now the number one table fish in the world according to Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons of the College of Agriculture of University of Arizona and President of the World Tilapia Association (WTA).

The only monument erected in memory of an initiator of Tilapia Industry, and photograph of this tilapia monument now form part of the records of the international organization on tilapia culture and farming. (RUBEN TANINGCO-7 Lakes Press Corps)

MAYOR VICENTE B. AMANTE, ANG TOTAL PERFORMER

San Pablo City- Sa limang termino bilang punong lunsod ay pinanghahawakan ni Mayor Vicente B. Amante ng lunsod na ito ang record ng pagkakapag-wagi laban sa dalawang incumbent congressman at dalawang nakaupong city mayor, na isang kahanga-hangang achievement sa rehiyon ng Timog katagalugan.

Ngunit hindi ganoong kadali ang naging paglaot ni Amante sa larangan ng pulitika lalo na’t isasaalang-alang na nabigo siya sa unang pagtatangka, nang kumandidato bilang alkalde. Ang kabiguan ay naging isang hamon kung kaya sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay nakuha niya ang tiwala ng mga San Pableño.

Bilang isang matagumpay na mangangalakal bago naging lingkod bayan ay hindi nahirapan si Amante sa pangangasiwa sa kabila ng karampot na kinikita ng kabang yaman ng lunsod. Nagpakita siya ng husay upang ito ay maiangat sanhi nang paglago ng income na pang-suporta sa mga pagawaing-bayan.

Naipatupad ng alkalde ang mga proyektong hindi man lang naisip ng mga batikang pulitiko sa rehiyon. Ang kanyang mga project ay naging kauna-unahan sa buong kapuluan at ginagawang huwaran ng marami pang bayan. Lubos na hinangaan ng Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ang itinayo niyang One Stop Shop Processing Center kung saan sa ilalim ng iisang bubong ay maisasaayos ng mga residente ang mga kaukulang papeles na kinakailangan particular na ang business permit.

Sa kasalukuyan ay may 14 na kampus ang City High School na stratehikong na iba’t-ibang barangay at may kabuuang 12,500 na mag-aaral, bukod pa sa itinatag ni Amante na City Science High School. Kaalinsabay nito ay pinakikinabangan na rin ng 3,500 mahihirap na istudyante ang Dalubhasaan ng Lunsod ng San Pablo (DLSP) na brainchild ng punong lunsod.

Napag-ugnay-ugnay na rin ang 80 barangay ng sementadong daan at lahat ay naseserbisyuhan na ng ilaw dagitab. Nagkaroon ng makabagong shopping mall, modernong 8-storey City Hall Bldg. at ongoing ang konstruksyon ng 100-bed City Public Hospital. Nasa Planning Stage na ang itatayong Transport and Food Terminal na lahat ay pawang sa pagsisikap ni Mayor Amante.

Ang mga ito ay ilan lamang sa mga kadahilanan kung bakit nananatiling alkalde ng lunsod si Amante. (NANI CORTEZ - President-7LPC)

VISION NOW AND BEYOND

It has become probably a personal obsession. I always observe the few remaining days of the passing year and early days of New Year reserve for a holistic assessment of the state of my own home city San Pablo. The best way to do it is to feel the pulse of its constituent and to scrutinize the performance of its leadership. Refection of the state of the city is the mirror and shadow of its people and leadership. I assess the state of the City using some parameters as follows:

Power, Communication and Transportation

Last year in the same news paper if we recall I highlighted the vision of Mayor Vicente B Amante in an article entitled “ Year That Was”. Mayor Vic Amante emphasized then the need to lay down the basic infrastructures to put a strong base for the ultimate take off of the City to become highly urbanize and progressive. The base consists of roads and bridges to easily reach the farthest tip of the city then accessible only to people walking on foot or mounted on horse back. The feeder roads are in place, concrete and had been widened. Such serve as arteries supplying symbiotically the rustic Barangays of amenities from the Poblacion and the Poblacion is supplied with cheap goods reaped from backyard plantation. They are the blood-life of economy

Communication is no longer problem. Radios (hand held) are available and cellular phone abound. If Barangays are easy to reach it is much, much easier and faster to hear them not only in Poblacion but anywhere else around the world.. Events taking place in San Pablo can be viewed through community television channels.

Let there be light and there was light. No it was not part of the six-day creation written in Genesis of the Holy Bible but light from electricity. The far flung areas of San Pablo are lighted courtesy of Mayor Vic Amante,’s electrification program. Students need not burn their brows to learn their lesson from schools constructed too through the efforts of Mayor Vic.

Private vehicles, PUJ, Tricycles, Buses and Vans for hire sprouts like mushrooms because of crisscrossing passable streets and highways. Twenty four hour, transport is not a problem. Accessibility lures too some investors to put up plants and factories in the Barangays. Their emergence has offered some opportunities to our jobless skilled workers to earn a living within their community..

Economics

The base infrastructures triggered a gradual growth of a balance economy. Not so abrupt to dislocate some sectors but not too slow to be left behind by the neighboring towns. That is ideal. Sudden rise in economy through industrialization and modernization usually brings more social maladies if not properly managed and planned. These offset the economic gains ultimately showing a tilting balance in favor of net loss than profit.

It is not hard to visualize the effect of industrialization (sudden) to environment- depredation. Translation- polluted air, water and surrounding. Conversion- diseases among residence, animals and plants, depletion of potable water, drop in electric power supply, unabated garbage and scant delivery of basic services. That is the dictate of the law of demand and supply. There is limited supply but there is unlimited demand therefore high cost of goods and services. It is hard to allocate scarce resources to unlimited end users. Net effect - higher cost of living due to high cost of food stuff, power, water, hospitalization, housing, personal services and security. A relax and simple life eventually will turn into a rat race.

Basic Services

Though its easy now to enroll in different schools in the Poblacion the fear of accidents, lure of students indulgence to modern electronic wizardry and other vices obliged and duty bound the mayor to devise a scheme to involve the parents while at home to help look after their kids attending classes. How? The good mayor extended the annex high schools and day care centers to strategic locations in the Barangays. Parents can monitor their offspring, Gone were the days soon when student instead of attending schools were found belatedly addicted to vices and dropped out of school sans the knowledge of the parents.. The concept of the system to Mayor Amante, is smple. It must be responsive, inexpensive with community participation.

So that the high school graduates s will no longer venture to go in Metro Manila, a college institution is put up. The Dalubhasaan ng Lunsod ng San Pablo and soon should, from the desire of the Mayor, evolve into Pamantasan.. The institution is expected to serve thousands of poor but well deserving students.

Garbage? Every Barangay have garbage collectors collecting regularly the waste to be dumped on a modest landfill constructed to meet the requirements of law to regulate garbage pollution. San Pablo City in region four could be among the pioneer in that laudable project. The City Government has put in place a systematic garbage disposal. The Mayor wishes the people to be more responsible and cooperative in the manner of disposing of their own waste to serve the purpose of the dumpsite. The minimization of waste and it supervised disposal would control if not totally eradicate its ill side effects.

Healthy people are productive constituents. For that concept alone, the city allocated millions of pesos to see to assure that no one in San Pablo would die of any illness without being medically attended. But that is the reaction side. Millions more are allocated to preventive measures. Vaccinations were administered free, eradication of the potential sources of communicable and transmittable diseases define for remedial measures in the like of mosquitoes , rats and rabies. Dental services are in place too.

The support institutions were made available. The City has many ambulances, puericulture centers, mobile clinic and Botika sa Barangay effectively manned by Doctors, Nurses, Midwives and other health workers. Among his ambitious projects in line with free health services is the establishment of a the much maligned and constantly blocked San Pablo City General Hospital. Having tertiary hospital on its budget is gargantuan task for the city to undertake. But, who else if not me to start it? When if not now to initiate it? Those are opt repeated questions of the Mayor. I want to start it now so that my predecessor will have something to continue. A thousand mile travel starts with a small step. There is nothing I will hesitate to venture if it will advance the welfare of our people, he stresses.

Indigency Office? The office help thousands of people every year but he is not proud of it. He maintains the office because he is aware that poverty is still occupying a prominent slot in the hierarchy of national problem. Indigency program is nothing but palliative measure to alleviate for a while immediate needs. He is looking forward someday that the Office through his programs of governance would become totally irrelevant.

CULTURE

The training and development of mind, the refinement of taste and manner acquired by such training, the social and religious structures and intellectual and artistic manifestation that characterize a society as a whole is culture. The basic foundation of orderly society is well cultured people. That includes education and discipline manifested on how we treasure our heritage, our values and traditions, the spirit of our heroes through nationalism and pride of our distinct identity as San Pableno... The sense of belonging. teaches us to get involve and think as a member of a community.

As we look back San Pablo is starting a Museum. The projects have the all out support of the City Government. The traditions of our forefather are not only maintained these are also enhanced. We actually evolve our fiesta celebration into Cocofestival. The city corroborates in the holding of lengthen procession to commemorate the suffering of Jesus Christ. In addition to religious tone these two occasion have evolved into tourist attraction boasting too the economy. The city has embarked to in protecting or restoring land mark building and structures. Meaning we treasure our heritage and we give due recognition to the achievement of our ancestors. On the aspect of discipline there is much to be desired. But we are moving positively because of people getting aware of the need to be involved.

Political Leadership

Put things in order and peace will follow. In San Pablo City no one is above the law. Even the mayor, his relatives and close associates observe it. From more than a decade the Honorable Mayor has been in the helm of power no one can point an accusing finger to him of committing abuses . He is too soft hearted, his main strength but probably his main weakness too.

Police and traffic enforcers are now very visible. It is pre-emptive measure to deter would be criminals. Walking the City at night is not a fearsome experience. More support is thrown to law enforcers in term of office supplies, gasoline and vehicles.. Police now can attend with dispatch to any call for assistance.

Accident among school children is rare even in the busiest streets and highways teeming with pupils and vehicles. The Barangay officials through the coordination of the Mayor involve themselves to assure the safety of children. The parents have peace of mind that their sons and daughters are not in danger from reckless drivers and other lawless elements

But what he considers as the crowning glory of his political career and leadership is the manifest trust and confidence given him by the electorate of San Pablo City. He was given a fresh mandate with a very wide margin of approval over the fact that he has little money to spend. Such approval was compounded by the fact that he has a brother re-elected too in the Sangguniang Panlunsod in the person of Dante B. Amante. The euporia did not end there. More love is pour on him by the people when his grand daughter Tintin Amante was chosen by peers to head the Sangguniang Kabataan. Probably to complete his day but I hope he will not get drunk with the so much confidence bestowed on him, another brother is sent to Sangguniang Panlunsod via presidency in the Liga ng Mga Barangay. Gener B. Amante or Ma Gener to many. And as assurance that the position will not go to other undeserving personality in case Ma Gener by twist of luck is ruled not qualified ( though even technically we find no impediment in his re-election) the extended will of the people is capped and punctuated by Carmelita “ Na Lita” was mandated to become Vice president of the Liga.

With the entire overwhelming mandate he had, the mayor cannot rest on his laurel. In his somewhat jittery voice, he categorically avers, such trust is coupled with high expectation. He hopes to live up with the measure and deliver the expectation. He only expound that he is but a human being, not a superman so please don’t expect more than I can do. I will exert all my best to fulfill the demand of my office but my limitation is there so please bear with me for I will not let you down.

I rate the present administration just very good so that there would always be forever a room for improvement. In a scale of one to ten let us give eight and a half. We have provably needed to thank the oppositions for a job well done. At least though in some aspect the fiscalising is not constructive, the administration is kept on its toe. And watch its steps. CONGRATULATION!!! (sandy belarmino)