by Ben Serrano

BUTUAN CITY- I agree with Daily Tribune’s columnist Herman Tiu Laurel’s Media Oligopoly is the real problem piece that appears today of that popular national newspaper. Although I disagree with some particularly on the issue of former President Erap, in circumspect, I agree with him in as far as the problems of the Philippine Media Industry today.
 
Philippine media is really dominated by few people who controls what articles are to be published and what are not. Thus it do not really served the greater interest of the greater …

Controversial healing priest to visit Butuan City; conducts open healing session
By Ben Serrano
 
           BUTUAN CITY- Controversial healing priest Rev Fr Fernando Suarez will arrive here in Butuan City on February 17 and will conduct an open public healing session on February 18 afternoon at the Roman Catholic owned Fr. Saturnino Urios University’s Gymnasium.
 
            It can be recalled that Diocese of Lingayen in Pangasinan Bishop Oscar Cruz criticized the construction of the P1-B Healing Palace of Fr. Suarez in Laguna overlooking the sea saying the lavish spending worth a billion of peso …

Government miserably failed to empower Caraga’s Indigenous People
by Ben Serrano
February 10, 2009
BUTUAN CITY- Following trails of struggles and researching their plight including some personal testimonies by some of Caraga Region’s more than 200,000 indigenous people from Manobo, Higaonon, Mamanwa and others, Is the Philippine Government miserably failed to empower our brother lumads ?
The Spanish friars and their cohorts failed to conquer entirely our Indigenous People’s lair then in their more than 333 years colonization of this country.and even took some pocket revolts against the mighty Spanish empire then who mixed …

Wasted talents, Wasted by time in a Wasted, Corrupted land
By Ben Serrano
February 11, 2009
 
            BUTUAN CITY- Watching Charice Pempengco on you tube singing at the popular TV  show “The Ellen Degeneres Show” somehow stunned me, it chills me down my bones and body seeing a 16 year old Filipina with that small body frame can sing that song  such as “All by myself”, “I will always love you” and many of Celine Dion’s favorite songs.
 
            Filipinos really don’t run out of talents, we have all that World-class talents in us …

A visit at the faraway Manobo settlement in Km. 41, Lapaz, Agusan del Sur
by Ben Serrano
February 8, 2009  
BUTUAN CITY- At 3:30 a.m. early dawn of February 6, 2009, we left Butuan City and our destination the faraway Km. 41, Barangay Valentina, Lapaz, Agusan del Sur.
 
It is where the nursery of the Manobo Indigenous Community of Lapaz, Talacogon and Loreto towns is located. The project was self-initiated oil palm plantation where more than 200,000 oil best variety of seedlings now growing ready to be planted. It is for this reason …

Butuan’s historical Balanghai boat to circumnavigate again the World
by Ben Serrano
February 9, 2089
 
BUTUAN CITY- The historical wooden boat which did not used any single nails and built in a lashed lug technique believed to have been used by Malay settlers in their vast sea travel during prehispanic times will be used again to circumnavigate the World.
 
This time, the Philippine’s Mount Everest team with tourism officials and scientists composed of Leo Oracio, Ervin Pastor Ermita, Noel Winceslao, Karina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino-Sardina, Dr. Ted Esguerra, Fred Jamili and Dr. Walter Villasco will …

Telltale Signs/THE EVIL PINAY STEREOTYPE
Rodel Rodis, February 3, 2009
 
When ABC presented a demeaning image of Philippine-trained doctors in a “Desperate Housewives” episode (September 30, 2007), the Filipino community erupted in outrage and demanded an apology. Because Filipinos rarely appear on national TV, it was feared that the offending episode would cause Americans to view their Philippine-educated physicians in a negative light. That ABC episode is peanuts in terms of image and consequence compared to the depiction of Filipinos that CBS presented on January 31, 2009 in its CBS 48 Hours …

RP pre-need industry failed because government institutions are sleeping on their jobs?
by Ben Serrano
February 3, 2009
 
BUTUAN CITY- In my almost 13 years of writing of whatever topic that comes my way, I have been yawning for change in government institutions’ weakness to response to the needs of the challenging times. I have seen right smack of my face how Philippine Government agencies reacting in snail pace to the woes of our people.
 
They lack projections in the challenges that may face us ahead because most of those handling RP public agencies …

The Filipino voters in the countryside are a unique breed
by Ben Serrano
February 3, 2009
BUTUAN CITY- My colleague at Batas Party-list  Nat John Duenas e-mailed me a column published February 2, 2009 at the Manila Standard written by Bong Austero titled “Flash Gordon!” referring to Senator Richard Gordon, another Presidentiable. Thanks Nat I appreciate it!
The column tells why not Richard Gordon for president? A man that was the toast of the town almost two decades ago when he transformed Subic Bay into a showcase of what the Filipino can do once …