Saturday, July 10, 2010

Ako Bicol Chair Zaldy S. Co Vows to Uplift the Lives of Bicolanos in the Countryside


Agta children of the Oyango tribe in Sta. Teresita, Iriga City proudly display their school bags handed over by members of Ako Bicol party list who also doled out food stuff and school supplies.






IRIGA CITY --- While the Bayan Muna and other leftist groups in Bicol region strongly contested before the Commission on Elections the proclamation of three nominees of Bicolano’s homegrown regional political party, Ako Bicol chairman of the board, Elizaldy “Zaldy” S. Co vowed to continue implementing programs that would uplift the lives of the Bicolanos in the countryside. 

Co along with the nominees of Ako Bicol, lawyers Rodel Batocabe, Pido Garbin and Christopher Co visited the cultural minorities in a remote village of Iriga City to personally hand over school supplies for children and food assistance to the Oyango tribe here.

The Oyango tribal group in Sta. Teresita village in Iriga City originally dwelled on top of Mt. Asog in this city but they now reside within the 1.5 hectares land purchased by the provincial government. The Oyangos welcomed happily the assistance to them by Ako Bicol, the children especially gleeful over the goodies. 

The tribe epitomizes the whole of the Agta population in Bicol region, a fact that interested journalist and photographer Ricardo Perez, director of the Instructional Media Center of the University of Nueva Caceres based in Naga City, and made him pursue and document the tribe's story in his series in this newspaper titled “The Oyango Odyssey.” 

Co, when asked by Bicol Mail why he opted to visit the tribal community said that he wanted to see and reach out to the poorest of the poor communities personally to come up with holistic approach programs to address the pressing issues affecting among the cultural minorities. 

“They (Oyango tribe) represent the poorest of the poor Bicolanos. They’re the symbol of our roots. Since I graduated from the seminary in 1992 during my secondary education, I promised to extend assistance whatever I could as part of my advocacy,” Co told Bicol Mail.

Co, 40, chief executive of the Sunwest Group of Companies, like his late father Delfin Co, who established the Delfin Co Foundation to support the education of the poorest of the poor specifically poor but deserving students in Bicol said that holistic programs should be done to truly uplift the lives of the poorest of the poor communities in Bicol. 

After handing over food assistance and school materials to children, Co and his group inspected the site of Oyango tribe where he vowed to put up a solid multi-purpose hall, water facilities and livelihood programs for parents for them to generate income and support the needs of their children. 

“We will assist the educational needs of Oyango tribe and other cultural minorities in the Bicol Region, particularly from the communities at the foot of Mt. Asog in Iriga City but we should address first primary concerns like their daily subsistence. We, in Ako Bicol, have decided to assist in the educational needs of children of our cultural minorities after I’ve personally observed their needs. It is unfortunate that these children could not even finish primary schooling due to extreme poverty,” Co lamented.

He also directed party workers to visit these communities and evaluate the needs of the children to ensure that no child of school age would be deprived of basic primary education. 

Likewise, he directed them to study possible livelihood opportunities for the community and look for ways to improve the delivery of basic social services here. 

Co stressed that it has been his personal advocacy to help out the educational needs of poor but deserving Bicolano youths as an effective way of combatting poverty. 

Currently, Ako Bicol has thousands of scholars enrolled in the different colleges and universities across the region including vocational and training schools.

However, it has only two Aeta scholars, Divina Nagrampa and Bernard Ballesteros, who are taking up midwifery and criminology courses, respectively. The two were given immediate scholarships by Ako Bicol after their tribal chief Perdo Sentillas, interceded on their behalf.

Sentillas admitted to Bicol Mail that majority of children among the cultural minorities do not go to school due to poverty.

In the 2007 population survey conducted by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in Bicol, the Agta population reached to 46,841 people consisting of 8,968 households with 23, 579 males and 23,262 females scattered in 183 tribal communities across the region. 

According to the study of NCIP office, the Agta population are in Camarines Norte with 24 registered tribal groups in seven municipalities while the province of Sorsogon account for 44 tribal communities scattered in six towns. The province of Camarines Sur has the largest concentration of Indigenous Peoples with 85 tribal communities located in 12 municipalities and one city while Albay has 28 tribal communities found in five towns and one city.

Ricardo E. Perez, 58, alias “Kastilang Kasag” (crab) who serves as a big brother to the Agta community and devoted his life to assist the tribal people of Mt. Asog, in Iriga City said that the assistance given by the Ako Bicol and Zaldy Co would help to intensify and awaken public awareness particularly the plight of the tribal people as they go about their day to day lives.

Ako Bicol is a regional political party which topped the elections for party list representatives with more than 1.5 million votes. Bayan Muna is contesting before the Commission on Elections Ako Bicol's three nominees.

Due to this the Bicol bloc led by Senator Francis Escudero unified to ask the poll body to immediately proclaim the AKB to uphold the rule of law and the voice of the Bicolano electorate. 

Article by: Rhydz Barcia

Source: Bicol Mail

Comelec junks Bayan Muna petition against Ako Bicol


LEGAZPI CITY: The Commission on Election (Comelec) finally junked the petition filed by the militant organizations in Bicol led by Bayan Muna against the Ako Bicol (AKB), a homegrown regional political party in the province. In a 15-page decision written by Nicodemo Ferrer, the poll body dismissed the petition for disqualification filed by Bayan Muna against Ako Bicol in a resolution dated June 29 because of lack of merit.


“AKB has garnered the most number of votes for the party-lists groups. The electorate has spoken, majority of them from the Bicol Region. Their will should be respected and upheld. Finally, if there is still an iota of doubt as to the qualification of AKB, the same should be resolved in its favor,” Ferrer said in his decision.


The proclamation of the nominees of AKB, led by Christopher Co and lawyers Rodel Batocabe and Pido Garbin have been put on hold following the petition filed by Bayan Bicol supported by Bayan Muna on the grounds that the AKB and its nominees do not belong or represent the marginalized and underrepresented sectors.


Marites “Tessa” Lopez, spokesman of Bayan Bicol, filed a petition before the Comelec and sought the cancellation or removal of the registration and accreditation of AKB as a party under the party-list system of representation.


The Bayan Bicol petition, however, was dismissed by the Comelec’s second division.


Ferrer said that with respect to AKB track record the petitioners did not allege nor have they shown any evidence to prove that it has worked for the benefit of the Co family or of the corporations they owned.


Bayan Muna and other militant groups in Bicol sought the poll body to disqualify and disenfranchise the Bicolano homegrown regional political party a week after the May 10 elections.


“On the contrary, AKB has shown that even before it was registered as a political party under the party-list system it has already been helping alleviate the plights of the Bicolanos especially those affected by the perennial typhoons that annually visited the region,” Ferrer said.


“AKB has been trying to erase poverty in the region through programs that make people self-sufficient and that it has been pushing for the development of Bicol. The fact that the chairman and some officers of AKB are big businessmen and rich people does not necessarily mean that the party does not represent the marginalized and underre-presented,” he added.


Earlier, the Bicol bloc led by Sen. Francis Escudero urged the Comelec to proclaim immediately the three nominees of Ako Bicol to uphold the rule of law and the voice of the Bicolano electorate.


Ako Bicol topped the elections in the partylist system of representation with more than 1.5 million votes nationwide with almost 1.1 million votes in the Bicol region alone.


By: RHAYDZ B. BARCIA


Friday, June 4, 2010

AKB’s press statement on disqualification case filed by Bayan-Bicol

May 30,2010
Reference: Rodel M. Batocabe
President, Ako Bicol

“The baseless disqualification case filed by Bayan Bicol against Ako Bicol is nothing but pure and simple harassment designed to thwart the will of Bicolanos who have reposed their trust in us.” Ako Bicol President and nominee, Rodel M. Batocabe said in a statement.

Ako Bicol noted that right from the start when it decided to enter the political fray, Bayan- Bicol had always been very active in hurling black propaganda in an attempt to discredit Ako Bicol in the eyes of the Bicolanos. Bayan-Bicol has accused Ako Bicol as a GMA-aligned party list which is not marginalized.

Ako Bicol said that the disqualification case is a rehash of the old issues raised by the militant group during the campaign which were not believed by the Bicolanos as shown by the more than 1 million votes garnered by Ako Bicol in the Bicol region alone.

“First, the disqualification case was filed out of time per Comelec rules Second, Ako Bicol is a regional political party and not a marginalized sectoral organization or coalition. A regional political party is allowed to participate in the party list sytem of representation and certainly, it has every right to represent marginalized Bicolanos. Third, Ako Bicol does not deny that its Chairman, Elizaldy S. Co, is a generous benefactor of its livelihood and scholarship programs which were already instituted and had benefited thousands of Bicolanos in and out of the region long before the party decided to join the political arena. There is nothing wrong or illegal with that if we have generous Bicolanos willing to help us in our programs. Certainly, we will not take it against Bayan-Bicol if it has also generous friends, including Mr. Co, who will contribute in giving scholarships or livelihood programs to Bicolanos. But the problem is, Bayan-Bicol has no such programs as its priorities are somewhere else.” stressed Batocabe.

Ako Bicol further decried why Bayan-Bicol is singling out the Co family among all its supporters. It emphasized that the Co family has been benefactors of various charitable and church organizations and anti-poverty causes in the region and the scholarship programs and projects of Ako Bicol are only minor beneficiaries compared to the Cos ’ charitable endeavors. Since it was founded in 2006, Ako Bicol has been active in disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts , scholarship and livelihood programs in the Bicol region. In June 2009, it decided to participate in the party list system of representation.

“It is unfortunate that it has already been the professed advocacy of Bayan-Bicol to malign Ako Bicol. If it had its way, it could have thrown the septic tank and even the entire garbage dump on us.” said Batocabe.

Friday, May 28, 2010


On behalf of AKB headed by our chairman, Elizaldy S. Co, we are humbled by the tremendous mandate given by our fellow Bicolanos to our very own party list. You did not only give us your vote, but you made us the number 1 party list nationwide.

We cannot achieve this great honor alone. We owe it to our Lord God who was instrumental in uniting us as a people behind our very own party list.

Dios Mabalos Lord. We again ask you to help and guide our duly elected representatives to truly serve the interests and welfare of our people for your greater glory.

Dios Mabalos man Bicol. Let us continue to be united behind our very own party list so we can effectively strenthen and expand our programs and projects for the betterment of Bicolanos and the Bicol Region.

For after all… ang sabi ta ngani.. Sinda..Kita..Ika … Gabos Kita… Ako Bicol!

Monday, May 3, 2010

AKB's answer to Tessa Lopez's (Bayan - Bikol) malicious accusations


Dear Katrina,
Hi! Thank you for sending us the letter to the editor of a certain Tessa Lopez, the alleged Public Information Officer of Bayan – Bikol.
After going over the letter of Tessa (allow us to call her that para kunwari close ), we found out that it is nothing but a rehash of old baseless issues replete with lies and innuendoes circulated eons ago by the same group. Such letter is a very desperate but futile attempt to discredit the party list of Bicolanos, AKB, from going up the ratings, which is steadily rising . That is so sad because we Bicolanos, through AKB, right from the very start of the campaign period, intended to conduct our campaign at the highest level based on issues not on personalities, on merit and performance not on calumnies, as well as based on programs and platforms and not on empty promises. It is doubly sad that this group has went down to the gutters, so to speak, just so their votes will not be affected. But you can be assured Katrina that we will never go down to their level and make stories just to convince our fellow Bicolanos to vote for our party list. Allow us, therefore, to expose the blatant lies of this group, to wit:
First, Tessa’s desperation to connect our party list to GMA just so to discredit us is so obvious. She admitted it herself that we are now in the top three and according to her, “our tactic to distance ourselves from GMA seemed to work.” Accordingly, Tessa again tried to connect us to GMA but just like in the past, she is destined to fail and this time, she will fail soooooo miserably. (lol! Lol! again!). Why is this so Katrina? Because the truth will always come out Katrina and reason will always prevail. No matterhow you cover the truth with lies and black propaganda, in the end, the truth will always set us free.
Now Katrina, let us go to the ultimate question. Are we dummies of GMA so that she can be elected as Speaker of the House and eventually become prime minister? For the uninitiated and those who have intellectual pretensions, they would take this GMA gambit hook, line and sinker. I call this Katrina the “budol-budol-kigkig” effect which Tessa’s group has already mastered to perfection, and in the process, claiming innocent victims. You see, Tessa and her ilk loves labeling people, shouting slogans and engaging in agit-props. They will shout, call you names, swear on you and yes, they are very good in upholding mob rule. This is their expertise and nothing more.

And so, Katrina, let us analyze if indeed we are dummies of GMA in order for her to become Speaker. I am not sure if Tessa knows that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, while technically elected by his/her peers in Congress, is actually selected by the President. The President will naturally select a congressman who has his trust and confidence that will support his legislative agenda. Among all the presidential wannabes, no one in his right mind, would select GMA as his speaker knowing full well that he cannot sleep tightly in Malacanang, with an overly ambitious speaker threatening the President with impeachment every time he does something not to her liking. With the high negative ratings of PGMA, all presidentiables are now avoiding PGMA like a plague. Hence, we can be sure that the next president does not owe any political debt to PGMA nor will the next president allow himself to be an automaton of GMA after what he had been through just to get elected. The next president, whoever he may be, will never select GMA as his Speaker unless he is so stupid as to get a boulder to hammer on his head. But then Katrina, assuming that GMA is really bent on becoming Speaker and she will strike a deal with the next President. Analyzing this scenario is easy as ABC. We’ll just look at the leading presidentiables who have high probability of winning the polls—these are of course, Noynoy, Manny and Erap. Now tell me Katrina, who among these presidentiables, will most likely deal with GMA so she can be Speaker. Your guess is as good as mine Katrina! Yes Katrina, it so happens that this presidentiable is the same presidentiable who is being assiduously supported and endorsed by Tessa’s group! Now tell me now, who is the real dummy of GMA? The morale of the story Katrina: Never, never point a finger at anybody because you’ll never know, there will be ten fingers including ten toes pointing back at you! Let us have a good laugh on that Katrina.
The truth Katrina is this. AKB was formed by Bicolanos, for the Bicolanos and with the Bicolanos. It will support the next President and not PGMA who is no longer the President after noontime of June 30, 2010. Accordingly, assuming that PGMA got elected as congresswoman of the 2nd District of Pampanga, AKB has no connection with her whatsoever since she has nothing to do with Bicol anymore but will only be attending to the parochial concerns of her district. What is certain, however, is that AKB will be supporting the next President since he is the one given mandate by our people. We want the next president to succeed since his failure, is the failure of the Filipino nation.
Second, tell me Katrina, is there a possibility that GMA will become Prime Minister? Sometimes, I wonder if Tessa and her group know our democratic processes. You see, before we change into a parliamentary form of government, we need to amend our constitution. Now what is the probability of this Katrina? Almost nil. Since the approval of the 1987 Constitution, several attempts were made to amend it from the time of Cory to GMA, but these never went beyond first base. You need a law to do that Katrina either providing for a constituent assembly or constitutional convention. Assuming that the House of Representatives will get the numbers to pass a bill to amend the Constitution, do you think this will pass through the Senate? Do you think our newly-elected senators, even the veterans, are so stupid so as to allow the abolition of their offices and adopt a unicameral system? Of course not! At this stage, the proposal to change into a unicameral legislature or parliamentary form is dead as in really dead. And assuming that this will pass through the Senate, would you think the President would sign it into law? And assuming that the President was not in his lucid state when he signed such measure, do you think our countrymen will approve of charter change? Now you see Katrina how the “budol-budol kigkig effect” perfected by Tessa’s group works. Again, let us have a good laugh on that Katrina.
Third, Tessa and her herd are wondering who is funding our campaign since according to her, we have lot of air time and vehicles and to her consternation, have even reached Manila! OMG! Tessa is wondering how we reached Manila. Perhaps, she never heard about our widely acclaimed Operation Tarabangan caravan whereby Bicolanos from all walks of life contributed whatever little they have to help victims of typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila and Calabarzon areas. I wonder where Tessa was at that time.
At any rate, if she is wondering about our air time, it is with more reason we are wondering where their candidate for senator is getting the funds for his seemingly limitless air time on national, repeat, national, TV and radio. We are also wondering where they get their funds for their limitless posters which did not only reach Manila but are omnipresent from the northernmost point of Luzon to the southernmost point of Mindanao and from the easternmost point of Samar to the westernmost point of Palawan. If they are wondering of our three service vehicles which we use to cover the six provinces of Bicol, we are infinitely amazed by their countless jeepneys from north to south, east to west of the archipelago, blaring their jingles and carrying their seeming inexhaustible campaign materials. We are simply awed by the sheer efficiency of Tessa’s group in destroying the landscape of our archipelago with their paper posters, pasting them wherever they want to place them and effectively converting our environment into one big garbage bin. And finally, we can but shake our heads how Tessa’s group have perfected the art of preventing us from campaigning in our very own region! Wow, that is really for the books Katrina. We surmise that this is what we call “power- power-power” a direct aftershock for staying in power for too long. And indeed, power corrupts, and yes, it corrupts absolutely.
Lastly, Tessa is even dictating when we should submit our nominees. There was never any delay in the submission of nominees. Otherwise, our nominees would have been disqualified. And Mayor Rosal as nominee? He is not even a member of AKB. How can then he qualify as nominee? Another thing, how can a non-nominee replace a nominee? We wonder if Tessa is reading the law on party list. You see Katrina, this is the problem of people who are experts in the “budol-budol kigkig effect.” They make kigkig kigkig to you even these are blatant lies and if you succumb to it, you might consider these as true. For the information of Tessa, only a named nominee can replace another nominee. A nominee can never be replaced by an outsider not so named. That is why, Tessa’s group has submitted more than the five required nominees. We wonder why.
We really appreciate Tessa’s letter as this gave us an opportunity to refute whatever lies and black propaganda hurled at us. If Tessa is a Bicolana, we are willing to extend our hand and invite her to join our party list, AKB. But she has to have complete transformation and a make-over first. She has to learn to enunciate AKB’s platforms, programs and projects which are not only written on paper but are already being implemented for the benefit of our fellow Bicolanos. And yes, the most important thing of all, Tessa should learn to tell the truth.
So Katrina, you can sleep well. You have fulfilled your urgent assignment.
God Bless
AKB NO. 57

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Why Ako Bikol (AKB No. 57) should be in our list

On behalf of AKB (Ako Bicol) Party List, I would like to thank Atty. Luis Ruben General for his article (Bicol Mail, April 8, 2010 issue) for generating interest in our party list system of representation. Since the institution of the party list system, Bicolanos have not expressed any interest in the party list system as evidenced by the small percentage of voters in the region voting for a party list group. In 2007, only 30% of Bicolano voters who actually voted cast their votes for a party list group --- the highest percentage so far. Atty. General is doing a great service in strengthening the party list system with his digression, albeit, inaccurate and at worse, baseless.

Allow us, therefore, to set the record straight with respect to certain issues raised against our party list.

It’s unfortunate that Atty. General was not able to access our website, www.akobicol.com which is visited by hundreds of netcitizens everyday. Had he opened it, he would have learned that AKB was already in existence as early as 2006 and was not created for election purposes. It started as a self-help organization which catered to the relief and rehabilitation needs of victims of typhoon Reming. The members realized that through unity and mutual aid of Bicolanos, the organization was able to give new hope to victims of mega-disasters by giving new sources of livelihood—selling the rocks and sand spewed by Mayon Volcano. Eventually, AKB expanded to help and assist victims of disasters in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, Masbate and even in NCR and Calabarzon areas.

AKB is headed by Elizaldy Co as Chairman and Rodel Batocabe as President. According to the article, Mr. Co is the one financing AKB. This is quite unfair to the numerous members of AKB who have contributed financially to the cause of self-help and mutual aid espoused by AKB. There are also numerous others who may not have the financial capacity, but are also sharing their time and talent to achieve the mission and visions of AKB. Indeed, this is the basic principle of AKB --- you share what you have to the unfortunate since God did not give exactly the same blessings to each one of us. And the members of AKB have realized that the more they give of what they have, be it financially, time or talent, they are also doubly blessed. And that is where the not-so-open secret success of AKB lies. So, please don’t single out Mr. Co. Let us also be fair to others who have likewise contributed to the cause.

AKB decided, by accident, to join the electoral exercise through the party list system of representation since it wanted to strengthen further its programs and projects designed to help marginalized Bicolanos, including victims of calamities, farmers, fishermen, construction and quarry workers, senior citizens, teachers, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians and of course, our youth . The thousands of scholars, both in college and TESDA-accredited courses and the thousands of victims of calamities, and other beneficiaries of livelihood assistance rendered by AKB to different sectors within and outside the region can attest to the sincerity and dedication of AKB and its members to give a better life to Bicolanos on a long-term and sustainable basis.

AKB, therefore, was never created as a front for GMA in order for her to become Speaker. As a practicing lawyer, Atty. General knows that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, while technically elected by his/her peers in Congress, is actually selected by the President. The President will naturally select a congressman who has his trust and confidence and will support his legislative agenda. Among all the presidential wannabes, no one in his right mind, would select PGMA as his speaker knowing fully well that he can not sleep tightly in Malacanang, with an overly ambitious speaker threatening him with impeachment every time the President does something not to her liking. With the high negative ratings of PGMA, all presidentiables are now avoiding her like a plague. Hence, we can be sure that the next president does not owe any political debt to PGMA .Nor will the next president allow himself to be an automaton of PGMA after what he had been through just to get elected. Accordingly, assuming that PGMA got elected as congresswoman of the 2nd District of Pampanga, AKB has no connection with her whatsoever since she has nothing to do with Bicol anymore but will only be attending to the parochial concerns of her district. What is certain, however, is that AKB will be supporting the next President since he is the one given mandate by our people. We want the next president to succeed since his failure, is the failure of the Filipino nation.

Contrary to the accusation that AKB has no clear-cut and detailed program that will address basic issues confronting Bicolanos, AKB, the party list of Bicolanos, has a very simple but realistic and doable sustainable long-term program. Such program is backed by concrete numbers and figures as well as living witnesses and not by motherhood statements sugar coated with promises, as Atty. General would like us to believe.

First, AKB has done something to alleviate poverty and arrest unemployment/underemployment. AKB can present living testimonies of thousands of families affected by calamities who were not only given relief goods or dole-outs after every calamity. Rather, these families were also given hope through new sources of livelihood and to top it all, were able to send their children to college courtesy of the scholarships of AKB. Indeed, AKB, in its own small little way, was able to give employment to the unemployed, or even additional income to the underemployed. And this additional purchasing power has trickled down to the local economy, benefiting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The thousands of families directly benefited from AKB livelihood programs may be small compared to the hundred thousands of Bicolano families below the poverty line, but then, at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE THE LIVES OF OUR FELLOW BICOLANOS BETTER. Can we say that also for other party-list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Second, AKB, recognizing that education is the most effective and simplest way to combat poverty, has helped in the education of thousands of Bicolano youth who, by reason of poverty, can not go to college. These Bicolano youths, the very future of our region, are now given hope of a brighter future through our scholarship program. Again, these are not just a product of our fertile imagination, or a mere motherhood statement. This statement is backed by living witnesses who are now able to go to college or take short-term courses, courtesy of AKB. We can also produce the hundreds of scholars who graduated from college and vocational schools throughout the region who are already gainfully employed ( no longer members of the tambay brigade) and are now repaying back the generosity of AKB by helping their respective families and even better, sending a sibling or two to school. This number may be small compared to the million Bicolano youths (as attested to by the thousand examinees-applicant of our scholarship program) but at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE THE LIVES OF OUR FELLOW BICOLANO YOUTHS BETTER. Can we say that also other for other party list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Third, AKB has the largest privately-funded carabao dispersal and large animal de-worming program in the region. It has also an on-going coco-coir livelihood program designed to increase the income of our coconut farmers. It is also very active in helping arrest illegal fishing (you can verify that with the PNP Maritime Group) and in cleaning up our coastal areas. These programs may not have reached all our our Bicolano farmers and fishermen, but at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE THE LIVES OF OUR BICOLANO FISHERMEN AND FARMERS BETTER. Can we say that also for other party list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Fourth, AKB has conducted regular clean-up drives in the region participated by Bicolano students to make them aware of the importance of protecting our environment. We have supported the climate change adaptation programs of local government units. We have also instituted the largest privately-funded disaster management program in the region through our AKB Bantay Kalamidad Action Team. The AKB Bantay Kalamidad Action Team was praised by local, national and international media as well as political and church leaders, when it spearheaded the relief, medical and manpower caravan of trucks and heavy equipment to help the victims of typhoon Ondoy and Peping in Manila as well as in Calabarzon areas. Of course, this would not have been possible without the admirable generosity of the countless Bicolanos, poor as they are, who contributed whatever they have if only to help a rich but devastated region like Metro Manila. When Mayon Volcano erupted last December, AKB was conspicuously present in all the evacuation areas giving not only relief goods but bringing cheer to kids during the holiday season. And yes, we did our share in protecting the environment and safety by educating the evacuees and their children to use torotot instead of firecrackers. And we walk the talk so to speak – we distributed thousands of trumpets to the evacuees for them celebrate a safe and environmental-friendly new year! The contribution of AKB to the protection of the environment and disaster management might be miniscule compared to the efforts done by the government and other established non-government organizations. But then at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT IN BICOL AND IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR FELLOW BICOLANOS. Can we say that also for other party-list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Fifth, AKB has been conducting regular medical and dental missions, including bloodletting, in various areas in the region on its own, and at times, in partnership with the military, socio-civic organizations, local government units and non-government organizations. It is very active in health advocacy campaigns like Smoke-Free Campaign and A1H1N1 awareness campaign. It was able to solicit hospital equipment abroad which are benefiting our fellow Bicolanos. Again, these are not just products of our fertile imagination but is backed up by countless photographs, videos as well as living testimonials from beneficiaries and participants. The health program of AKB might be very limited so much so that it can not adequately serve the health needs of majority of our fellow Bicolanos. But then, at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE AND INCREASED HEALTH AWARENESS AMONG OUR FELLOW BICOLANOS. Can we say that also for other party list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Sixth, unknown to Atty. General, AKB, through its members and partners, has been very active in working for the competitiveness of our region in the Business Process Out-sourcing (BPO) industry. AKB has helped in manpower skills training through its call center agent scholarship program. Take Legazpi City for instance. From a competitive ranking of bottom 25 out of more than a 100 locations, Legazpi City is now ranked 12th among all locations nationwide. This can be easily verified from the records of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and Business Processing Association of the Philippines. If we can do that in Legazpi City, we can do that also in other cities in the region. We may not be as competitive as Manila or Cebu, but then, at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MAKE THE BPO INDUSTRY IN THE REGION COMPETITIVE. Can we say that also for other party-list groups, even those which are already in Congress?

Seventh, AKB is cognizant of the power problem in the region. As a matter of fact, it recognizes that it could never solve this problem alone as several prominent political leaders in Bicol have tried in the past but nonetheless, failed. However, it is doing its share by enticing investors to assist the region in producing alternative, renewable and cheap sources of power. AKB hopes that these investments in clean energy will redound to the benefit of the region not only in terms of cheap electricity but also in a clean environment. The efforts of AKB in the energy sector may not be enough to bring power rates down as soon as possible in the region, but then, at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO HELP SOLVE THE POWER PROBLEM IN BICOL. Can we say that also for other party -list groups , even those which are already in Congress?

Eighth, AKB can enumerate its other programs involving Bicol arts, history, culture, tourism and other sectors such as gays and lesbians, senior citizens and teachers but these will take a lot of space. But rest assured, Atty. General, we can produce Bicolano artists, musicians, gays and lesbians, teachers and senior citizens who can testify on our programs which have already benefited them. We do not even have to go far. Perhaps, you have seen our streamers screaming support in every major Bicol festivals. But these are not just mere lip service – we give moral and financial assistance. Moreover, every time you hear the AKO BICOL jingle, either the rap or kundiman version, these are all originally composed and sang by Bicolanos --- a clear testimony to the talent and virtuosity of our fellow Bicolanos. All our materials, video and campaign materials, were all made by Bicolanos. And yes, we are so proud of Bicolano talents and workers that we did not even have to pirate a known composition to be our jingle. All of these are proudly Bicol made. Even during relief operations in our region and in Metro Manila, we distributed Bicol-made products like banig, walis tingting, tambo, coconut husk floor polisher all made by our cottage industries in Bicol instead of China-made products. That is not only being proud of being Bicolano but more importantly, that is improving the lives of our region mates and our regional economy as well. Indeed, we may not have the monopoly of loving everything inherent in Bicol, but then, at least, AKB HAS DONE SOMETHING TO ENHANCE BICOL PRIDE AND CONFIDENCE. Can we say that for other party-list groups, even those which are in Congress?

Modesty aside, the foregoing programs and projects were all done by AKB and Bicolanos without any government support and assistance. But we could have done more. And that is precisely the reason why AKB decided to enter the political arena to grab the wonderful opportunity afforded by the party-list system of representation . With government’s help, we hope to further strengthen our programs and projects for the benefit of marginalized Bicolanos. As the biggest investor in the region for lack of viable private industries, an additional funding from the government through additional representation will go a long way in creating job opportunities, alleviating poverty, improving health and social services and spurring economic growth in the region.

If Atty. General can show that Bicol and the Bicolanos are no longer poor and are already given ample support by the national government, there is no more reason for AKB to participate in the party list system. But then, as it is, Bicol and the Bicolanos are still generally poor and marginalized. If AKB will not act and participate in the party-list system of representation, other regional groups like the Warays, Ilonggos, Ilocanos and those from Mindanao, will get the seats which should have pertained to marginalized Bicolanos. As a Bicolano, we hope and pray that Atty. General will not think like Federico Pascual who have no connection and sympathy with our region and our people. Call it tribalism or whatsoever, but the fact is, no one understands better the needs and aspirations of Bicolanos but Bicolanos themselves.

It may also help our dear readers to inform them about AKB’s stand on Bicol autonomy. Autonomy, no doubt, is a wonderful and tempting idea. Who would not want full autonomy? But then AKB is also cognizant of the ills spawned by full autonomy with unstable and weak democratic institutions like the media, judiciary, police, military, people’s organizations and local government executives. Unless we have a strong system of checks and balances brought about by our mature democratic institutions, there is always the temptation that power will be concentrated only to a few. The question is—do we have mature democratic institutions that can spontaneously check its other’s abuses without fear or favor? If we can not control corruption among our democratic institutions, there is always that fear that power will only be concentrated in the hands of the few or even one family. Think of Maguindanao. Think of Cordillera. AKB, therefore, is for autonomy but it should be done gradually, starting first with step by step devolution of powers of the national government until such time our region is economically and politically prepared to govern ourselves so as to check abuses of power brought about by a poor economy and weak democratic institutions.

We would like to end this piece by introducing the nominees whom Atty. General described as virtual unknowns . Indeed, our nominees do not belong to known political clans in Bicol but rather, they are all low-profile individuals who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields but with big hearts for all Bicolanos

Christopher S. Co, a business administration graduate, is an entrepreneur who is very active in different philanthropic endeavors from feeding programs, livelihood and skills training, tourism promotion and church-sponsored charities throughout the Bicol region. A reluctant nominee, he is the President of the Filipino-Chinese Fire Volunteers Brigade which have helped in fire prevention and safety throughout the region . He will spearhead the economic development program of AKB in Congress.

Rodel M. Batocabe, a lawyer and political consultant, graduated valedictorian from Aquinas Univeristy Science Oriented High School. He finished his Economics and Bachelor of Laws degrees (both With Honors) at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He also took his Master’s in Public Administration from the State University. As a working student while in law school, he worked in Congress as researcher and eventually promoted as Legislative Staff Chief. He has been a consultant to various Bicolano politicians while maintaining his law offices at the Ortigas Center in Metro Manila as well as in Legazpi City. He has also been a consultant to the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Bicol under Usec . Mario K. Espinosa. An advocate of various Bicolano causes, Atty. Batocabe has been very active in various Bicolano organizations since his college days.


Alfredo A. Garbin Jr., a lawyer, was born and raised in Naga City but took his undergraduate degree and law courses at the Bicol University and Aquinas University in Legazpi City, respectively. A two-term councilor, Atty. Garbin has been awarded as one of Ten Outstanding Councilors of the Philippines for 2009 , an annual search conducted by JCI Philippines. Atty. Garbin was cited for his exemplary and extra-ordinary contributions to local legislation involving disaster management, resettlement, tourism promotion, income generation, youth development, public welfare, legal aid , manpower training, transport service, information and communication and environmental protection and development. Atty. Garbin is the ONLY Bicolano councilor awarded so far since the Philippine Jaycees initiated this award.

We really appreciate Atty. General’s article as this provided our party-list, AKB, the opportunity to correct whatever misconceptions and misinformed perceptions. We then now invite Atty. General to join and help us in AKB to realize our dreams for a united, prosperous and better Bicol Region. We might not be able to immediately alleviate the conditions of majority of our fellow Bicolanos, but at least, we tried to make a difference. If we can just lift at least one Bicolano family from the clutches of poverty, that is already one less poor family in Bicol. And if we cannot achieve all our dreams in our generation, hopefully, the next generation will. With his talent and intelligence, Atty. General is an asset to AKB and can also make a lot of difference in the lives of our brethren. For after all, ang sabi ta ngani---SINDA..KITA…IKA..GABOS KITA…AKO BICOL!


Friday, April 30, 2010

Ako Bicol (AKB) helps spur the ICT-BPO development of Bicol Region

The Bicol Region is now on the country’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) map and is poised to be among the emerging Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) location in the Philippines. Instrumental to this achievement are the people behind Ako Bicol. As an organization back in 2004, Ako Bicol is already dedicatedly asking for the support of various government officials to sponsor free trainings specifically in the field of ICT. Through this endeavor, various specialized courses for ICT-enabled services are now being offered in Legazpi City: to wit, trainings for Call Center, Web Development and Design, Online Copywriting, Web Marketing or Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Auto CADD with 2D and 3D Animation and Legal Transcription. Populace coming from the various provinces of the region availed and benefitted from these free trainings. Since such trainings are geared to bridge the gap between the academe and the industry, the city was able to produce globally competitive pool of manpower in the ICT-BPO sector.

To date, such trainings already created more than 1,500 talented manpower and majority of which now form part of the IT workforce in the Bicol Region as well as of various firms all over the country. Because of this, the human resource capability of the Bicol Region is now improved, consequently making the region attractive for investors and even making Legazpi City as one of the Next Wave Cities™ in the country. These Next Wave Cities™ are cities outside Metro Manila which Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), in cooperation with Commission on ICT (CICT) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recommend and support as key outsourcing destinations in the country. The criteria to determine the country’s next wave cities’ ranking are: talent (40%), infrastructure (30%), cost (10%), and business environment and risk management (20%).


In terms of improving the IT infrastructure, which also has a bigger criterion (next to talent/manpower) in determining the ranking of the next wave cities, Ako Bicol is also very much committed to helping the city in this area. Elizaldy S. Co, the chairman of Ako Bicol has invested in constructing Embarcadero de Legazpi with an IT park in order for the city to address the infrastructure requirement of the BPO industry.

Aside from these, Ako Bicol is also a staunch supporter of various IT-related events in the region. Example of which wherein the organization is among the major sponsors, is the Information Technology Conference & Exhibit (INFOTEK) 2009 held in Legazpi, Albay last October 28-30, 2009. Gracing the said event is no less than the Secretary of the Commission on ICT, Hon. Ray Anthony Roxas Chua III and the Secretary of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Marianito D. Roque. The event featured a two-day job caravan which was participated-in by 25 local and international job placement agencies. Out of the approximately 2,000 job seekers, 155 applicants were hired on the spot (HOTS). Through such events, the Bicol region specifically Legazpi City, is able to showcase its IT capabilities and competitiveness in the outsourcing arena.

In 2009, Legazpi City was ranked 21st among the Next Wave Cities™ and currently it is ranked 12th and is expected to show improvements in ranking in the next few years as what BPAP Chief Executive Officer Oscar SaƱez said during the press launch of the 2010 Next Wave Cities™.

The present thrust of the Albay ICT Association (AICTA) and Legazpi ICT Council (LICTC) to groom Legazpi City to be among the prime outsourcing destinations in the country is now starting to be realized and this is mainly because of the invaluable support from the local government, stakeholders, and from various organizations like Ako Bicol.