The Beauties of Bohol

FUNFARE By Ricky Lo (The Philippine Star) 

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Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto and wife Pureza Veloso award the 2017 Miss Bohol winners, from left: Bianca Gaviola (Barangay Tagbilaran City, third runner-up); Gazini Christiana Jordi (Barangay Loon, first runner-up); Pauline Amelinckx (Barangay Tubigon, winner); Angelika Concha (Barangay Calape, second runner-up); and Maria Andrea Cuarteros (Barangay Jagna, fourth runner-up)

Aside from the serenity of the Chocolate Hills (back to original shape after a killer quake ruined some of them), the leisurely cruise along the Loboc River (turned enchanting by color-changing lights along both banks, donated by the family of Ben Chan) and the deepening mystery of the widening eyes of the Tarsier (the longer you gaze into them), Bohol boasts of natural beauties that easily disarm a visitor with pristine smiles.

Described as “natural” because they are presumed to be untouched by cosmetic surgery, 20 of those beauties (the same number of barangays) competed for the 2017 Miss Bohol title, parading before a panel of “beauty-expert” judges composed of Renee Salud; director Tony Reyes; Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo; Boholana actress Rich Asuncion; Air Asia Commercial head Gerard Penaflor; and reigning queens Mariel de Leon (Bb. Pilipinas-International), Karen Ibasco (Miss Philippines-Earth) and Mary Ann Mungcal (Miss Global Philippines).

The candidates were serenaded by StarStruck discovery Migo Adecer who acknowledged the ladies with a stem of red rose each after a well-applauded song number. Properly trained, Migo could develop into a charming performer, just wait and see.

After the two-hour pageant hosted by 2009 Miss Earth Sandra Seifert and Vince Velasco (son of STARsports columnist Bill Velasco), declared winner was Pauline Amelinckx (from Barangay Tubigon), a 20-year-old Fil-Belgian fresh International Studies graduate from Cebu Doctors Hospital, who is a deadringer for Bea Alonzo. Her runners-up: Gazini Christiana Jordi Ganados (Loon), first; Angelika Concha (Calape), second; Bianca Gaviola (Tagbilaran), third; and Maria Andrea Cuarteros (Jagna), fourth.

Asked how she felt being at the other end of the stage this time, Mariel admitted that she was as nervous as she was during the Bb. Pilipinas pageant.

“Like during the pageant,” said Mariel, “the hardest part was the Q&A. I picked Miss Tubigon because she knew what she wanted to say and she said it well, very natural, neither rehearsed nor scripted.”

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Now preparing for Ang Panday, her movie debut for the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) produced, written, directed and starred in by Coco Martin, Mariel clarified that she never said she didn’t want to go into acting (she’s more inclined toward classical singing). Why the, uhm, change of mind?

“I’ve never really closed my door to showbiz. The opportunity is too big to turn down,” added the daughter of Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong. “My parents are happy for me because they really wanted me to be in showbiz.”

Mariel is two inches taller than Coco. Wouldn’t there be any height problem between them?

“Sana wala,” Mariel smiled. “Otherwise, that can be easily remedied.”

A star material herself (paging Star Cinema, Viva Films and Regal Films!), Miss Bohol Pauline (an only child) was born in Belgium where she finished prep school and kindergarten. Her Belgian father moved the family to the Philippines where he chose to retire. Pauline studied high school in Iligan City before proceeding to college in Cebu, initially enrolling for Medical Technology course (“Not my line”) before shifting to International Studies.

“I wanted to work as a flight attendant because I love to travel until I changed my mind,” she said. “And now I want to join foreign service.” That is, unless a movie company “snatches” her.

Incidentally, another Boholana beauty, Lola Primitiva Veloso celebrated her 90th birthday with family members who flew to Tagbilaran from abroad and other places in the country on July 23, the day after the Miss Bohol pageant. Lola Priming is a retired teacher. Rich Asuncion attended the party with her two younger siblings. Nice to learn that she had their family house renovated and her parents’ fish business is thriving. 

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2017 Bb. Pilipinas-International Mariel de Leon, one of the judges…

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)      

Bohol-Cebu bridge nearing reality

SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit Avila (The Freeman)

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When I read about this report a few days ago, I wanted to be sure that it was correct. And apparently, we learned that the National Economic and Development Authority board has approved the bridge project that will soon connect the island provinces of Bohol and Cebu. It is dubbed the Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge (BCFB). But in truth, this idea came from my committee in the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) which I turned over to my good friend, Infrastructure Utilities Committee chairman Emmanuel "Manny"Rabacal, who also pushed for the approval of this bridge.

Because of the enormity of this project, I then got a call from the late Bohol governor Erico Aumentado, saying he wanted to adopt the proposal. And I agreed that we needed a big shot like him to push for this project. Hence, the name of Bohol comes ahead of Cebu. But that doesn't matter to me for as long as the NEDA has now approved its feasibility study.

Mind you, the China-HongKong-Zuhai Bridge is already nearing completion, and if China takes on this Bohol-Cebu bridge project, China most certainly can use the infrastructure and engineering equipment that it used in that bridge linking the Pearl River estuary. We learned fromBohol Representative Erico Aristotle Aumentado that this project had been endorsed to the Chinese government for funding when PresidentDuterte visited China last October. Work could start as early as next year once the proposal is approved. The study would determine whether the government would implement the project through build-operate-transfer, through public-private partnership, or through concession loans. Well, who would believe that our dreams would come true after all?

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People just do not change for the better. When then Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte threw his hat on the presidential derby, he was the unsure presidential candidate of all. But he was already campaigning long before the campaign period had begun. In late January 2015, Cebuano businessmen met the Davao City mayor for the first time in order to assess his candidacy. At that time, while he was already gung-ho on his running, he told us, at the end of his speech, that he was a good friend of DILG secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas, and that if the latter runs for president, he would support him.

That was then. By now, we have already known that President Duterte made Philippine political history, winning by the biggest of margin over his well-oiled political rivals, who were heavyweights on their own. That stunning victory by President Duterte meant that in forming his government, he would have to rely on many of his volunteers. And that's exactly what has happened.

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There are two kinds of people who supported President Duterte. There are people like me who suffered the whole nineyears of sheer incompetency and hypocrisy of the Aquino regime. And there are those people who supported President Duterte because they can get a job inside the government and then they can say, "It's our time to make money."

Two of those people who supported President Duterte are now in hot water when the Department of Justice exposed their shenanigans using a camera footage at the Casino Mall in Parañaque City, whereby two assistant commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration were caught receiving on November 26 five paper bags containing P10 million each from a certain Wally Sombrero. Mr. Sombrero was a former police colonel who was linked to gambling lord Jack Lam. He was accompanied by his colleagues, Mr. Michal Robles and Al Argosino, whom Inquirer columnist Mon Tulfo identified as fraternity brothers of President Duterte.

These BI commissioners, including the BI intelligence chief Charles Calima Jr., have been given 24 hours to disprove allegations that they extorted P50 million from Macau-based gambling tycoon Jack Lam in exchange for the release of overstaying Chinese nationals. It turned out that these BI officials were hired under the new Duterte administration. Now with those video footages, they are going to spend a long time in jail. They have truly underestimated President Duterte who hates corruption!

I listened to President Duterte over PTV-4 the other night when he met a group espousing for a federal Philippines, and he came up with this report and you could see he was fuming mad this had happened to people he hired into the Bureau of Immigration. I have no doubt that President Duterte is dead serious in really solving the corruption within the government bureaucracy, which for many years have been taken for granted by previous administrations.

vsbobita@mozcom.com.

University in Bohol Goes Solar to Cut Power Costs

By: Leo Udtohan, Philippine daily Inquirer

AN EMPLOYEE of Holy Name University in Tagbilaran City checks the 1,100 solar thin-film panels installed on the school’s rooftop. HNU is the first academic institution to fully integrate solar-power energy system in Bohol province and the Visayas. LEO UDTOHAN/INQUIRER VISAYAS

TAGBILARAN CITY—Officials of Holy Name University (HNU) gathered on the rooftop of the school’s Scanlon Building on Friday to inaugurate solar photovoltaic power plant.

“We are not only saving electric bill, but HNU is helping conserving the environment. It is equivalent to planting more than 2,000 trees,” said Fr. Vicente L. Uy, the school’s vice president for administration.

Uy said the plant would reduce HNU’s monthly bill of P700,000 by at least P100,000.

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“We believe there are other (sources of) energy in the environment we could tap. Solar energy is safer and cheaper. We really contribute to the cooling of the earth,” said Fr. Francisco Estepa, HNU president.

Formerly known as Holy Name College and Divine Word College of Tagbilaran, HNU is a Catholic, private, coeducational school run by Society of the Divine Word (SVD). It offers programs in elementary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels and has a student population of 7,200.

The solar plant, composed of 1,100 solar thin film panels, can produce 100 kilowatts of electricity, said Rynor Jamandre, president of Orion Group International Inc.

He said concerns about pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion had led to an increasing awareness of the importance of developing solar energy.

Founded in 1947, HNU is the first academic institution to fully integrate solar-power energy system in Bohol and the Visayas. Other universities in Manila have tapped solar energy—La Consolacion College, Manuel L. Quezon University, St. Scholastica’s College and Mapua Institute of Technology.

HNU’s solar power plant is the largest thin-film solar installation in the country, Jamandre said. Most projects, he noted, were using crystalline solar panel.

The power production can be remotely monitored from Android or iPhone devices.

Jamandre cited the many advantages of solar power.

“You save your energy bill every month; the roof will always be cooler because you have a cover of solar panels. And the most important is we save on carbon emission. It’s very important because global warming is a reality. We are doing our part to make it happen one project at a time,” he said.