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OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2019 OPINION 5 WILLIAM E. ABLONG EYE OPENER wea_129@yahoo.com


I was privileged recently when I made part of a Standing Committee meeting of the City Council talking about a proposed policy. It was on Oct. 1st when I attended a consultation meeting to discuss the proposed SOGIE ordinance at the Dumaguete City Council, principally authored by Councilor Rosel Margarette Quiambao Erames; co-authored by Councilors Karissa Maxino, Bernice Anne Elmaco, Edgar Lentorio Jr., Dione Amores, and Manuel Patrimonio. My attendance in the


and the Diocesan Commission on Women headed by Atty. Florence Tangente.


We were invited to serve as resource persons on the proposed City Ordinance titled An Ordinance providing for a comprehensive anti- discrimination policy on the basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (SOGIE). We believe in the movement


meeting was requested by Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete who was invited as resource person by Councilor Elmaco, chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Life, & Special Needs. Bishop Cortes asked me to represent the Diocesan lay organizations – Diocesan Commission on the Laity, and the Diocesan Organization of Renewal Movements & Communities


- where I serve as president. Members of the DCL consists of 42 Parish Pastoral Councils from the different parishes of the Diocese of Dumaguete covering the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, with the exception of the municipalities of L a Libertad and Vallehermoso, a n d


Guihulngan and Canlaon. The DORMC is composed of 14 organizations - Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Bukas Loob sa Dios, Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen & Professionals- North, BCBP South, CFC- Foundation for Family and Life, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, El Shaddai, Elim Communities, Neo Catechumenate, Focolare, Seed of Love, Oasis of Love, Parish Renewal Experience, and Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon. Bishop Cortes also sent as his representatives Msgr. Gamaliel Tulabing, Judicial Vicar and Cannon lawyer of the Diocese of Dumaguete, together with the team of priests serving at the newly formed Diocesan Commission for the Protection of Minors,


th e c i ti e s o f


for anti-discrimination because the Church believes in the need for equality. Equality, however, is for everyone and not for the LGBT community alone.


Monsignor Tulabing suggested that the title of the proposed ordinance be An Ordinance Providing for a Comprehensive Anti- Discrimination Policy, period. On my part, I feel there is no more need to enact such ordinance because there are currently existing laws that already address the concerns of all sectors, including that of the LGBT:


Section 11, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the State value the dignity of every human person and guarantee full respect for human rights. Section 1, Article III of the Constitution guarantees that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law. Section 2 of Ordinance No.


77, series of 2016, states that the City of Dumaguete shall uphold the rights of the LGBT, recognize their fundamental equality before the law, and implement programs and services for the enhancement of their well-being. Ordinance No. 45, series of 2014, titled An Ordinance prohibiting discrimination in the City of Dumaguete on the basis of disability, age, civil status, health status, sexual oriental, and gender identiy, ethnicity, and religion, providing penalties for violations thereof.


to amend Ordinance No. 45, keeping in mind: options for sex in the Birth Certificate should only be male or female; issuance of marriage licenses


Sandurot Fest 2019


Screams of jubilation reverberated through the throng assembled at Quezon Park following the announcement of the major winners to this year’s Sandurot Festival Street Dance and Showdown competitions as the climax of the week long festivities last week. Indeed after a long day and several weeks of preparations, Asian College and Banilad emerged as the champions in their respective categories for their lively, colorful and profound retelling of the story of Sandurot. Mayor Felipe Antonio


Remollo expresses his deep appreciation to the winners of this year’s Sandurot Festival Pasundayag and Pasigarbo competitions. Maj o r A ward s : showdown (Pasigarbo,


School Category) 1st Place Asian College; 2nd Place Piapi High School and 3rd Place Dumaguete City High School. S HOWD OW N (Pasigarbo, Barangay Category) 1st Place Banilad; 2nd Place Talay and 3rd Place Bajumpandan. Street Dance (Pasundayag): 1st Place Barangay Talay, 2nd Place Barangay Banilad and 3rd Place Piapi High School.Special Awards: Best Choreographer (Pasundayag) Barangay Talay; Best Choreographer (Pasigarbo, School Category) Asian College; Best Choreographer (Pasigarbo, Barangay Category) Banilad Best in Costume: Piapi High School; Best Instrumentalist: Barangay Banilad; Most Disciplined Contingent Piapi High


Asian College, Banilad rule


My other suggestion is


should not be for same-sex unions; school policies should be respected (for instance, Catholic schools should not be penalized if they don’t allow boys to wear girls’ uniforms in school); the church should be allowed to continue its teaching that gender and sexuality are God’s gifts, that only God can assign the gender of a person, and that whoever goes against God can never be right. Those are my suggestions. We always respect whatever decisions the City Council may come up. After-all, legislative powers are vested in them. We only help them form a decision for the people who elected them. Just like the issue on the Reproductive Health bill. For years since it was proposed in 1998, we had lobbied hard against the bill as the proposed legislation promoted the use of abortifacient contraception which is contrary to Catholic beliefs about life. In contrast, RH advocates argued that the


No need for SOGIE ordinance


bill critically addresses many problems associated with poverty and overpopulation. Thus, the bill represented an ideological clash that involved religious doctrine and secular beliefs.


Political interests came into play unexpectedly. In his State of the Nation Address in July 2012, President Benigno Aquino III, who was favored by many Church leaders, suddenly pushed for the passage of the bill. During his presidential campaign, Aquino had promised support for the bill on reproductive rights. RH advocates, therefore, pressured Aquino to act on this promise. After his SONA, the President certified the bill as urgent in Congress. After much discord, the bill was eventually passed into law in late December 2012. A case was later filed at the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the law. The Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the RH law. And in all humility, we respected the decision. We thank City Councilor


Elmaco for organizing the meeting, and for allowing the church to participate in policy formulation process.


School and Most Innovative Music Asian College Mayor Remollo congratulates all the winning contingents and commends all the participating barangays and schools for their efforts to exhibit their best for the appreciation of the community and tourists. Joining Mayor Remollo


during the awarding ceremony are Board Member Mariant E. Villegas, Councilors Edgar Lentorio Jr., Bernice Elmaco and SK President Lei Marie Danielle Tolentino. Also present were: Councilors Lilani Ramon and Michael Bandal. The other participating groups who made the Sandurot Festival 2019 more meaningful are: Barangays Bantayan, Junob, Pulantubig, Metro Dumaguete College, Negros Oriental High School, Taclobo National High School, Herminigilda F. Gloria Memorial School and Camanjac National High School. (PIO)


FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA — Thank you so much for Rev. Bernadette Morales’ piece on a pastors death (Forerunner, Sept. 22). As always, I find her messages very refreshing to my soul. The last time I was able to read one of her sermons/


PEOPLE’S CORNER


columns was maybe a year ago, and I have missed it very much since. I sometimes print out her columns to share with our Pastor or church members here at Sunset Presbyterian Church. It makes me proud to share her message with fellow believers.


Again, I want to say thank you to Reverend Bernadette, keep up the faith and love, and maybe someday I will have the privilege of meeting her, and listening to her preach.


Victor Chuang vic702@aol.com


Facebook program boosts local MSMEs


and community leaders— as well as participants from other regions in the Visayas—gathered in Dumaguete to be part of Facebook’s Community Boost, held in Brooke’s Place, Bantiguel. Facebook’s global initiative aims to help small businesses grow and to equip more entrepreneurs with the tools and skills that they need to keep up with the mobile-first market. “We’re happy to welcome Facebook to Dumaguete to help enhance community leaders’ digital skills, and make sure our vibrant community of entrepreneurs and sma ll bus ine s s e s are able to get more out of the internet. I’m very proud that Facebook selected our regio n— specifically Dumaguete and Cebu to be


the first four Philippine cities to benefit from this program,” said Assistant Regional Direc tor Nannette A rbo n , Department of Trade and Indust ry Region 7.


amo ng Local entrepreneurs Philippines.


has trained over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 21 cities across the Philippines with programs like #BoostYourBusiness and #SheMeansBusiness. With Facebook Community Boost, the social media company bolsters its commitment to helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and communities grow with free and easy-to-use Facebook tools and digital skills training workshops. Re s pons i ble craftsmanship Dumaguete-based Subida Souvenirs is a


Since 2017, Facebook


these artisans and their products get the recognition they deserve. That’s really how Subida Souvenirs came to be.”


By cultivating a healthy presence and directly engaging customers on Facebook and Instagram, Subida was able to expand their reach beyond their immediate vicinity and help give back to their community partners, while also helping find a steady stream of income for the artisans in Negros Oriental. “Since we started, we have grown our pool of artisans and trained 128 craftsmen to design and create products that best


The Facebook Community Boost program is set to be held in Manila on October 23 and Davao on November 20. It is designed for entrepreneurs looking to get their start-up business ideas off the ground and existing local businesses working to grow further in their digital transformation journey and meet their goals.


“At Facebook, we want to help people and communities build meaningful online connections to unlock economic opportunities and empower their advocacies. With Facebook Community Boost, we take this a step further by visiting cities, providing resources and tools for small businesses and organizations to thrive online, so that more people could benefit from their growth,” said Clare Amador, Programs and Policy Head, Facebook


DTI Negros Oriental representatives join the Facebook Community Boost event in Dumaguete to learn more about how they can make the most of Facebook tools in their work.


venture that not just focuses on producing quality handmade trinkets and souvenirs, but also on fostering sustainable livelihood through the cultivation of local creative skills in Negros Oriental. “We started 3 years ago after I met some craftsmen while on a mountaineering trip,” said Michael Angelo Alano, founder of Subida Souvenirs. “They shared how they were only able to sell their crafts during fiestas and could not make sales for the rest of the year. It was a shame that the talents and skills of these local artisans were left underappreciated.”


Around the same time, Michael had also been looking for a passion project. And he found purpose in making sure that these craftsmen are able to find and connect with potential buyers. “I wanted to help


reflect the Filipino culture. Facebook has been our main avenue to showcase that and it has effectively helped share our story, core values, and the work of the community we engage with,” shared Michael. “Our dream is to eventually venture outside of Negros onto the national stage by 2022.”


of Subida Souvenirs underscore the importance of understanding the digital landscape and learning how to use the internet to your advantage. Facebook Community Boost aims to educate more MSMEs across the Philippines on the online marketing tools, practices, and resources available at their fingertips to help drive the growth of their businesses.


and register to these events, please visit: https://www. facebook.com/boost.


To learn more about FCB Stories like that


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