BY ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO


LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8, The Holy Bible).

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DFA RESPONDS: I thank Ed Vega, a brod of mine from the UP Sigma Rho Fraternity and an important man at the Department of Foreign Affairs, for vowing to look into the case of Merlita Flores Villanueva, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Morocco who is trying to go home now because of the beatings she has been receiving from her foreign employer.

Ed emailed this to me: “We have no embassy in Morocco but our embassy in Libya is in charge of Morocco concerns. Maybe (Feliciano) Croox was misquoted. If the person's family are not in Manila, they can fax their complaint to the OUMWA (Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs).

“Or I suggest she can go to the DFA Regional Office at Puerto Princesa, at 2nd floor, Puerto Princesa City Coliseum, National Highway, Brgy. San Pedro. They can also fax directly their request for assistance to Amb. Al Vicente in Tripoli at +21821 483 6158 or even call at +21821 483 3966. I will check with OUMWA if they have anything on Merlita’s case too. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

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NCCA SETS INT’L FESTIVAL FOR THE ARTS: The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is lining up a series of activities that will mark the 20 years that the Philippines has been celebrating, every February, its “National Arts Month”, with this year’s festivities being dubbed as the “Philippine International Arts Festival”.

    Marilou Jacob, NCCA’s executive director, told the news forum Friday Balita sa Hotel Rembrandt on January 21, 2011 that the festivities will have as its theme “ani ng sining”, to highlight the “harvest for the arts, where thousands of local and foreign artists and cultural workers will gather all over the Philippines for the country’s biggest artistic celebration.”

    “Celebrations will be all over the archipelago with four focal centers---Metro Manila, Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon---with workshops, exhibitions, forums and performances to be participated in by representatives from the seven arts---architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theater and visual arts,” Jacob added.

    Interested parties may get in touch with NCCA at +632 527 21 92, 0928 508 1057, 0918 6380412 or email at ncca.paio@gmail.com.

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    GOV’T CCT DOLE OUT PROJECT TO SIDELINE LGUs? Former Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is expressing “grave concerns” that the “conditional cash transfer” project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development---which will spend some P21 billion as dole-outs for the country’s poor---will imperil the Constitutional guarantee of local government autonomy.

    Speaking at the Kapihan sa Sulo news forum Saturday, January 22, 2011, Pimentel said spending so much money for the poor will entail putting up a DSWD-controlled bureaucratic machinery down to the barangay level which can marginalize and sideline existing local governments. DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman, is this true?

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REACTIONS? FREE ADVICE? Call me at 0917 984 24 68 or 0922 833 43 96, or email me at batasmauricio@yahoo.com.


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DFA tumugon; arts festival sa Pebrero


     INSPIRASYON SA BUHAY: “Humingi ka at ikaw ay bibigyan; maghanap ka at ikaw ay makakatagpo; kumatok ka at pagbubuksan ka ng pinto. Sapagkat ang lahat ng humihingi ay nakakatanggap; ang lahat ng naghahanap ay nakakakita; at ang lahat ng kumakatok ay pinagbubuksan” (Mateo 7:7-8, Bibliya).

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DFA, TUMUGON: Nagpapasalamat ako kay Ed Vega, isang brod ko sa UP Sigma Rho Fraternity at isang mahalagang opisyal ng Department of Foreign Affairs, sa kanyang pangakong tulong sa kaso ni Merlita Flores Villanueva, isang overseas Filipino worker (OFW) sa Morocco na nagpupumilit umuwi dahil sa madalas na pambubugbog sa kanya ng kanyang banyagang amo.

    Nag-email si Ed sa akin: “Wala tayong embahada sa Morocco, pero ang embahada natin sa Libya ang namamahala sa mga suliranin sa Morocco. Marahil, na-misquote si (Feliciano) Croox. Kung ang pamilya ng biktima ay wala sa Manila, maaari silang mag-fax ng reklamo sa OUMWA (Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs).

 “O di kaya naman, magtungo sila sa DFA Regional Office sa Puerto Princesa, sa 2nd Floor Puerto Princesa City Coliseum, National Highway, Bgy. San Pedro. Maaari din silang mag-fax kay Amb. Al Vicente sa Tripoli sa +21821 483 6158 or even call at +21821 483 3966. Kikilos ako sa OUMWA sa kaso ni Merlita. Salamat at ipinarating mo ito sa amin.”

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NCCA, NAGTAKDA NG INT’L FESTIVAL FOR THE ARTS: May itinakdang serye ng mga pagkilos ang National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) upang gunitain ang ika-20 taon ng pagdiriwang ng Pilipinas ng “Buwan ng Sining”, at ang pagdiriwang sa taong ito ay kikilalanin bilang “Philippine International Arts Festival.”

    Sa pulong balitaang “Friday Balita sa Hotel Rembrandt” noon Enero 21, 2011, sinabi ni Marilou Jacob, executive director ng NCCA, na may temang “ani ng sining” ang pagdiriwang sa Pebrero, at itatampok dito ang “ani mula sa sining na lalahukan ng mga lokal at mga banyagang alagad ng sining at mga manggagawa.”

    “Ang mga selebrasyon ay gaganapin sa lahat ng sulok ng Pilipinas, sa apat na sentro---Metro Manila, Mindanao, Visayas at Luzon---kung saan magkakaroon ng mga pagpupulong, eksibisyon, talakayan at pagpapalabas mula sa mga kinatawan ng pitong sining---arkitektura, cinema, sayaw, literature, musika, tanghalan at visual arts,” dagdag pa ni Jacob.

    Ang mga interesadong partido ay maaaring makipag-ugnayan sa NCCA sa +632 527 21 92, 0928 508 1057, 0918 6380412 o email  ncca.paio@gmail.com.

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    PAMIMIGAY NG PERA SA CCT, WAWASAK SA LGUs? Nababahala si dating Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. na sisirain ng “conditional cash transfer” project ng Department of Social Welfare and Development---kung saan mamumudmod ng P21 bilyon ang gobyerno para sa mga mahihirap sa bansa----ang garantiya ng Konstitusyon sa local government autonomy o karapatang kumilos ng mag-isa ng mga pamahalaang lokal.

    Sa kanyang pagsasalita sa Kapihan sa Sulo noong Sabado, Enero 22, 2011, ipinaliwanag ni Pimentel na kakailanganin kasi ng DSWD na magtatag ng makinarya hanggang sa barangay upang maipamudmod nito ang pera. Pero ang makinaryang ito diumano ay magbabalewala na sa mga pamahalaang lokal. Totoo ba ito, DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman?


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REAKSIYON? LIBRENG PAYO? Tumawag po sa 0917 984 24 68 o 0922 833 43 96, o mag-email sa batasmauricio@yahoo.com.