FSG Wins RBAP Presidency

EAGLE Award...p3, BK Kabayan AOs top DL...p5, New Employees p10, BK Grabs 1st Runner-Up...p12

FSG Wins RBAP Presidency FSG Wins RBAP Presidency By: Oyet Patulot

Bangko Kabayan President Atty. Francis Ganzon won the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) Presidency last May 18, 2006 in the National Convention held in Waterfront Insular, Davao City.

The RBAP is a 49-year old organization existing pri-marily to promote the rural banking industry and the welfare of its more than 700 members. As proof of its relevance, the BSP has recognized it as a strong economic force in 2005. Needless to say, it is an honor to be a Director and the Presi-dent especially, of this very prestigious organization.

Before the election itself, FSG’s family, friends, BK representatives, and fellow rural bankers showed their support by wearing a green vest that said “Ganzon for President” (or “Ladies for Ganzon” specially made for the women). After months of campaigning, flying in and out of different regions, FSG finally won the election, garnering 9 out of 14 votes (1 abstention).

The newly-elected officers are: Fidel Cu as Vice-President for Luzon, Enrique Abellana as Vice-President for Visayas, Charles Tan as Vice-President for Mindanao, Benja-min Arciaga as Treasurer, Huberto Rebong, Sr. as Corporate Secretary. The Directors are: Maricar Collado, Roberto Alin-gog, Mercedes Coloma, George Dycaico, Corazon Andaya, Natividad Yu, Rizalito Sy, Ernesto Galenzoga, and Isabel Aba-solo.

Atty. Ganzon brings with him not only a program of government for the strengthening of the RBAP as a

service institution for its member rural banks but an advocacy for the RBAP and its leadership to be models of competence, integrity, and transparency. He believes in the urgent need for the national organization to be a strong, responsive institution that will enable the delivery of services to a greater number of rural banks that otherwise would not be able to avail of them on their own. Through the years, RBAP has also served to promote the RB system as an effective network for other ser-vice providers to tap, effectively enabling RBs to offer other services to their clients by virtue of these strategic alliances.

His program for the year involves three major points: continuity, unity, and probity. The first point includes fur-ther enhancement of past RBAP programs and improvement of existing linkages as well as development of new partner-ships. Some examples of these are: the Text-A-Payment pro-ject, the e-Community project, trainings aimed at developing RB competencies, the RBAP-MABS program, and exploring proposals from other commercial banks and other institutions that are, just now, beginning to take notice of possible mutual benefits that can be derived from partnering with us.

For advocacy to be effective, there is a need for the RBAP to present a picture of its being a strong and united industry representative. This means dealing with the issues facing the rural banking sector as one united body. These is-sues include making representation with the BSP and Con-gress, to allow RBs to be recipients of foreign capital, in the

Continued on page 4...

Page 2

Bagong TINIGBagong TINIGMga Pananaw ng Publikasyon

TANDA ng pagkakaisa. Bilang ka-balikat ng Bangko Kabayan, la-yunin ng TINIG na makamit ang ugnayan ng iba’t ibang sangay ng

BK upang magkaroon ng ganap na pagka-kaisa sa pamamagitan ng paglalathala ng mga artikulong tumatalakay sa mga isyung napapanahon na ang pamantayan ay bukas, pantay o walang pinapanigan, komprehen-sibo at makabuluhan.

IMPORMASYON. Bilang kabalikat ng Bangko Kabayan, layunin ng TINIG na gisingin ang kamalayan ng ko-munidad ukol sa mga isyung napa-

panahon na maaring sa loob ng bangko at gayundin sa mga isyung pambansa.

NILIKHA. Bilang kabalikat ng Bangko Kabayan, ang TINIG ay nagbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga miyembro ng komunidad na maka-

pagbahagi ng mga malikhaing katha at kaisipan na bunga ng pagpapahayag ng kanilang mga sarili.

INSPIRASYON. Bilang kabalikat ng Bangko Kabayan, layunin ng TINIG na lalo pang palawakin ang kakayahan at kalinangan ng komu-

nidad sa pamamagitan ng paglalathala ng mga kwento at essay na magsisilbing in-spirasyon sa lahat, patungo sa pagsulong ng kaunlaran ng bawat isa.

GABAY. Bilang kabalikat ng Bangko Kabayan, ang TINIG ay kaakibat ng bangko sa pangkalahatang pag-unlad ng pamayanan sa pakikiba-

hagi hindi lamang sa layuning pangkabu-hayan, kundi pati na rin sa pangkalika-san, pangkalusugan, pang-edukasyon, pang-ispiritwal, pangkultura, at pangkawang-gawa.

San Pascual Lorelyn Avestruz ANG SPB...BAW!!!

Dito sa SPB,parang may tahanan ka na May Ama, may Ina,at buong buo ang pamilya May lungkot, may saya, at minsa'y may tampuhan pa Pero pag target na ang usapan, kailangan lahat serious na Nakakatuwa ngang talaga Na ang SPB ay tila humahataw na Last month nga- ang deposit nag-increase na Lahat kasi ng grupo ay halos naka-quota Kanya-kanyang lista Kanya-kanyang ligaw pa Maka-akit lamang ng kliyente At ng deposito'y mailipat na Pagdating sa Kabayan SPB di naman talunan Mga new loans naman ay kainaman At ang past due naman ay unti-unting nababawasan Linggo-linggo ng pinuntahan At sa kanilang bahay ay siningilan Magbayad lamang At ng hindi mapasama sa katapusan Sa trabaho, kahit may kahirapan ay masaya din naman Lahat kasi kami ay nagdadamayan, nagtutulungan Ikanga nila- sa SPB walang iwanan Lalo na pagdating sa kainan

Kaya dito sa SPB- ang SAYA... di kayang matawaran!

San Jose Jhonaren LayloLast June, the management approved the request of account officers to add more tables in their working areas. Now, AOs can easily do their work and entertain clients as well. They do not have to share tables with their officemates like they used to do before. In addition to this, there will be an office expansion in our branch. Measurements have already been taken. Next month, the San Jose branch will have a big-ger area in order to provide better services for its clients.

Calaca Leah CapuyonBK-Calaca KAPITAN Loan Borrowers, led by our KAPITAN Account Officer Emmanuel Talaoc, won the grand prize in the “Parada ng Lechon ng Manok” held in Camastilisan, Calaca. This was part of the celebration of the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24, 2006.

Cuenca Catherine TorresAs the year 2006 entered, many changes have happened in BK-Cuenca Branch. One of which were the changes in the personnel. Last January, Manager Leah Jareño was transferred to another branch for Mrs. Cecilia Garcia to takeover as OIC. This April, Mr. Zernan Zaballa (a.k.a. “Manager Bono” or “Big Brother,” who just celebrated his birth-day last June 27 here in BK!) became the new OIC. Other positions have also been filled up with new, transferred and promoted employ-ees. Mrs. Cecille Dimaano is our new General Clerk (GC), Angelin Al-fante was transferred to replace Mr. Ronald Jopia who has been pro-moted to the position of KAPITAN Supervisor for Cluster 3. We wel-

The Nonagon From BK Branches

Top row: Gerneil, Allan, Rey, Ron, Hadjie, Rymar Bottom row: Violy, Fides, Frances, Shirley

comed Ms. Gloria Arellano who is now our KABAYAN Supervisor. Mean-while, KAPITAN AOs have been very busy during the months April-June as the different centers they handle held their Lakbay-Aral. It was a wonderful feeling knowing their members enjoyed the said activity.

Rosario Princess Arellano January 2006- ang petsang hindi malilimutan ng lahat, petsang nakatatak sa kalendaryo ng Rosario...ang pagbabalik! WELCOME BACK MANAGER IRENE P. GUERRA!!!! Iyan ang bati ng lahat. Isang selebrasyon ang idinaos sa pagbabalik ng isang taong matagal na hinintay. Ang manager na nagbi-gay buhay, kulay, sigla at tagumpay sa BK-Rosario ay muling nagbalik. Isang makulay na pagsalubong ang inialay sa kanya. Sari-saring pagkain ang inihanda ng mga empleyado, iba't ibang kulay ng lobo ang nakapalibot na nanggaling sa mga malalapit niyang kaibigan. Kakaibang okasyon na dinaluhan ng mga malalapit na kaibigan na patuloy na nagmamahal at su-musuporta sa kanya. Mga luma at bagong kliyente ang buong pusong nag-punta para salubungin ang kanyang pagbabalik. Buong maghapong napuno ng kuwentuhan, iyakan at halakhakan ang BK-Rosario Branch. Walang ibang sinasambit ang lahat ng mga bisita kundi “Maraming Salamat!” Buong puso ka naming tinatanggap! Hangad naming lahat ang matagumpay mong pamumuno sa Rosario Branch. Mahal ka naming, Manager Irene!

San Juan Joemel BrazaIt's been 16 months since I became part of BK-San Juan Branch. I was quite nervous at first because of the different environment– it was an actual “business setting.” I had to do my job right, without committing a single mis-take. But, through the help of my co-workers, I passed this stage and was able to adjust accordingly. I've learned a lot of things from them. They were very approachable, and because of them I became familiar with my duties easily. Now, I can say that it's quite a perfect environment here in San Juan Branch. Although misunderstandings arise in some occasions, it’s part of a growing company. We are 14 employees here now and I think we’re doing well to achieve our goals and targets. One thing good about this branch is that we do not isolate ourselves from each other; we are always helping each other and we are working as a team to achieve all our objectives.

Mabini Lester TorinoAccording to ATIKHA, a non-government organization that works here

in Mabini, ten percent (10%) of the 44,000 total population of our municipality works abroad. As a manifestation of this fact, Mabini branch has the largest volume of money transfer transaction among all the branches of BK. Most of the remittances come from Europe where many of our people work as they establish Mabini as the “Little Italy of the Philippines”. There is a significant increase in the household income as brought about by foreign currency earnings. This is evi-dent in their spending as they shift from basic to high-end consumer goods. From gadgets to cars to their houses and children's education, anybody can confirm that it’s top of its class. Even more is that they acquire these things on cash basis. Our branch scores relatively big on deposits as we rank next to our Head Office. It’s great to see people coming everyday to open an account and save some of their money. This is a form of investment they implicitly make and also an indication that they are thinking on how to allocate their income wisely. Although we only have one competitor here, we cannot discard the giant com-mercial banks located in the nearby municipality for they still get a fair share in our market. But all in all we stand toe on the toe against them for as long as we keep our coffee warm for the clients. So what future do we have here? Deposit liabilities have been lifeblood of this branch for more than ten years and I think in the future will serve as a springboard as the Municipality of Mabini heads on for the take-off. Indeed, BK will play a significant role in this event because when the people of Mabini are done satisfying their craving for luxury goods and they start taking the risk of investments our bank will do what we do best: Mobilize the excess cash for businesses that will be the springboard of development.

Page 3

Kaalinsabay ng nasabing pagdiriwang, ang BK ay isa rin sa mga kinilala at binigyan ng Financial Transparency Recognition Certificates ng Microfi-nance Information eXchange (MIX). Ang MIX ay isang international network na naglalayong ipahayag at magkaroon ng information exchange sa industriya ng microfinance. Sa pamamagitan ng MIX, ang bawat MF institusyon ay magkakaroon ng “benchmarking activities,” “standardized reporting,” at “transparency” sa mga impormasyon ukol sa microfi-nance operation ng mga PBs.

Ang paggagawad ng EAGLE Achievement Award at MIX Recognition ay bahagi ng dalawang araw na pagtitipon sa ginanap na 4th National Round-table (NRT). Bukod dito, nagkaroon rin ng mga serye ng talakayan hinggil sa tema ng NRT, ang “Achieving A Balance Between Portfolio Growth and Quality”. Ang pagdiriwang ay dinaluhan nina Atty. Francis S. Ganzon, at MF Program Head, Norma Cometa at Supervisors na sina Gloria Arellano, Leah Carlos at Hadjie T. Lichauco.

Ang BK ay muling nakamit ang ikaapat na EAGLE AWARD noong April 20, 2006 sa Holiday Inn Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga. Ang gawad parangal na ito ay isang taunang programa ng Rural Bankers Asso-ciation of the Philippines (RBAP) at ng Microenter-prise Access to Banking System (MABS) upang ma-sukat ang microfinance operation ng mga participat-ing banks (PBs). Ang BK ay isa sa mga PBs na naka-kuha ng mataas na rating na nakabatay sa EAGLE Rating System. Ito ay ang Efficiency, Asset Quality, Liability structure at Earnings.

(From left) MABS Chief of Party John Owens, USAID Office of Economic Development and Governance Chief Robert Wuertz, BK President Atty. Francis S. Ganzon, MEDCO Executive Director Janet Lopoz, For-mer RBAP President William Hotchkiss and BK Micro-finanace Unit Officers Hadjie Lichauco, Gloria Arellano, Leah Carlos and Norma Cometa

EAGLE AWARD: Muling Iginawad sa BK By: Hadjie Lichauco

The RBAP Cup, cont’d from Page 1... same manner MFIs and Thrift Banks are allowed to have foreign equity participation, advocating simpler and faster processes and providing clearer incentives for consolidation and mergers, and many others.

The third point is the promotion of the value of probity, an em-phasis on delicadeza, virtue and honesty as hallmarks – of the staff and management of RBAP, but above all, of its leadership. Towards building a culture of probity and transparency, he plans to pursue the following: in-stilling the essence of responsible accountability in the management and operation of RBAP through an organization manned by professionals with

the appropriate mechanism for performance review and evaluation, and producing the publication of the RBAP Board’s programs and annual budget, as well as its monthly statement of income and expenses, for the general membership’s knowledge and understanding.

To be an RBAP President is not an easy job. The Association under FSG's leadership is now faced with the toughest and most urgent concern todate: to preserve the life of RBAP whose corporate existence is about to end in 2007. Under that major task, among others, are to imple-ment reforms in the association, reach out to member RBs most of all to the smaller ones, strengthen the association's role in the banking industry to achieve a more dynamic and sustainable Philippine economy – all these must be accomplished in one year.

But this position, other than the prestige that it bestows, enables him to stand at the forefront of crucial events and changes. He advocates for the wellbeing of more than 700 member RBs. He makes policies, lob-bies for laws which would benefit the rural banking industry not only to-day but for years to come. It may not be a job that pays in monetary terms but its rewards are all-encompassing.

If one would look at it then as a service, the way FSG has surely seen it, the obstacles are mere dusts which can be brushed aside easily and ultimately, the troubles will all be worth it.

After all, service is what life is all about.

Page 4

(From left) RBAP PP Alex Buenaventura, Incumbent Pres. Francis Ganzon, Charles Hotchkiss, PP Ives Nisce, and PP William Hotchkiss in one of the dinners during the RBAP National Convention in Davao City.

Microfinance Educational Loan,Inilunsad By: Rey Orense

Bilang bahagi ng adhikain ng Bangko Ka-bayan na maiangat ang antas ng pamumuhay at patuloy na matugunan ang pangagailangan ng ating mga miyembro sa Kapitan at Kabayan Program, inilunsad ng BK ang pinakabagong produkto nito, ang Microfinance Educational loan. Ang nasabing programa ay ipinagkakaloob bilang benepisyo sa mga mahuhusay magbayad na kasapi. Layunin nito na masuportahan ang gastusing pang-edukasyon (lahat ng antas ng pampribado at pampublikong paaralan) kabilang ang mga su-musunod: tuition at entrance fees, graduation fees, board reviews o exam fees, aklat, uniporme o pre-mium payment sa educational plan. Paano ba makapag-avail ng Educ-Loan? Kung ikaw ay may anak na nag-aaral sa elementary, high school o sa college at kasapi ka na ng Microfi-nance Program alinman sa Kapitan o Kabayan sa loob ng 4 na cycles o 2 taon, maayos at nagbabayad ng tama sa oras, at may kakayahan pang makapangu-tang, maaari ka nang mag-apply. Puwede kang makahiram ng P3,000.00 hanggang P25,000.00 de-pende sa inyong pangangailangan. Ito ay babayaran sa loob ng 6, 9 o 12 buwan na maaaring hulugan ng linggu-linggo, kinsenas o buwanan. Sa kasalukuyan, tatlong sangay na ng bangko ang nagsimula ng programang ito. Makikita sa ibaba ang status report ng Educ-Loan para sa buwan ng Hunyo, 2006.

Para sa karagdagang impormasyon, magsadya po lamang sa pinakamalapit na sangay ng Bangko Ka-bayan.

Sangay Bilang ng Akti-bong Kliyente

Balanse

Head Office 81 P 696,658.25

Cuenca 50 579,971.28

San Pascual 35 639,218.31

TOTAL 166 1,913,847.84

PAMANA: APAMANA: APAMANA: ANGNGNG PAGDIRIWANGPAGDIRIWANGPAGDIRIWANG NGNGNG IKAIKAIKA---175175175 NANANA AAANIBERSARYONIBERSARYONIBERSARYO NGNGNG IIIBAANBAANBAANNi: Ron Bagsit

“Aking mensahe sa mga mamamayan ng Ibaan, lalung-lalo na sa kabataan: Huway hayaan ang pagkakataon na hind imaging ka-pakipakinabang sa kanyang bayan nang sa gayon ang pamumuhay ng susunod na henerasyon ay maging mas maganda, mas kaaya-aya kaysa nakagisnan sa kasalukuyan.” – mga kataga ng namayapang Ben R. Medrano. Dalawampu’t limang taon ang nakalipas nang muling linathala upang maging gabay, upang maisabuhay ng bawat kabayan na may malasakit sa kanyang kinabibilangang komunidad. Ipinapaalala sa atin ni G. Medrano na maging abala hindi lamang sa ating... Continued on page 5...

Page 5

KAMBIOVioly Echague

Tinig po ito ng Ibaan Rural Bank Foundation.

Nakasalubong ko si Ronnie at tanong ko sa kanya, “Para sa iyo, anong ibig sabihin ng Kambio?” Sabi niya, “Kung sa sasakyan po, ito ang ginagamit natin para magpalit, kung gusto natin na mabagal para maging matulin o kabaligtaran.” Ang Bangko Kabayan ay institusyong nabubuhay sa piling ng mga tao, sa komunidad. Kung wala sila, wala tayong magagawa. Bilang pagtanaw ng utang ng loob, nais ng BK na gawin ang kanyang makakaya para sa ika-uunlad ng kabutihan ng lipunan. Nagsisikap na iparamdam ng Bangko Kabayan ang kanyang presensiya sa pamam-agitan ng Foundation, ng mga empleyado at iba pang kabalikat na institusyong boluntaryo sa pagsali sa iba't ibang uri ng pananagutang panglipunan. Hayaan ninyong sa pamamagitan ng inyong imahinasyon isama namin kayo sa aming mga nakaraang lakad. Pwedeng-pwede, di po ba?

* * * “Ang takot ko dahil naiwan akong mag-isa sa paglalakad patungo dito sa ward ng ospital,” nasabi ni Alma. Sino ba naman ang hindi matatakot? Pareho lang naming unang karanasan sa NBP (National Bilibid Prison). Dalawang beses kaming kinapa at tiningnan ang aming mga dala. Mahabang pasilyo ang

dadaanan pagkatapos hahantong ka sa gate na maraming nakaabang na mga preso, markado ng mga tato. May nagpapayong, may humi-hila ng bag na iyong dala para sila na ang magbitbit, may nakiki-usap. Nakita namin ang mga magkakahilerang gusali palibot ng rehas na bakal at makapal na pader. Punung-puno ng mga bilanggo. Mabilis ang lakad ng aming mga kasama para makarating sa ward. Naiwan si Alma sa bandang likuran, hindi ko matanaw. Magkasabay kami nina Rose at Linda. Si Hadjie? Naiwan sa sasakyan dahil walang ID. Pero nag-iba ang aming naramdaman nang nasa loob ng ospital at marinig ang mga karanasan ng mga bilanggo. Naawa kami sa kanila. Bakit nga ba? Sila ‘yong nawalan ng kalayaan, hapis ang mga mukhang sumigla sa pagdalaw namin. Makahulugan dahil walang kamag-anak na dumadalaw. Mga maysakit, hindi lamang pisikal kundi sikolohikal. Nakahiga sa kartong inilatag sa kama. Kulang ng sapin at kumot. Natuklasan naming, mapalad pa tayo! Paano kami napunta rito? Bago sumapit ang Pasko noong ika- 03 ng Disyembre 2005, nakipag-kasundo kami sa SINAG - National Bilibid Prison na tumulong sa kanila para maidaos ang programang pang Pasko para sa mga maysa-kit ng ward nito. Noong umaga nagbalot kami ng mga pagkain at mga regalo . Kahit kapus sila sa maraming bagay nagpilit ang mga bilanggo na maghanda ng mga bilang tulad ng sayaw, awit at tulang ginawa nila bilang pasasalamat sa abala at alala ng SINAG na hindi nagsasawa na tumulong sa kanila. Napalitan ang ta-kot ng pag-aalala sa mga bilanggo, nang higit na pang-unawa na kapuwa tao namin sila na higit na nangangailangan ng was-tong pagtingin. Sinabi namin, basta may pag-kakataon babalik kami.

Pamana, cont’d from page 4... pansariling pangangailangan kundi maging sensitibo rin sa mga nangyayari sa ating kapaligiran. Pebrero 2006 nagsimula ang pagdiriwang ng ika-175 na anibersaryo ng Ibaan. Nagsimula ito sa isang motorcade na dinaluhan ng iba’t-ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan at iba pang kasapi sa bayan ng Ibaan. Kabilang dito ang Bangko Kabayan, isang institusyon na malaking bahagi ng makulay na nakaraan, kasalukuyan at hinaharap ng Ibaan. Isa ito sa mga mahahalagang pangyayaring nagaganap sa bayan na kung saan nagkaroon tayo ng partisipasyon.

TRIVIA:Ang lugal na ito ay “Ibaan” kung tawagin sapul sa mula nang ito ay nayon pa, dahil sa mga puno ng IBA sa lahat ng dako. Sa panig na ito lamang ng Batangas nakikita ang uri ng punong-kahoy na ito kung kaya diyan nagmula ang pangalang “IBAAN.” Ang bayan ng Ibaan dati-rati’y isang bukid ng Batangas. Noong taong 1784 ang unang bayan ay sa Matala itinatag, na may apat na kilometro ang layo sa bayan. Sa bayanan ng Matala na-tayo ang isang kapilya. Hindi nagtagal at noong taong 1817 ay nalipat sa kinaroonan ngayon. Napahiwalay sa Batangas ng tuluyan ang nayon na ito noong taong 1832 at unang nahirang na gobernadorsilyo ay si Don Ber-nado Rafael.

KABAYAN AOs Top KABAYAN AOs Top Distance Learning CourseDistance Learning Course

By: Hadjie Lichauco

KABAYAN account officers Jessebel Gabayno, Leah Carlos and Joemel Braza topped the Microenterprise Access to Banking System (MABS) Distance Learn-ing Course (DLC) as the first, second and third, re-spectively. AOs Diomedes Chavez Jr. and Galileo Alday also passed the said course.

This initiative is intended to make training courses accessible to participating banks (PB's) and to meet the training needs of the field staff to expand the microfinance activities. It is an online and interactive learning course at a lower training cost for the bank. The DLC includes the MF Best Practices, Client Se-lection, which focuses on Character Based/Risk Analysis, Process of Credit Investigation/Background Investigation and Cash Flow Based Lending/Cash Flow Analysis.

The DL commenced last March 6, 2006 thru an online venue – www.moodle.rbapmabs.org. BK, to-gether with other selected RBs (RB Victorias, 1st Val-ley Bank, Cantillan bank, and Green Bank) enrolled their MF officers (1 Supervisor, 2 old AOs and 2 new AOs) and undertook a series of online discussions, quizzes and weekly assignments as the course re-quired. It ended last April 10, 2006.

Continued on page 11...

Page 6 LITERARYLITERARY

Karanasan sa KapitanKaranasan sa KapitanAng KAPITAN para sa akin ay tunay na sandigan. Isang matibay na moog na kailanma’y hindi mabubuwag at mananatiling nakatayo upangang lahat ng kasapi ay bigyang pag-asa at madama ang tatag ng loob upang makipagsabayan sa agos ng buhay. Kaya nga “kapitan,” ditosama-samang magkakapit-kamay ang bawat kasapi nang sa ganoon ay maging mahigpit ang bigkis tungo sa kaunlaran.

Ang aming samahang KAPITAN ay nakatutulong nang malaki sa aming pamumuhay sapagkat nagkaroon ng isang malaking pag-asa na mayroong masasandigan sa oras ng pangangailangan. Nagkaroon ng liwanag ang tahanang dati’y aandap-andap na wari’y wala ng pag-asa pang makaahon sa nararanasang paghihirap. Magmula nang ako’y maging kasapi ng samahang ito, namutawi na ngayon sa aking isi-pan na habang buhay ang tao ay may pag-asa at malaki ang utang na loob ng buong pamilya sapagkat naibsan ang taghoy ng kahirapan.

Mula nang ako’y naging kasapi ng samahan, namulat ang aking isipan na ang ikapagtatagumpay sa buhay ay nakasalalay sa pagkakaroon ng wastong disiplina. Sa mga nagdaang panahon, naipagwalang-bahala ko ang aking mga obligasyong bayarin, subalit ngayon, malaki na ang nagawang pagbabago sa aking buhay. Nagkaroon na ako ng wastong disiplina ; ang tamang paggamit sa oras at ang matamang pagtu-pad sa tungkuling nakaatang sa akin bilang kasapi. Nagkaroon din ako ng maraming kaibigan at natutong makisalamuha sa ibang kasapi.

Ang aming project officer na si G. Rey Orense ay masasabi kong may ginintuang puso. Isa siyang huwarang pinuno na mahusay mag-pasunod sa kanyang nasasakupan. Marunong siyang makisama at ang respeto niya sa bawat isa ay mababanaag sa kanyang maamong mukha. Siya’y kalugod-lugod at maihahambing sa isang matibay na tulay na siyang magiging tawiran namin at umaalalay habang binabag-tas ang daan tungo sa kaunlaran. -Gng. Lolita M. Kapuno

IKAW LAMANG “Kulit”

NAIS kong aminin sa 'yo Alam kong nasaktan ang puso mo pero “HINDI AKO KATULAD NYA”iniwan, pin abayaan at pinaiyak ka.

Ang tanging hamon at nais malaman, “MAY PAG-IBIG PA KAYA”

sa puso mo, wag san itago ilabas sa pagkakatago

kahit konti tatanggapin ko

Hindi ka ba “NANGHIHINAYAYANG”baka sa paglipas ng mga panahon

ganda mo ay masayang ayaw mo bang magmahal ng iba

at nais mo”y pag-ibig ay mag-isa.

Pero “PANGAKO SA YO”iibigin kita ng totoo

hindi sasaktan at di iiwan pagkat pag-ibig ay tunay

“IKAW LANG ANG MAMAHALIN”ikaw lang sa puso at damdamin

anuman ang sabihin nila at kahit sila ay magduda pa

“IKAW LAMANG”

“KAHIT KAILAN”dumating man ang pagsubok at tukso

magiging tapat ang puso ko “SA YO LAMANG”

ang pag-ibig ko ay tunay...

Bukod tangi ka sa lahat O mahal kong BANGKO KABAYAN Adhikain mo'y makatulong sa mga nangangailangan Natutong maghanap-buhay, ilaw ng tahanan Gamit ang pera n'yo sa amin ay ipinahiram Kung kaya't salamat sa inyong kabutihan Oras at panahon n'yo sa amin inyong inilaan Kaya nga't lumawak, sanga nyo'y nagsidamihan Kami'y nagagalak at nagkapag-asa itong aming kabuhayan.

KABAYAN AT KAPITAN Angking talino'y natuklasan Binago ang buhay at pinagyamang tunay Anak ay napapag-aral, kinabukasan ay napaghandaan Yan! Ang dulot ng tulong n'yo na di namin malilimutan kaya nga sabi ko... Aanhin pa ang alok ng iba, sa amin ay naglapitan, Narito at natuklasan na, bangkong maasahan, yan ay walang iba kundi ang BANGKO KABAYAN

Akin namang ipakilala sentro kong pinagmulan sangay ng Rosario na pinamumunuan ng aking iniidolo at hinahangaan mapagkalingang manager kami lubos na inaalagaan gayundin ang mababait, masisipag na Account Officers sampu ng kanyang mahuhusay na mga kasamahan.

Tadhana ay saksi sa kanlang kasipagan Arawin at ulanin sila ay nasa kabayanan Basta't tungkulin nila'y kanilang magampanan, karamdamang iniinda'y nakakalimutan makapaglingkod lamang sa BANGKO KABAYAN.

Kababaihan ng Macalamcam B Aming adhika lubos na kaunlaran Prinsipyo at magandang kinabukasan Itataguyod ninuman Tadhana ay saksi sa magandang layunin ng aming samahan Angking talino'y lilinangin, paghahanapbuhay ay pagbubutihin Nagsusumikap makamit pangarap na mithiin sa tulong nitong aming BANGKO KABAYAN, pangarap namin lahat ay kakamtin.

Isinulat Ni: G

racia B. Vergara, M

acalamcam

B C

enter Chief

Ang laraw

an ay iginuhit ni: Shirley Esm

iller

Page 7 OPINIONOPINION

that they have already obtained justice but they did not expect the sudden turn of events. On the other hand, more than 1,200 inmates lined after the death row will benefit from the decision to ban the death penalty after the execution of seven people when it was restored in 1993. These prisoners will be spending more time to repent behind the cell because even though they will not be executed anymore, they are still not allowed to have the benefit of parole. Lucky them, except those who were only victims of judi-cial errors.

Whatever the intentions are, political or not, everybody has a fundamental right to live. Life is important and it should not be wasted. It is a blessing and we should be thankful for this wonderful gift that we received. Let us live our lives the best we can and the way God has planned for us. Respect for human rights is necessary in our everyday living. Living a meaningful life is the best way we can cherish this right.

Ukol sa bagong simula…Ukol sa bagong simula…

Nakaraan na rin ang mahabang panahon muli noong huling labas ng TINIG, isang pahayagan ng mga balita at iba’t ibang kaisipan ng mga bumubuo sa lumalaking pamilya ng Bangko Kabayan. Marami ang mga naging paghihirap at hamon na pinagdaanan nito bago nagkaroon ng muling pagsisikap na buhayin ang isang mahalagang kasangkapan tungo sa pagkakaisa, di lamang ng mga bumubuong kawani ng BK kundi pati na rin ang mas malawak na komunidad na pinagsisilbihan nito.

Ngunit ganito ang buhay. May mga panahong dumadaan na pag-subok sa katuparan ng ating mga hangarin, gaano man ito kalalim at minimithi. Hindi nanganahulugang ang mga pangarap ay na-mamatay o nawawala. Kailangan lamang ay mayroon tayong lahat na kababaang-loob na kilalanin ang ating kahinaan at kakulangan sa iba’t ibang panahon. At magkaroon ng lakas-loob na muling magsimula sa pagsisikap na makabangon upang talakayin ulit ang landas patungo sa ating mga hinahangad na makamit.

Ang pagkakaisa ay isang mailap na pangarap, lalung-lalo na’t patu-loy ang paglaki ng ating pamilya sa BK, kalakip na ang mga hamon na dala ng ating pagdami at paglawak ng mga serbisyong nais na maipabot sa ating mga kabayan.

Ngunit sa bawat bagong simula ay may pag-asa. Tinatawag ang bawat isa sa atin na magkaroon ng ibayong lakas at tiwala na ang ating mga paghihirap ay may katuturan, na ang mga mahalagang mithiin ay makakamtan lamang kung di tayo magsasawa na bu-mangon at magsumikap muli upang magbigay ng ating sarili sa pamamagitan ng higit na pagbabahagi ng ating kakayahan, kasipa-gan at kalooban upang makamtan ang ating hinahangad na pagka-kaisa.

Salamat sa mga bumubuo ng bagong staff ng TINIG. Sana, ito’y unti-unting maging bahagi ng bawa’t bumubuo ng pamilya ng BK – pangasiwaan, kawani, kliyente, kaibigan – na nagkakaisa sa hangarin at pangarap na bumuo ng komunidad ng mga Kabayan na nagmamahalan at may pagtingin sa kapwa.

-TMG

Right of Life By: Catherine Torres On June 24, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed a bill abolishing the Death Penalty Law in the Philippines. This was scheduled at the eve of her journey to Italy. It seems that her deci-sion was so timely since she abolished the capital punishment in the country before she met Pope Benedict XVI. One can be inclined to think that the motive was purely political, maybe even fishing for that ‘job well done’ compliment for such a brave move.

According to the President, we shall continue to devote the increasing weight of our resources to the prevention and control of serious crimes, rather than take the lives of those who commit them.

Well, it is agreeable that we should focus on the strong reduction of crime levels and should en-hance the security of every citizen in our country. But ironically, killings are continuously increasing at a fast rate and it the solutions to these crimes are clearly lacking. Lately, those who oppose the gov-ernment have been the targets, but the state con-tinues to deny any connection with such killings. Instead, the blame is on the Leftists even without any evidence against them. Many journalists are continuously receiving death threats. Now the Phil-ippines is considered to be an unsafe country for journalists since there has been a large number of deaths of media practitioners.

The President abolished the death penalty, but no later than that, she also declared an “all out war” against the communist movement, the New Peo-ple’s Army (NPA). Aren’t these leftists also humans who possess life? And who are we to take their lives away from them? These people also have human rights that we have to respect. They also deserve to be properly tried by our justice system. We should avoid another bloody encounter using our armed cops and other forces that may lead to an even greater waste of lives. The victims of heinous crimes such as child rape, murder, and kidnapping are against the decision of eradicating capital punishment. They thought

I regret often that I have spoken never that I have been silent.... Contributed By: Shyrelyn Diaz When Western Union asked Thomas Edison to “name his price” for the number ticker he had invented, he asked for several days to consider it. His wife suggested $20,000 but he thought such an amount was exhorbitant. At the appointed time he went to the meeting still unsure as to his sales price. When the official asked, “How much?” he tried to say $20,000, but thewords just wouldn't come out of his mouth. The official finally broke the silence and asked “Well how about $100,000?” (excerpt from God's Little Devotional Book)

Often silence allows others to say something better than we could have said ourselves! By keeping quiet, others will have a greater interest in our thoughts. When you feel moved to express an opinion, weigh the impact of your words and keep the thought in mind “ The less said, the best said,” like Edison we might even benefit from our silence.

we STUDY again... (in graduate school)

By: Gerneil Rivera

Back to school – not only for the kids, but also for us “babyface BK employees” namely Gerneil, Rymar, and Rey, who decided to once again take on the challenge of aca-demic life. We are currently enrolled in De La Salle Lipa, taking up Masters in Management Technol-ogy, and we’re back to IDs, classrooms, class-mates, books, lectures, and instructors. It’s fun to meet young professionals who are also studying (especially girls!) and who are determined like us in reaching our goals. Coming from different fields, it’s nice to listen to everyone’s experi-ences. When it comes to studying, a certain level of power is expected of everyone. Discus-sions are very demanding (especially the trau-matizing question and answer portions), but in the end, we learn a lot from them. I will not for-get making and presenting a case analysis with my group. We had to meet regularly even if we had different schedules and opposite opinions. Although we were already arguing in the identi-fication of the problem, we still managed to come up with good ideas. Everyone was nerv-ous to present, but in spite of the nervousness and thanks to teamwork, we were able to an-swer the questions. Communication from the instructors and other batchmates is done through e-mail. Class presentations are carried out using laptops, big screens, and LCD projectors. Time management is necessary, even if it means sacrificing gim-micks and happenings. One has to budget his money as well, because of the monthly tuition fee, transportation, and food expenses.

Overall, its good to learn more; to read a lot, to speak, to think (kahit kunwari lang!) May ibang satisfaction na mararanasan, may bagong ex-periences na maiibahagi. Sa buhay daw, lagi tayong natututo. Iba't iba ang deskarte. Ako? Basta, ang sarap mag-aral ulit...

Page 8

Hadjie Lichauco:The Man of Success

By: Rymar Gutierrez

At 29 and working at BK for almost nine years, I can say that he's one of the successful employees of our institu-tion. This inspired me to feature him in this column. Last April, he finished his Masters Degree in Business Administration at Batangas State University alongside his busy schedule. When asked what difficulties he encountered while enrolled on the said course and working at the Bank, he said “...submitting requirements both for school and at work.” When asked what encouraged him to enroll in a Graduate School Program he simply answered that it is for his personal and professional upliftment, “I just want my weekend to be productive and increase my personal marketability. It is re-warding that after 5 days of working at the bank, I can still go an extra mile for myself.” Even if he has a very busy schedule during weekdays and weekends is the only time to take a rest, he still wanted to pursue his educational career in order to make himself more productive and ready in facing the changes in this fast evolving world. At present he is a Microfinance Officer and Product Development Officer who is in-charge of gathering data in or-der to develop a marketing strategy that will help to enhance the program and create new products. Sir Hadj is always a part of the big success when talking about the Microfinance Pro-gram of the institution. As a matter of fact the Program is on its fourth consecutive year of being number one in the microfi-nance operations. We received the EAGLE award which measures Efficiency, Asset Quality, Growth, Liability structure and Earnings. All these qualities are also reflected in him: an Efficient leader to his subordinates; an Attentive col-league who makes sure he attends to the needs of others; one who fosters Growth of the program by being updated with possible changes and developments; a person who is always aw-are that he is Liable to everything that he’s doing; and someone who allows you to Earn con- fidence by giving due credit to those who con-tribute to the program.

“Increase your personal marke- tability... take higher studies... give yourself a break - a nice break, because after all, it is a win-win situation” – this is how Sir Hadj lives his successful career life, which put him into wherehe is now.

Up Close and Personnel

Quote of the Month: Ang tunay na kahulugan ng buhay ay hindi ma-susukat sa kung ano ang nagawa mo para sa sarili mo kundi kung ano ang naging papel mo sa buhay ng iba; ang tunay na yaman ay wala sa materyal na bagay na naipundar mo sa mundo habang ika’y nabubuhay kundi sa kabutihan at magandang alaala na iyong nagawa sa iyong kapwa; ang tu-nay na kahulugan ng tagumpay ay wala sa taas ng posisyon na nakamtan ng tao kundi sa mga dagok at pagsubok na dumating sa buhay na iyong nalampasan habang naghahangad ng tagum-pay…” -excerpt from RV Esnero 8.26

Hindi natin maikakailang mahilig ang Pi-noy sa uso. Sa panahon natin ngayon, tila nagiging uso na ang paglisan ng bansa at paghahanap ng mas magandang kabuhayan sa ibang sulok ng mundo. Dati pa man, laganap na rin sa atin ang mentalidad na

basta imported, mas maganda. Nang dahil sa lakas ng impluwensiya ng “imported” sa paligid, nalilimutan natin ang kagandahan ng lokal, ang kakayahan ng Pilipino. Hindi ako tatanggi na naging bahagi ako ng alon na ito. Ngunit sa tingin ko’y oras na ng pagbabago. Oras na para sa bagong uso: ipagmalaki natin ang ating pagka-Pinoy! Yan ang nais kong matamo sa pamamagitan ng pagbabahagi ng ilang kwento tungkol sa mga natatanging Pilipino.

Panalo ang Pilipino Siguro’y marami sa atin ang nakarinig na sa mga ekspresiyong “winner!” o “panalo ka dyan!” Katawa-tawa man itong pakinggan kung minsan, tunay ngang may dugong “winner!” ang Pinoy. Ang sumusunod na kwento’y nagsisilbing patunay sa katagang ito.

Larios: Pinakyaw ni Pacquiao! Noong Hulyo 2, 2006, natalo ni Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao si Oscar Larios matapos ang 12 rounds ng kanilang Mano a Mano showdown. Matapos ang sinabing kompetisyon, ipinahayag ng bansa ang kasiyahan na dulot ng tagumpay sa pamamagitan ng paglalathala iba’t ibang balita, kwento, at larawan ni Manny Pacquiao. Dahil sa tagumpay na palaging iniuuwi ni Pacquiao, itinuturing siya ng bansa na modern national hero. Sa kanyang boxing career, 42 sa 47 na laban ang kaniyang pinanalo, 33 dito ay knock-out. (Sources: Inquirer7.net & Wikipedia)

8 taong gulang na kampiyon Si Paulo Bersamina ang tinaguriang “8-year old chess prodigy” ay nanalo sa 7th Asean Age Group Chess Championship na ginanap sa Jakarta, Indonesia noong Hunyo 10 hanggang 20. Nakamit niya ang 2 gold med-als sa kompetisyon. Natuto siyang maglaro ng chess noong siya ay 4 na taong gulang pa lamang. Isa siyang iskolar sa University of the East. (Source: PDI, July 8, 2006)

Ipinagmamalaki mo ba ang pagka-Pinoy mo? "Ang maipagmamalaki ko bilang isang Pilipino ay ang pagpapahalaga at pagmamahal natin sa ating pamilya at ang ating panampalataya sa Diyos. Daladala natin ito, saan man tayo mapunta" – Pia Cayetano

"Proud to be Pinoy ako dahil IBA magmahal ang pinoy! Masarap tayo magamahal dahil hindi tayo kuripot sa pag- ibig!" – Bianca Gonzalez

“Syempre… Dahil ako’y Pinoy na may takot sa Diyos.” – Yolly Cabatay

“Oo naman, kase ang mga Pinoy ay mapagmahal sa pamilya at matu-lungin, at mapag-alaga sa mga matatanda hindi gaya sa ibang bansa na dinadala na lang sa bahay ampunan basta matanda ka na.” – Florence Caraan

“Naniniwala ako na ang bawat tao ay dapat ipagmalaki ang sariling pinag-mulan. Sinasabi nga sa kasabihan na ang di lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa paroroonan. Ang Pinoy ay maraming magagandang katangian. Unang una, marami tayong mga bayani na ipinuhunan ay dugo at pawis upang makamtan ang kasarinlan sa mga mananakop. Ang mga manggagawang Pinoy, ang mga Pinoy na magaling sa palaro’t sining na kinikilala sa buong mundo, – ilan lamang ito sa mga bagay na dapat na-ting ipagmalaki sa ating bayan. Nararapat lamang na tayo ay magbigay-pugay sa ating pinagmulan at ipagmalaki ang ating pagiging Pilipino. Kaya Kabayan, ipagmalaki natin ang pagiging Pinoy!” -Jonalyn P. Wergas

HRIS: Finger ScanHRIS: Finger ScanBy: Shirley Esmiller

It was on the first week of June when Bangko Kaba-yan Head Office employees experienced the newest technology in the bank; the finger scan. Through the years, even in other companies and establishments, attendance was usually monitored manually. It was indeed a hard task for the Human Resources Depart-ment (HRD) to track down lates and absences. “It’s really time-consuming when reviewing bulky docu-ments of Daily Time Record (DTR),” Mr. Neil Ma-rundan, HR Staff concluded.

Though it is still on dry-run, big improvements have already been observed. In a single second, time in and time out are registered. You just have to put any of your forefingers in the scanner and there it goes! This is a big help for the Human Resource Informa-tion System (HRIS) worked out by Ms. Suzette de Chavez together with Ms. Mariedol Guerra and other HR members. HRIS is under the BK-HRD which complements with a)DTR, b) Personal Information System (PIS) wherein personal data of all BK em-ployees were encoded; and c) payroll proceedings.

The said program is still under the HR analysis. Hopefully, after the successful trial, the system will also be applied to other BK branches for more accu-rate monitoring procedures.

BK Summer Outing By: Mary Frances Bathan

Sobrang init! Damang-dama noon ang sum-mer. Kaya naman noong nakaraang Abril 8,2006 ay ginanap ang summer outing ng buong pamilya ng Bangko Kabayan sa Doña Lorenza Beach Resort sa Nonong Casto,Lemery, Batangas. Dinaluhan ito ng ating mga kapuso’t kapamilya mula sa iba’t-ibang sangay ng BK. Isama pa natin diyan ang kani-kanilang mga pamilya, misis, mister at mga chikiting na lalo namang nagpasigla sa kasiyahan.

Pinaghandaan ang araw na iyon. Nagbuo pa nga ng committee para sa lalong ikagaganda at ikaaayos ng nasabing okasyon. Nariyan ang San Jose at Cuenca branch na siyang namahala sa registration at distribution of stubs, na nagsilbing tiket para sa AM snack, lunch at PM snack.

Hindi alintana ang tindi ng sikat ng araw; langoy dito, langoy doon, sa pool man o sa dagat. Ang iba naman ay tumambay na lang sa videoke booth at doon ay walang humpay na nagkantahan. Mas pinili naman ng ilan na manatili sa kani-kanilang mga kubo at doon magrelaks habang nakikipagkwen-tuhan at kulitan sa mga kasamahan.

Kainan na! Syempre pa, mawawala ba na-man ang masasarap na pagkain na inihanda para sa

Pinoy Ako,Pinoy Tayo!

Handog ni: Fides Ganzon

Continued on page 11...

Page 9

Cleofe,Michael

Appraiser 1 Exec

YEAR 2006 YEAR 2006 NEW & TRANSFERREDNEW & TRANSFERRED

EMPLOYEESEMPLOYEES

Page 10

To provide more personalized and concentrated service to its stakeholders, Ibaan Branch (IBB) was created. It was separated from the executive office to efficiently obtain our vision. Departments of Loans, Accounting, Audit, EDP and HRAD compose the Exec Office which is positioned on the 2nd and 3rd floor of BK. The first floor which happened to be the home of cash, accounting, audit and EDP was then transformed to a new complete environment of a BK Branch. An unforgettable physical transfer of offices happened at the end of last year. Everyone felt excited about the new set-up. It created a happy atmosphere in welcoming the youngest member of the BK family - the Ibaan Branch. The energetic manager from San Jose branch, Mrs. Yolly Ca-batay, leads the happy group. Operations is supervised by Mrs. Dory Lado with the help of Ms. Frances Ganzon as management trainee. The account-ing data are being handled by the branch accountant – Mrs. Margie Samson and assisted by Mr. Rey Orense (management trainee). Former loans book-keeper Mrs. Jasmin Andal was replaced by Mrs. Malou Abaday who was the former loans processor. Ms. Shirley Esmiller is the new loan processor. The eagle rating microfinance team is composed of Ms. Sharon Benitez, the general clerk. KABAYAN Account Officers are Mrs. Joy Guerra and Mr. Michael Steven John. KAPITAN AOs are Mr. Gerneil Rivera, Mr. Rymar Gutierrez, Mr. Allan Rey Valdez and Ms. Frances Bathan and also the newest among the group, Mr. Charlie Tejada. The gorgeous and beautiful tellers lead by its senoir teller Mrs. Florence Caraan are Mrs. Connie Fortus, Ms. Juvy Banawa, Ms. Jaylene Ravanal and Ms. Dhea Conti. Checking of teller's transaction is done by the in-house auditor, Mrs. Arlene Montalbo. Deposit liability bookkeepers are Ms. Glady Javier for the current accounts, Mrs. Zoroida Acosta for special savings and time deposits and Mr. Edwin Cacao for new accounts. Lastly, the maintenance of the office is in the hands of Mr. Roldan Sales.

New Ibaan BranchNew Ibaan BranchBy: Gerneil Rivera

Acosta, Zoraida

Acting DLB2IBB

Arellano, Princess

Gen. Clerk RBB

Bagsit, Geron

Kapitan AO RBB

Guerra,Ben

Kapitan AO RBB

Lacerna, Maylene

Kabayan AO RBB

Patron,Christina

Gen. Clerk SJN

(With pictures) From left to right, top to bottom: Adan, Limwel S. Kapitan AO SJN Atienza, Eric D. Acting OIC SJB Banawa, Juvy P. Teller 1 IBB Bathan, Mary Frances A. Kapitan AO IBB Cruz, Gregorio C. Messenger/Janitor CBB De Villa, Cary C. Kabayan AO SJB Dimaano, Cecille C. Gen. Clerk (Loans) CBB Esmiller, Shirley Acting Loan Procr. IBB Gabayno, Jezebel V. Kabayan AO CLC Ganzon, Frances M. Mgt. Trainee Support Garcia, Jose Abdon D. Account Officer 2 Exec Gonzales, Henry N. Kabayan AO SPB-LCDP

Guerena, Renalyn M. DLB 1 RBB Guerra, Mariedol P. HR Clerk Exec Hernandez, Andrean A. Kapitan AO SPB Joyag, Marsha P. DLB 4 SJB Laylo, Jhonaren D. Kabayan AO SJB Magpantay, Geraldine J. Kapitan AO RBB Maramot, Baby Gen. Clerk (Loans) MBB Matuloy, Lhenlen M. Kabayan AO SPB-LCDP Nepomuceno, Jonalyn C. Kapitan AO CBB Pagcaliwagan, Christian J. Kapitan AO SJB Pagsuyoin, Jeanett O. Teller 1 CBB Ramos, Rachelle C. Kabayan AO SPB-LCDP Reyes, Sonny T. ROPOA Asst. Exec Rosima, Nelda A. Teller 2 CLC Salazar, Mary Ann C. Accounting Clerk Exec Semira, Robinson C. Messenger/Janitor SJB Tejada, Charlie A. Kapitan AO IBB Zaballa, Zernan T. Acting OIC CBB

BK Summer Outing, cont’d from page 9... lahat ng San Pascual branch? Nariyan ang bagay na bagay na sandwich at malamig na softdrinks para sa mainit na panahon noong breakfast, ang bidang-bidang litson mula sa Calaca branch, at marami pang ibang masasarap na pagkain para sa tanghalian at ang masarap na pansit at tinapay naman noong meryenda. Hindi rin naman pinalampas ng mga BK boys ang pagkakataong iyon na hindi sila makapag-inuman.

Mas lalo namang pinasigla ang araw na iyon ng mga parlor games na inihanda ng Admin, lalong-lalo na ang pinakaaabangang pa-BINGO na pinamunuan naman ng mga taga-Ibaan branch. At syempre mawawala ba naman ang mga papremyong grocery, cash, at mga consolation prizes na ipinami-gay para sa mga nagwagi. Kumpleto ang mga palaro. Mayroong para sa mga mag-sweethearts, para sa mga binata’t dalaga at syempre pa, para sa mga kyut na kyut na mga chikiting. Nag-enjoy naman ang lahat sa mga palaro, lalung-lalo na ang mga nagwagi (blow-out, blow-out!).

Natapos na ang maghapon, hudyat na din iyon na oras na ng uwian. Samantalang may ilan pa ring mga kasamahan ang nagpaiwan at nanatili pa doon hanggang kinabukasan.

Nakakapagod ngunit masayang araw na-man ang lumipas. Nagkaroon ng pagkakataon ang bawat isa na maupo’t magrelaks at makipagkwentu-han kasama ang mga kaibigan na noon na lamang uli nakasama at makipagbonding sa mga bagong kakilala. Kaya sama na at kitakits ulit sa mga susunod pa!

Hanggang sa muling paglangoy!

Page 11

KAMBIO, cont’d from page 5... “Mayet, tuloy tayo sa Maculot, sabado pagkatapos ng Pagkabu-

hay!” Sa bawat paanyaya, basta ayos ang katawan, sama agad si Mayet at ang mga skolars. Doon pa lang sa tagpuan ng kanto ng Macro, punong puno kami. Si Marie, ang Pranses na intern ng BK, ang pinakiusapan namin mag-drive. Ano nga pala ang gagawin sa bundok Maculot, eh tapos na ang mahal na araw? Makikiisa sa Earth Day Movement. Makalipas ang apat na oras, napuno ang 100 na black bags mula sa naipong basurang iniwan ng mga namanatang umakyat ng bundok. Bumaba ang lahat mula sa bundok, pawisan at gutom, halos hila ang mga paa. Ngunit napawi ang

lahat sa masarap na tanghalian ng taga Cuenca Ibabao. Bu-kod pa dito, sabi ni Isabel (dating skolar), “Salamat sa pagkakataong ito. May traba-ho po ako pero nag-leave para makasama kong muli kayo.”

* * * “Cielo, sama ka?” Nakangiti lamang ito pero wala namang pagtu-

tol sa paglista ko sa kanyang pangalan para sa makakasama sa talakayang PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) na ginanap sa Pius Center, Manila noong Hunyo 24. Nang magtagpo uli kami sa kanto ng Macro, si Ron nasa unahan ng van kasama sina Volet Marasigan at Catalina Caringal, mga center chief ng Lucsuhin at Bago, Jhona at Angie ng Cuenca Branch, Mayet at Famila. Umuwi kami na may sapat na kaala-man kung ano ang kahulugan at layunin ng saligang batas, wastong pag-unawa sa charter change, pakikiisa sa mapayapang talakayan ng mga isyu at makabuo ng pasya-OO o HINDI sa Charter Change. Salamat sa mga pan-gunahing tagapagsalita: Dean Andres Bautista, Dean Abueva ng Sigaw ng Bayan Movement at A. Lacson. Salamat din Ron sa iyong presensiya. May naalala tuloy ako sa ebanghelyo. Gabi na pero masaya kaming umuwi.

* * *

Nangyari ang mga karanasan dahil ng pagpapalit ng isang men-talidad. Kambio, Kabayan, ang susi. Kung sarili lang ang iniisip mo, kam-bio! Isipin din ang iba! Kapuwa ko, pananagutan ko. KAMBIO! KA-PUWA KO PANANAGUTAN NATIN! Sa sunod na lakbay, sama na kayo! Paalala. kaisa ka namin, kung kambio ka! Get's mo?

From the streets of Paris and my long afternoons in the park behind the Eiffel Tower, I have been sent to Ibaan in a blink of an eye. The Philippines is so different from France. Everything is different: the people, the streets, the buildings, the cars, the food! I realized that I, as a French girl, was really different also. At first sight, there is no doubt that I am a foreigner: much taller, blue eyes and blonde. I cannot escape my origin even if I am in a very far place. In France, I try to go unnoticed, to fit in with the crowd. Here, I have no choice. If I enter a shop, all the heads immediately turn to me, all the eyes stare at me, trying to figure out how many inches I measure. It is very embarrassing and I really feel different, even after 6 months. Not only two continents separate our countries; it is the whole society, with its culture and history, that is distinct. However, as for me, difference does not mean segregation. On the contrary, difference is what makes the world so interesting, so rich, so exciting. Without difference, it would be unnecessary to work in team or go to school. We would be all clones, thinking the same way, having the same skills and competencies. Unity and communion are impos-sible in a uniformed world! Yet, I also realized one very important thing. Wherever you live, whatever your education and beliefs are, even if you are really different, each human being in the world is child of a Unique Father. Everybody is looking for love and happiness. Of course, the expression and the means used to reach them differ from one person and one culture to another, but we have all the same essence which is God's Infinite Love. I only realized that when I arrived here. Before, I just knew, because someone told me, that we are all equal and we deserve the same rights but I never sensed the communion of hearts so deeply as here in The Philippines. Now, I really think that the Economy of Communion can work and spread all over the world because of that same essence that unify us since the very beginning.

Different… but ONE in God’s Love By: Marie Pommeret (BK Intern, February—December 2006)

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Status Report: BK Taps Wider MarketIn the pursuit of providing excellent service to our clients, our company is continuously growing

and venturing into expansions, both in infrastructure and development of new products. Last November 2005, we decided to try out the market in urban areas by acquiring Banco de Jesus Rural Bank in Marulas, Valenzuela. It is currently pending for consolidation, our target before we reach our 50th year anniversary. Just this year, in April, a Loan Collection and Disbursement Point (LCDP) in Batangas City was put up in order to accommodate more clients who avail of BK’s microfinance loans. It also serves as an exten-sion office of our San Pascual Branch. Our new products and services include our tie-up with Pinoy Express’ Hatid-Padala, Microfinance Edu-cational Loan, and the Kabayan Plus, which will be launched this August. We are also currently work-ing out a remittance tie-up with Banco de Oro.

BK Grabs 1ST Runner-up in Palaro ng Bayan 06! By: Allan Valdez

Our BK basketball team placed first runner-up in the inter-office division of the Palaro ng Bayan held last March to May 2006. The team’s head coach was Mr. Zernan “Bono” Zaballa.

The 4th day of March highlighted the simultaneous launching of the town’s 175th founding Anniversary and a Basketball League aptly called Palaro ng Bayan. This sports activity was also in cooperation with the Local Government headed by Hon. Mayor Artemio P. Chua. This marked the Sangguniang Kabataan first project for this year and the fourth major project since 2002.

In addition to this, these events featured an ex Pinoy Big Brother housemate Raquel Reyes for some sort of entertainment. She also chaired the panel of judges for the search for Ms. Palaro ng Bayan on which our very own Ms. Juvy Ann Banawa of the team Bangko Kabayan got the title.

To keep players and coaches abreast in the new rules and regulations of the game, they conducted a sports clinic assisted by Basketball Association of the Philippines Provincial Commisioner Mr. Berlin Sevilla last February at the Recto Gymnasium.

During my interview with Sangguniang Kabataan President Mr. Michael Joseph Rubio, he said “Our objectives are to promote a spirit of solodarity and sportsmanship and to develop values of good discipline, fair play and ensure mutual understanding and collaboration among local officials, players and community as a whole. It is also able to broaden camaderie and harmonious relationships among Ibaanians.” It was participated by 38 teams, with inter-barangay, inter-office and inter-association divisions respectively. The league had its initial game on early March and had its finals last May 25 and May 26.

Mr. Zaballa, head coach of BK team, said in my interview to him, “I always say to my players to play hard for the BK team and play as a team. I’m very happy that my BK players are coachable or should I say di matigas ang ulo.” He added to thank all those who gave their support especially Manager Rogelio G. Ceradoy, Branch Manager Julie Patena and his assistant coach MR. Joel Mindanao and also all the staff of Bangko Kabayan for moral support during their games. We hope that in next basketball league, BK Team will be the Champion!