Negros Press Club to honor honest broadcaster

On Oct. 15, it is very unlikely that Negrenses will forget 65-year-old Raymundo Adeva and what he has done to deserve the tribute of local journalists.

The Negros Press Club will have Adeva as its principal guest during its celebrity night. He will be presented by Negros Press Club president Primo Esleyer and the unanimous resolution of the NPC board to name him a member of the country’s oldest press club.

The reason is obvious. Although Adeva is a member of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcaster sa Pilipinas (KBP), Adeva gave honor to his medium with his unprecedented honest act.

Adeva, a stringer-reporter of Radio Pilipino Network’s dyKB, found and returned a clutch bag owned by a prominent Dumaguete City sugar farmer.

It turned out that even Adeva’s family was not aware that the bag contained P250,000 in cash, some P500,000 in cheques, ATM cards and other items.

The grateful owner, Rene Durupan, gave Adeva P5,000 in cash and bought Adeva and his neighbors and relatives two cases of beer as they celebrated the return of the bag. Durupan also treated to free coffee all those inside the mini coffee shop.

Adeva, who has become a household name, has caught the attention of mediamen of Negros Occidental that Esleyer immediately asked the NPC board of directors to approve a resolution accepting him as a member of the country’s oldest press club.

Since it will also be the full observance of Masskara Festival, there is fear that the tribute to Adeva may somehow be overshadowed by the festivities. But one thing is sure, with all the radio and television stations paying tribute daily to Adeva, the 65-year old stringer-reporter will not be forgotten. And what he did will become a legend among Negrenses.

And, yes, according to his family members, he had earlier returned a cash haul of P20,000 and P30,000 in separate incidents. Bago City officials, headed by Mayor Janet Torre, will also bestow honors to Adeva later.

Gordon, Charter Day speaker

Senator Richard Gordon will be the guest of honor and guest speaker of the 67th Charter Day celebration of Bacolod City on Oct. 19, which will be the highlight of this year’s Masskara Festival. Another celebrity coming is Manny Pacquiao (the Pacman), who is expected to arrive in the morning to join the celebration.

Pacquiao, incidentally, is also interested in cockfighting and will be accompanied by sportsman Rey "Dukee" Salud to visit the fighting cock farms in the city and nearby areas.

Gordon was invited by Leonardia because of his experience and background in tourism and local governance.

Gordon will witness the countdown street party on Oct. 18.

The Charter Day celebration starts at 7 a.m. with a Holy Mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral. The culminating program will be at 9 a.m. at the Bays Center.

Pacquiao will be given a citation during the program for the honor he had given the Filipino people when he won the WBC International Crown in the super flyweight division during his most recent bout in Las Vegas.

Olongapo City and Bacolod tied as the Cleanest and Grenest Cities of the Philippines in 1997.

Masskara bowling

The fourth National Open Trio Masskara Bowling Championship unfolded yesterday at the Superlanes of the Goldenfields Commercial Complex.

Dubbed as the Manuel Y. Po Cip, it will be hosted by the Negros Professional Bowlers Club headed by Gil Villarante. The week-long event will be participated in by no less than 40 teams nationwide.

It is sanctioned by the Philippine Duckpin Bowling Council headed by Inex Magbuat. It is held in cooperation with LJP Trading.

The champion in the men’s division will receive P40,000. First and second runners up will get P20,00 and P10,00, respectively.

The women’s department champion will get P35,000 while the first runner up will receive P20,000 and the second runner up P10,000.

The three top winners in the singles events will receive P15,000, P8,000 and P5,000, respectively for the men’s and women’s category.

OPSI inaugurated

The Sugar Regulatory Administration yesterday held the blessing and inauguration of the Outreach Program for Sugar Industry or "BALY OPSI" at the SERA La Granja Center in La Carlota City.

Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban was the guest speaker during the affair. He was introduced by Regional Executive director Findra Linda Demetrio of DA Region VI.

Fr. Mike Carreon delivered the invocation and presided the blessing rites. Ms. Nora Meneses, senior research specialist, led the singing of the Pambansang Awit.

Sugar Administrator James Ledesma delivered the welcome address, while Dr. Rodrigo Tapay, manager of the SERA Negros-Panay, introduced the OPSI participants and guests.

Ferdinan Emmanuel Gayeles delivered his message as president of the OPSI Alumni Foundation Inc.

ADDENDA. A group of Bacolod motorists exchanged impressions on the efficient management of the Bacolod traffic by new Bacolod PNP chief Pedro Merced on Saturday morning. Most of the motorists, who had been very vocal about the Bacolod traffic mess, said Merced’s strictness in enforcing local raffic rules and ordinances had eased the log jams in many areas of the city, including the downtown Bacolod. One of them, an official of the City Hall, admitted that he heard one BTAO caution Merced that an apprehended violator was "a friend" and "ally." But Merced promptly slapped him down by simply pointing out that "the more reason why he should be made an example of how friends of the Bacolod’s City mayor should be the first to observe strictly traffic rules." Incidentally, the Western Wats of Cebu reportedly will start processing applicants for employment in Cebu. The call center needs about 500 call center agents and will hold a job fair at the Bacolod Business Inc. from Oct. 20-23, according to executive assistant Moises de la Cruz, applicants must be over 18 years old, responsible, dedicated, hardworking and fluent in English.