Cebu experiences America in 3D weekend

For our special presentation on our talkshow Straight from the Sky, we bring you the one-year report about the anti-dengue campaign with the Rotary Clubs of Cebu, the Cebu Medical Society and a host of other NGOs that helped in last year Larvicide dispersion program, which proves that the dreaded dengue virus can be defeated. All it takes is a few good men who are determined to help destroy the areas that breed the dengue mosquito.

 Indeed some 400 plus Rotarians, including the barangay health workers, spearheaded the anti-dengue campaign last year with Dr. Wyben Briones, Visayas Chair for Rotary International and the Cebu Medical Society, Dr. Neil Camonggol, President of the Rotary Club of Metro Cebu, and Ms. Gisela Palascios, Visayas Chair Rotary Club of Guadalupe. From the reports taken from the Department of Health (DoH), Cebu City experienced a whooping 84% reduction in dengue deaths and hospital cases, proof that the Temephos Larvicide really works to kill mosquitoes that are dengue carriers.

 This is a very significant event in Cebu’s medical history that for the year 2010-2011 dengue cases have dropped sharply. So for this year, the Rotarians have expressed their confidence that they can do more. Hence this Sunday, Sept.25th, the Larvicide campaign will once more reel off in Metro Cebu, still spearheaded by the various Rotary Clubs of Cebu. So see this very dramatic results of the larvicide campaign in tonight’s show on SkyCable’s channel 15 at 8:00PM tonight. Replays on Wednesday and Saturday.

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 Last Saturday evening, we went to SM’s North Wing for the America in 3D campaign. 3D stands for Diplomacy, Development and Defense, which is America’s way of showing to the Filipino people that we are their closest allies in the Asia-Pacific Region. US Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. was there in SM in casual clothes (I met him twice in Manila when he was always wearing a suit) and I greeted him a warm welcome to Cebu. It turns out that Mrs. Sara Soliven de Guzman (the daughter of Sir Max Soliven) was among those who accompanied him to Cebu so we had a short time to talk about the good old days, while the 7th Fleet Band was rocking the crowd in SM.

 Ambassador Thomas was in Cebu for two days. Last Friday afternoon, (I couldn’t attend this as I was having my medical check up) he showed his support for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in the Province of Cebu who created a group called “Movement of Anti-Trafficking Advocates (MATA) which has networked with the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFFI) to help in the fight against human trafficking, which was formally launched last Friday at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

 I’m a staunch advocate for the abolition of the SK for reasons that they have become irrelevant to society. However this is a new twist in their roles and indeed, if the youth under the SK would be the eyes and ears of our authorities in curbing trafficking against persons, then perhaps the SK has now found a new objective in their lives. This is supported not only by the Philippine government, but by the US government as well.

 On Saturday, Ambassador Thomas, together with Cebu Gov. Gwen F. Garcia, presented the keys to the new homeowners during the inauguration of a new street in Minglanilla at the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Village named Sugbo. Lexmark has pledged to build 150 homes in that 9-hectare property, which is the biggest GK village in the Province of Cebu.

 Even US Navy personnel have pitched in to help build a few homes in this GK Village.

 Yesterday morning, US Honorary Consul John Domingo invited all his friends from the Rotary Club of Cebu and biker friends on board the USS Russell (DDG-59), which is anchored off Talisay City. This is an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer armed with Harpoon Ship-to-Ship missiles and the famous Tomahawk cruise missiles that could reach targets thousands of miles away. This vessel is named after two American Admirals, Rear Admiral John Henry Russell (one of the Civil War heroes) and his son Major General John Henry Russell, who commanded the Marine Detachment at the American Legations during the famous “Boxer Rebellion,” which is immortalized in the movie “55-Days in Peking.”

 The group could only marvel at the weaponry being carried by the USS Russell. If you ask me, if the Americans gave us one such vessel and we stationed it west of Palawan, perhaps the Chinese Navy would have more respect for Filipinos. Instead the Philippine Navy got a 45-year old Hamilton Class Coast Guard Cutter to be our main Navy vessel for the Philippine Navy. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers. I just wished that Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III would lobby for newer arms and materiel when he visits the United States again. That’s the least he could ask from our US Allies in an enduring friendship that’s been there for more than a century.

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