Philippines Has Highest Electrical Rates

Photo by Daisy Catague Cababasay
In the February 23 issue of the Philippine Star, an article written by Jess Diaz reported that our country besides being ranked as among the most corrupt countries, also holds the unenviable record of having the highest residential power rates not only in Asia but also in the entire world.

Reading this article reminded me of my previous article in this blog about the PRO's and CONS' of Living in the Philippines versus the US.

One harmful consequence to the economy of the Philippines due to this high power rates is the discouragement of foreign investors. The article also indicated that the Energy Regulatory Commission(ERC) as well as Congress should both share the blame for this high cost of electricity( residential and commercial). Congress added a 12% value added tax(VAT) on electricity just recently.

So, as ordinary citizens, what can you do to save electrical cost? Your ideas are welcome. In my case here at Chateau Du Mer, every room has a sign to shut off lights, fans and air conditioners if the occupants plan on leaving their rooms for 15 minutes or longer. Most of my clients from abroad follow this sign. However, my relatives from US ignored the sign. My relatives from US are so spoiled and used to the fact that electrical power in US is cheap.

My solution is to check the rooms once it is vacated. They call me SCROOGE or KURIPOT when I shut off the lights, fans and air conditioners. I do not mind being called names to save electrical costs. Again, your ideas are welcome about saving electrical costs in your residences and offices.

Elecric Power is Back in MDQ-Reserve Now for Holy Week Festivities

For the last week, Boac and its vicinity had no power brown or black outs. If you compare this with the power brown outs last month, one can not believed that MARELCO and its obligation to provide the electrical needs of the people in MDQ had been exemplary this last week. I hope this will continue until this coming Holy Week Season if not longer. Easter Week is the busiest season here in Marinduque as far as tourism because of the Moriones Festival. Here at Chateau Du Mer, we are already partially booked for the coming Holy Week. We however have still space for six. The room is air conditioned and with hot water shower. It is available for $70 to $100 per night depending on the number of persons in your party. If you plan on attending this year Moriones Festival, it is now the right time to arrange your accommodation and travel needs to Marinduque. Hopefully, I will see you in Marinduque this Holy Week!

Balanacan Cove Convention Center, Mogpog

A new resort and convention center is now open in Balanacan, Mogpog. It is located 1 KM east of downtown Balanacan. It is owned and operated by Frank and Flor Irlandez. The Irlandezes were my classmates in college and graduate school. Both Frank and Flor are from Batangas, but Frank fell in love with Marinduque ( particularly the Balanacan Cove area) when he visited the province about 4 years ago.

Construction of this convention center started about two years ago. It has magnificent and mesmerizing views of the cove. It has limited rooms for overnight stay or longer. There is dancing with a live band on Wednesday and Friday nights from 8 to 11PM. The entrance fee is 100 pesos per person. For additional information, call 0920 268 8953.

Thank you Frank and Joy for the lunch yesterday and showing us your beautiful resort.

Hot Spring, Curva Grill and Marinduque Cuisine

Macrine, David E and I pampered ourselves with a one day R & R after our one week of hectic and sometime chaotic schedule during our participation to MI, Inc Medical Mission Of Love. We started our day at 10AM and arrived at the Marinduque Hot Springs in Buenavista after an hour. The hot spring has been modernized and renovated. There are now several buildings and two pools. The landscaping looks fabulous. The water temperature was just right for me, but Macrine wanted it warmer. David E just did care about the water temperature. He soaked his aching body for an hour. I stayed only for 30 minutes and it was time for our sandwiches, candies and bottled water. David E brought himself, a bottle of San Miquel beer. We were the only patrons of the Hot spring since it was midweek. This experience was worth more than the 300 pesos, I paid for the entrance fee.

At 1:30PM we decided to drive back to Amoingon. On our way back we passed by the Curva Grill-a restaurant at the outskirt of downtown Buenavista. The restaurant is on the second floor of a house overlooking the rice fields. We were the only patrons of the restaurant. We ordered Calamari, french fries, hamburgers, pancit bijon and mushroom soup. The calamari was excellent and I recommend this restaurant to all visitors to Marinduque.

We ended our day at 3:30PM. After 3 hours of sleep, it was time for Dinner. Our cook, Cecille, prepared PINAKBET. It is dish of mixed vegetables( okra, eggplant, green beans, squash and bitter melon ) sauteed in shrimps and pork. Besides Pinakbet we had coconut lobster (IGOD). This dish was a gift from Mr.Senecio Saguid of Gasan. The coconut lobster is very rare and thus expensive. It taste better than Dungenness or Maryland Crabs or for that matter the Maine Lobster. Eating this dish made me feel I am dining in Paradise. Thank You for your gift.

Thank you God for this wonderful day in my island Paradise in Marinduque-also our second home.

Registrants Funding and Thanks to All

The blogger and Congressman Allan Velasco during the Saturday Reception at his Beach Resort in Torrijos

In the earlier missions until 2008, missioners were not required or assessed a registration fee of $150. In this mission, one hundred ten (110) registrants paid $150 for the privelege of joining this mission. This fee was supposed to pay for the bus(Jack Liner) from Manila to Marinduque. Only 32 missioners used this service. The fee will take care of the expense for the two T-shirts, local transportation and all the meals. Lodging is the responsibility of each missioner. The T-shirts were donated by a local philanthropist. All the lunches ( except the lunches in the hospital) and dinners ( except Bellarocca) were donated. The only meal, that MI, Inc paid were the breakfast in each hotel. Based on the breakfast I have catered for my 6 registered guests and one surgeon volunteer, the amount I paid was $15 per person for the whole week. The big expense of MI, Inc were the 10 vans that were used to transport the missioners, a few local volunteers and drugs to the various venues where clinical operations are held. I calculated this expense amounted to be $31 per missioners for the whole 6 days. Add another $4.00 for miscellaneous expense to round it up to $50. Therefore $100 paid by each registrant goes to the general funding of MI, Inc. This is a good way of raising funds, since most of the chapters did not contribute enough funds to reach the projected budget of $50,000 for this mission. I urged the treasurer and president to publish all expenses and donation to MI, Inc. for transparency as soon as possible.

My thanks to:

1. Donor of the T-shirt
2. All mayors except the mayor of Santa Cruz that donated the lunches
3. Gov C Reyes and VGov A. Uy for the Friday Night welcome and Reception
4. Fr,Edwin Sager for entertaining us ( dance and song) that Friday night
5. Congressman Allan Velasco for the Saturday Night Dinner in his beach House in Torrijos.
6. Donors of all dinners at the several venues- East Point Hotel, Chateau Du Mer, Villa sa Aplaya and Paradiso Hall in Mogpog.
7. Sheila Evano and the Bellarocca Staff for arranging our Valentine Dinner and Dance and for the 50% discount of our accommodations.

Last but not least: Most Reverent Bishop Rey Evangelista for officiating the welcome mass in Gasan( Feb6) and the post mission mass at the Bellarocca Resort(Feb 13).

If you have help in this mission, and I forget to mention your name in this blog, my sincere apology.

My Heart Melted and I Cried Again

This 2011 Medical Mission of Love is not different from the previous missions that Macrine and I had attended since 1998. More than six thousand of the poor and the needy from the distant barangays in the province of Marinduque lined patiently from 4 to 6 hours just to see A PHYSICIAN and obtained free medicines ( cough syrup, multivitamens, pain medications, anti-acids and maybe antibiotics) for their aches and pains true or imagined. At the end of the day in each town, there are always about 200 to 300 more patients that have to be sent home since we do not have enough physician volunteers this year. This is the same case in our HOSPITAL operations. This year we had only 3 surgeons and 1 anesthesiologist. Thus we have to send a lot of patients home along with their disappointment and hopes that maybe in our next mission, they can be accommodated.

A hospital case that touched my heart and that made me mad: A patient was already in the operating table after the preliminary tests had been done the day before was sent home because of one basic instrument not available. I heard from the surgeon who stayed at Chateau Du Mer, that instrument he needed for the operation is a basic instrument, but the hospital does not have one. So where is the priority of our provincial and health officials?

In Buenavista, I helped in the repacking area section of the Pharmacy Department. At about 2PM, there were still about 200 to 300 patients waiting in line. The patients were told to go home, since there already 200 in line ahead of them and our physicians will not be able to see them. However, about 100 did not go home in the hope that multi-vitamens and cough syrup, and Paracetamol will still be given to them at the end of the day.

One middle-aged woman with her 2 kids ( Ages 3 and 5)started begging to the two of us working in the repackaging area very closed to the lines. She said her 2 kids are coughing and had fever and asked us if we can give her Paracetamol and cough syrup. I looked at her and the two kids and my heart melted and I shed a tear or two.

I stood up, talked to the Pharmacist-in-Charge that day and she told me "NO". She told me that If the others in line saw me giving the drugs only to her, if might cause a RIOT. I whispered to the woman to wait until closing time. By 4:30PM there will still around 10 patients waiting. At around 5:00PM there were still a couple of patients hanging around. But, I called the woman aside, give her a bottle of Paracetamol;, cough syrup and multi-vitamens along with the usual instructions. She thanked me an gave me a SMILE that still lingers in my mind today.