City Councilor George Valdez

This is how City Councilor George Valdez, Fiesta Executive Chairman 2009 said as his post evaluation.

            “It was a resounding success because we have very nice show and full backing of everybody and officials like the Deputy Speaker Singson and city officials,” Valdez said.

            Valdez said that the week long “Tobacco Festival” continuous to improve to meet the demands and expectations of the Candonians and tourists.

P/Supt Emmanuel Reyes

Newly installed Officer- In- Charge Chief of Police P/Supt. Emmanuel Reyes immediately plunged into action.

His first target is to put break  on the increasing motorcycle accidents happening around the city.

“We need to strengthen checkpoints as one way to solve the most prevalent concern of the city today which is the motorcycle accidents,” Reyes said.

Social networking, also referred to as social media, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easier for people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Social networking platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, message boards, Wikipedia and countless others are catching on like wildfire.

People use social networking to share recipes, photos, ideas and to keep friends updated on our lives. In many cases, you can use social networking tools from mobile devices, such as Blackberries and iPhones, as easily as from a PC or Mac.

By its very nature, social networking is interactive. You can tell anyone (that you want to talk to, and that wants to listen to you) anything about your opinions and experiences—and vice versa.

I browse to the net and listed below are some of the most popular sites with some background or descriptions.

 Blogs are sites that people set up to provide information and opinions about events, ideas or anything else they want to discuss. Blogs can include links to other related sites, photos, videos and sound as well as text. The number of bloggers is growing exponentially; eMarketer estimates that in 2007 there were almost 23 million U.S. bloggers and more than 94 million blog readers.

• Twitter is a micro-blogging site. Twitter members post text messages called “tweets” of 140 characters or less, using either a computer or a cell phone. Other Twitter users can “follow”” your posts, but you can decide if you want to let them follow you or not. Compete.com, a Web-traffic analysis service, says that Twitter had 6 million unique visits in February 2009.
• Facebook is a social networking site where you can set up a profile, join different communities, and connect with friends. More than 175 million people currently use Facebook—and the fastest growing demographic is people over the age of 35.
• LinkedIn is a social networking site with about 38 million members. While it shares a lot of the same features and capabilities you’ll find on Facebook, LinkedIn focuses specifically on helping people build career and business communities.
• Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Articles provide links to related information. In 2008, Wikipedia had 684 million visitors, and 75,000 contributors working on more than 10 million articles.
• YouTube is a site to share and watch videos. Anyone can record a video and then upload and share it via the YouTube site. Everyone can watch the videos on YouTube.  In January, The U.S. Congress and YouTube announced the launch of official Congressional YouTube channels, which gives each member of the House and Senate the opportunity to create his or her own YouTube channel. 

One of the come ons of the social networking is engaging in business. No need to think over just maximize its many practical purposes. You can use these tools (which are usually free) to locate experts and find information, pose questions and get answers. Thoughtful use of social networking services can help you move beyond conventional, one-way marketing, such as advertising, and tap into a more interactive marketing approach. For instance, you use social networking tools to:

• Research ideas, and learn more about what customers and prospects are saying about their needs and experiences, and about your products and related areas.
• Gain new market and competitive insights to improve your products and services.
• Create and join conversations with customers, prospects, partners and other constituents about key issues and concerns.
• Create positive word-of-mouth about your products and services.
• Grow your company’s reputation as a thought leader.

After reading these article, I know your appreciate more social networking. I assume you are now connected.

The city of Candon is connected. View it with http://candoncity.wordpress.com, http://candoncity.multiply.com, and of course through our website www.candoncity.gov.ph

Congratulations to the new president of Bago National Cultural Society of the Philippines (BNCSP); Alexander G. Bistoyong of Suyo, Ilocos Sur; new Vice President; Evaristo A. Belloza of Candon City, Ilocos Sur, new Board of Directors; Shan Tumacdang, Rogelio Collado, Eddie Garnace, George Banayos, Tito Dictaan and Prospero Abadayan and to the new consultant Eng’r Orlando B. Balloguing, the immediate past president who served the BNCSP for 8 years.*

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Bago tribe, the most dominant among the indigenous peoples in Region 1 in terms of population based from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) census, is the most organized tribe nationwide according to Commissioner Rizalino “Langley” Segundo and director Ruben S. Bastero of NCIP Region II during the 5^th Bago Congress and Cultural Festival held in barangay Sta. Cruz, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya on April 22-24, 2009..

The Bago Tribal Congress and Cultural Festival is a regular activity of Bago tribe every 3 years to showcase cultural presentations, discussion of issues that concerns them, drawing of a development plan for the coming years and election of sets of officers.

This year’s Congress enthemed “Strengthening the Unity Among Bagos and other Indigenous Peoples for Sustainable Development”, was attended by almost 400 delegates Bago tribe leaders and representatives from all over the country including NCIP and some government officials. Topics that were discussed includes: The Bago Tribe and NCIP EHR Thrust Programs; RA 8371 (Indigenous Peoples Right Act) its Salient Points to include Tribal Resolutions and Conflicts, the Bago Tribe: its Origin, Identity and Culture and Bago Party List and its Salient Features.

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            There were issues against Bago tribe from the very start of its organization saying that Bagos are just either Ilocanos or Igorots and not an Indigenous Peoples (IP) or distinct ethnic group because they do not have their own, territorial domain, language and distinct culture and tradition. IPs are supposed to be are those whose ancestors were existed prior to colonization and were called the non Christians.

            In the just concluded Bago Tribal Congress, the above issues and questions were given answers and clarifications.

According to them, Bagos are the hilltribe dwellers and original inhabitants in the border regions between Ilocos and Cordillera mountains different from their neighboring tribes and other adjacent ethnic groups whose ancestors are early inhabitants of the country prior to colonization.

Bago communities existed in the country before the arrival of the Spaniards. According to its history, during the process of Christianization by the Spanish Catholic missionaries, they were dubbed as "Bagong Kristyano" by those who preceded them and the name calling stuck and are called Bagos to the present day.

Certificate of Ancestral Domain and Land Titles were awarded to the Bago tribe in Bakun, Benguet, Alilem and Sugpon, Ilocos Sur. On the process are Pugo, La Union; San Emilio and Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. This proves that Bago ancestors are inhabitants in their areas since time immemorial.

The Bagos have their own language, examples are: sinoy naicasta (why, what happened), tapey (rice wine), mannapo (native priest), sapo (prayer), am-in (all), sumaa (to arrive), napupuka (awake), minpintas (beautiful), ambit (baby girl), amboy (baby boy), eng-nga / unga (baby/child), minlam-ek (cold), minsipnget (dark), minngina (expensive), nakinguab / kinbaba (lower portion), tumayaw (to fly), minlaba (to wash clothes). Some Bago jargons are: ayaket or yaw', this is said when dismayed/disappointed or amazed, kasos and Aye', these are also said when dismayed or disappointed, ni'-in', this is said when one happens to commit mistake.

Generally, the Bagos speak the dialect akin to the Kankanaey, Tingiuans and Ibalois; however, to this day; most of them speak the Iluko dialect with distinct intonation.

The Bagos have their own culture which has persisted to this time despite the inroads of western influence and the so-called modernization. This culture was preserved despite of the influence of lowland brothers. However, the Bago rituals, practices, customs, systems and beliefs are also common to the Kankanaeys, Tingiuans and Ibalois; though with little difference in terms of procedures of performing these rituals.

The Bago integration with the other hilltribes and intermarriages with the Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Visayas or Muslims is the reason for the virtual losing of its own identity. That’s why some people claim that the Bago tribe is non-existent because they could not trace their place in history.

The Indigenous Peoples of today are different from the Indigenous Peoples prior to colonization because time, place and person change. Traditions change as new values are introduced and integrated in the society. That is why, it is wrong to say that the tribal communities at present in the midst of urbanization are the same compared to the past. Some of the tribal groups, especially those that either live near urbanized areas or have an access to internet or new technologies, are definitely no longer the same.

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            Jose Dulnuan, an Igorot, was quoted as saying "I am an Igorot, let me be treated as I deserve—with respect if I am good, with contempt if I am no good, irrespective of the name I carry. Let the term, Igorot, remain, and the world will use it with the correct meaning attached to it."

Victoriano Buaqen, Bago, on the other hand said “recognition, just like respect and love, is something automatically and freely given to those elicit such response”.

Candon City, being an agriculture based city, puts much premium on its farm outputs.

Its agricultural gains mean a lot to the growth of the city economically and its people.

The rebounding of the tobacco industry, the city’s chief cash crop, is welcome development to the tobacco growers and to the city as a whole.

Candon City is the country’s biggest producer of Virginia tobacco with more than three million kilos output annually.

It affects about one thousand farmers directly involved in the industry.

The city is well compensated by the tobacco industry.

With tobacco industry rebounding, the tobacco growers are the biggest gainers.

Their gains are budgeted for their year round needs including the education of their children.

Over-all, the tobacco growers and the whole people of Candon as beneficiaries because of the tobacco excise tax ( R.A. 7171).

The city government received at least P15 million annual city share from RA 7171.

The funds are budgeted for the benefits of the tobacco growers and the other farmers in the city as a whole.

The assistance is usually in farm inputs like fertilizers, farm equipments, and infrastructure needs.

Generally, the recovery of the tobacco industry pumps up the city economically.

A needed breather because of the ongoing global crisis that is whipping the whole country.

This productive tobacco season also assured positive and bright outlook for this year for the whole city.