PEACE UPDATE: President Aquino called on the young not to be weighed down by negativism and to always do the right thing.

President Aquino said he has lived up to the spirit of the 1986 EDSA people power revolution by ensuring that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated and by leaving a much better Philippines to the next generation. The President made the statement during the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) awarding ceremonies held yesterday at the Heroes Hall of the Palace in celebration of the 29th anniversary of the revolution. Aquino also said that in regaining democracy through a peaceful uprising against the dictatorial rule of the Marcos regime, the interest of the majority prevailed, along with freedom from a crooked system that could be passed on to the next generation. “We really have come far because we chose to do what was necessary and put the interest of the majority first. Despite this, we know that we have a lot more trials to face. But do we give up now that we are able to realize what were mere ambitions before? Do we draw back when many more of us are working toward greater development now?” he added. But the President admitted that the challenges he faced were not easy. He cited the crises that hit the country in 2013 like the strong earthquake that struck Cebu and Bohol, the Zamboanga City siege and Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the Visayas. But the President gave assurance that he would continue to strive for a better economy and improve social services for all Filipinos. He said the government is also working to provide jobs for the people to lift them from poverty. The President called on the young not to be weighed down by negativism and to always do the right thing. He told the winners of the TAYO Awards that once the wisdom of the older generation is infused with the vibrancy of young people, the nation could go far. The winners of this year’s TAYO Awards are the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority, Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail (RAPID), the Cauayan City National High School-Red Cross Youth and Junior Rescue Team, Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Santiagueño, ACCESS-PYLP Alumni Association, Move This World-Pilipinas, Youth for Environment in School Organization, Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines, and the University of San Agustin Little Theater. Meanwhile, the military said it did not detect any threat or coup plot that would threaten the leadership of the President and disrupt the celebration of the 29th anniversary of people power. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said crowd management, not ouster plots, is the main concern for the anniversary of the revolution, which comes exactly a month after the Mamasapano clash. –With Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe

WELLNESS IN BUSINESS: Philippines, ideal market for Growing Life Science, Worldwide Health Care Industry - Study

“Aging populations, chronic and lifestyle diseases, emerging-market expansion, and treatment and technology advances are expected to spur life sciences sector growth in 2015,” an international professional service firm said. In a research done by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, it was mentioned that major life sciences companies in the world are expected to continue expanding their presence in emerging markets through acquisitions and joint ventures. Leading organizations have also began looking beyond the traditional emerging markets of Brazil, China, India and Russia for opportunities to establish or increase their presence in next emerging markets, which includes the Philippines. “Innovation is becoming the spearhead for life sciences companies looking to enter, grow and thrive in today’s market,” said Mohit Grover, Life Sciences and Health Care Leader for Deloitte Southeast Asia.

WELLNESS IN EDUCATION: Catholic Educational Assoc of the Phil (CEAP) advocates Peace in Mindanao

In order to make its voice heard, it had to come out with a full page advertisement. Its manifesto is entitled “ Hear Mindanao: Requite Evil with Good.” It begins by saying: “We are profoundly saddened and shocked that the deliberations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law have been indefinitely suspended.” Before I restate their major points, it is important that we first know what is this organization all about. The CEAP is the national association of Catholic educational institutions in the Philippines. Founded in 1941, it now has 1,252 members which are all educational institutional. Although it includes schools catering to the more affluent sector of society, its members also include around 700 mission schools offering basic education to the country’s poor and the marginalized. Its manifesto raised several major issues which every Filipino should be aware. First, it said that the tragic events of Mamasapano requires the search for truth so that justice can be served to all the casualties, both combatants and civilians. There are so many investigations but in the pursuit of truth “humility is more helpful than arrogance, more helpful than rage or anger.” Senators, congressmen and media commentators should listen to the wisdom of the CEAP when it said: “ Humility admits one’s biases and prejudices against others in the search for truth and justice. Humility admits respect for persons or organizations from whom we seek truth.” So many public statements on the Mamasapano encounter are clearly the result of biases or even worst based on personal political agendas. Just as bad are media commentators who are riding on this issue as if it was just another scandal that could increase both listenership and viewership. The CEAP urges all of us to look at this armed struggle from a historical perspective. That is why it says: “Let us not forget the MILF is a revolutionary group. It took up arms against the government in the face of an undeniable history of intolerance, violence and exclusion.” This is a profound statement coming from a Catholic organization that publicly admits that the Muslim minority in this country have been victimized by the Christian rulers from the time of the Spanish colonizers. The present struggle with the MNLF and MILF, however, is a history of 45 years of intermittent war that has brought suffering to Mindanao. It began in 1968, after the Jabidah massacre instigated by the Marcos regime. It intensified during the martial law years when Marcos declared all out war against the Moros. During the Marcos years, around 11,000 soldiers and policemen died during the struggle. But around 150,000 other combatants and civilians, predominantly Moros, also died. The CEAP manifesto said: “Both the Moros and the Philippines came to a share insight that the road to violence in Mindanao only led to more wars, more wailing of widows and children, impoverishment. More was to be gained on the path to peace.”

WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Cleangreen Energy to build 12-MW biomass power plant in Bataan by 2017

A 12-megawatt biomass power plant with a dedicated plantation will rise in Bataan after Filipino-owned Cleangreen Energy Corp. (CEC) received its operating contract from the Department of Energy (DOE). The power plant, targeted for completion in October 2017, is expected to commence construction this year, with a plan to increase the capacity to 24 MW for the second phase of the project, said CEC president and CEO Francisco “Frankie” Dayrit. CEC received its Biomass Renewable Energy Operating Contract from the DOE in a ceremonial signing held on Feb. 12, which was attended by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla and Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia. CEC’s Dayrit signed on behalf of the company, while Greenday Agri Farm president Mark S. Dayrit witnessed the momentous occasion. The 12 MW Biomass Power Plant would be built on a six-hectare property in Bagac, Bataan. It will utilize Giant Napier Grass (GNG) as its primary feedstock, to be sourced from a new dedicated plantation, which will be managed and operated by CEC’s sister company Greenday Agri Farm.