iRambling

The Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (EADSC) of the Ramon Aboitiz
Foundation Inc. (RAFI) is organizing Sustainable City Dialogues 2012, a five-day learning event
featuring two internationally renowned speakers, Archt. Senen A. Antonio, an urban design
and planning expert based in the United States, and Dr. AbdouMaliq Simone, an urbanist and
professor of sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, on Feb. 6-10, 2012.

With a theme, “Creating Future Cities: Where Do We Begin”, the event aims to
provide avenues for dialogue among local stakeholders, where experiences are shared; new
approaches are discussed; and capacities are strengthened in the area of urban development,
planning and design.

It will bring together government officials, planners, architects, engineers, educators,
business people, non-government leaders, community members, and students to engage in
a constructive dialogue and strengthen the capacity of local planners on the possibilities of
creating a smart and sustainable Metro Cebu.

Highlights of the event includes one-day training-seminar on “Sprawl Repair & Smart
Growth 101” and “Charrette Methodology & Scenario Planning” on Feb. 8, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at College of Architecture and Fine Arts Theater, University of San Carlos (USC)-Talamban
Campus; roundtables on “Infrastructure Planning” and “New Urbanism” on Feb. 9, 8:30-11
a.m. at CAP Art Center and Pres. Osmeña Memorabilia, Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City and
on Feb. 10, 9-11:30 a.m., Tandang Sora Hall at Cebu Normal University, respectively; and
Understanding Choices Forum “Creating Future Cities: People and Place-Making” on Feb. 9, 1-
5 p.m. at CAP Theater, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.

The Understanding Choices Forum is open to the public.

To cap the week-long event, Architect Senen Antonio will present his observations and
initial recommendations to the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) on Feb.
10, 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the New Conference Room, Capitol Building.

Sustainable City Dialogues 2012 is organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
(RAFI) under the MCDCB-Research, Program, and Organizational Development (MCDCB-
RPOD) in partnership with USC-CAFA, Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC), and other Cebu-
based organizations.,

To know more about the upcoming event, or to pre-register, please contact 418-7234
local 112 and look for Dindin or Trixie. You can also email dindin.bollozos@rafi.org.ph or
trixie.ylaya@rafi.org.ph.

All roads lead to the Queen City of the South as Cebu becomes the official home of this
year’s Globe Run4Home, one of the biggest and most awaited running events in the country
with the many innovations it pioneered in Philippine marathon history.

The Globe Run4Home 2012 races to the Cebu International Convention Center on
March 25, 2012 gathering not only the running community of Cebu, but also its legion of running
aficionados in Manila and key cities nationwide to celebrate a common cause: help provide
sustainable shelter to those in need, especially victims of Typhoon Sendong.

Globe taps previous Run4Home beneficiaries Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity
Philippines to help raise funds for their housing development projects for the typhoon victims
in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro respectively. Completing the roster of partner-beneficiaries
are Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, a Cebu-based organization that aims to
transform communities in key biodiversity areas into becoming more effective stewards of the
environment, and the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit organization that
spearheads a massive campaign to save the Philippine Tarsier and preserve its habitat.

Registration fees per category are P300 for 3K, P400 for 5K, P500 for 10K, P600 for
15K and P700 for 21K, the most affordable registration rate ever in Globe Run4Home history,
making the running event more accessible to the growing running community, especially in
Cebu. The registration fee entitles runners to their race shirts available in various sizes, race
bib number, timing chip, and finisher’s medal for the 21K category. A portion of the runners’
registration fees will be donated to their beneficiary of choice to support their respective
advocacies and programs.

In order to attract more participants, group runners are also encouraged to join—with a
special treat. For groups of four running in the same category, they will be allowed to bring in a
fifth member for free.

Join the Globe Run4Home 2012 and be part of a nationwide revolution towards inspiring
hope for the less privileged families, communities, endangered species, and key biodiversity
areas. Registration starts on February 1, 2012 via www.globe.com.ph/run or at the Paseo de
Ciudad, 1st level, Ayala Center, Cebu City. Globe Run4Home 2012 is supported by Alaska,
Gatorade, Summit Natural Drinking Water, and Timex. Media partners are the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, The Philippine Star, Cebu Daily News and Newsbytes.

For queries, please contact:

Yoly C. Crisanto
Head, Corporate Communications
Globe Telecom
Tel. No. 730-2627
Fax No. 739-3075
Email Address: globe.corpcomm@gmail.com

Since most native trees grow from seeds, a non-government organization called on the
public to collect seeds and propagate them to contribute to the creation of native tree forests.

Rowena Bandola-Alensonorin, executive director of the Integrated Development unit of
the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) pointed out the urgent need to replace trees cut down
for construction purposes after some parts of the country experienced the tragic effects of
flashfloods and landslides.

“The primary importance of trees in the ecosystem is to reduce carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, and prevent soil erosion. For many people, they see trees as beneficial for building
houses, furniture, tools, and for firewood; hence, these demands have significantly reduced the
number of trees in the forests,” she noted.

One way to address this is to collect and propagate seeds, which are considered “the
next generation of forests.”

Alensonorin said that it is equally important for the people to know not only the names of
the native trees but also how to collect the seeds and germinate them.

“The scarcity of this knowledge might have led to the proliferation of exotic tree species,
such as mahogany, gmelina, and ipil-ipil that are now growing in our forests. If this will continue,
we will not only lose these animals, but also our highly valued trees such as narra, lauan,
and mangkono that have been valued here and abroad for their toughness and strength. Our
forests should be mainly composed of indigenous trees to provide food and habitat to our native
animals,” she explained.

Producing quality trees starts from the quality of seeds germinated. These seeds
must only come from healthy mother trees or those trees that bear fruits and produce seeds.
Germinated seeds should be nurtured in a well-managed tree nursery that provides a suitable
area for these seeds to grow into plantable seedlings for use in reforestation initiatives.

The RAFI Native Trees Nursery collects seeds and wildlings (seeds that germinated
underneath or near the mother tree) all over the Visayas region. The nursery is also willing to receive seeds and seedlings from people who would like to donate. The nursery has an existing
150,000 seedlings of 212 native tree species and is located in Barangay Busay, Cebu City.

The RAFI Native Trees Nursery is a mechanism of the GREENIN Philippines Program of
RAFI to create forests composed of native trees.

Following the launching of the sixth season of Young Minds Academy (YMA) last Jan.
21, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) is now accepting applications for the program.

YMA is a youth leadership and citizenship development program of the Eduardo Aboitiz
Development Studies Center (EADSC) of RAFI aimed at developing young people to become
responsible and accountable leaders and proactive citizens ready to serve the public and its
interests. This is done through awareness raising, experiential education, immersion, and open
discourse, among others.

It is open to young people aged 12 to 20 years old.

YMA was launched in October 2006 and already ran for five seasons, including a special
summer edition held in 2009 for Region 8.

“Through this program, I have discovered what kind of leader I want to be. The change
has started in me already. Now it’s my time to be a role model to others,” said 15-year old
Jessica Therese Vestil, a scholar of last season’s YMA.

For Sean Timothy Salvador, 18, another YMA season 5 scholar, he said that YMA taught
him to use his life as a daily opportunity to become a blessing to every person he meets and
help change their lives for the better.

To join the sixth season of YMA, interested applicants must form a team of five members
under one of the following categories: Generation A (17-20 years old) and Generation B (12-16
years old). List of team and individual requirements and application forms may be obtained from
the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, or downloaded at www.rafi.org.ph.

Deadline for the submission of applications is on February 20, 2012.

YMA is sponsored by UnionBank of the Philippines.

It is one of the programs under RAFI’s Leadership & Citizenship focus area, which
gathers and nurtures future leaders and influencers ready to effect change. Its other focus
areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, and
Education.

For more information about YMA, please call 418-7234 loc 110 and look for Mel Yan, or
email mel.yan@rafi.org.ph, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph.

Forty-two youth government leaders from the different barangays of Mandaue City re-learned
the values of teamwork, coordination, and trust in a comprehensive three-day experiential
leadership camp facilitated by the Kool Adventure Camp of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
In the photo, the young campers posed before the Climbing Wall, one of the “dragons” at the
camp that tested their leadership abilities and confidence.

Forty-two Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation officers of Mandaue City sharpened
their leadership competence through a recent three-day leadership camp at the Girl Scout of the
Philippines Camp in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

These officers come from Barangays Alang-alang, Bakilid, Banilad, Basak, Cabancalan,
Casili, Casuntingan, Centro, Cubacub, Guizo, Ibabao, Jagobiao, Looc, Mantuyong, Pakna-an,
Pagsabungan, Subangdaku, Tingub, Tipolo, and Umapad.

The Kool Adventure Camp (KAC), an adventure-based education program of the Ramon
Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), conducted the leadership program.

This is the second year that the Mandaue City Government through the office of Mayor
Jonas Cortes sent its young leaders to KAC for training.

The leadership program taught the participants self-awareness, self-confidence, “playing
to win”, teamwork, balance, coordination, concentration, and trust, among others.

“Playing to win is about playing to win not only for our group but for all of us, even for
others who are not part of our group. It does not matter who our groupmates are. As long as we
have one goal, we should help each other. I learned through the KAC facilitators that if we want
to run faster, we run alone, but if we want to run far, we run together,” Sheila Mae Ceniza, SK
councilor of Barangay Mantuyong, said.

The program also featured KAC’s Challenge Ropes Course where participants
conquered the high elements—Climbing Wall, High Y, and Pamper Pole—at a height of twelve
feet above ground level or higher. All high elements, which require a safety mechanism called
a "belay" system, produce powerful memories and provoke deep thoughts and emotions, while
challenging physical abilities.

Alyssa Tenchavez, SK chairman of Barangay Basak, noted that being a negative thinker
is something she wants to change after going through the three high elements, or the so-
called “dragons”.

She added that to conquer the challenges, one should have trust and self-confidence
and works well with his or her team. When asked about her dragons in real life, Tenchavez

identified among them her being the SK chairman in her barangay since she is a newly-elected
officer from the opposition party.

Integration activities, goal setting, and recognition of accomplishments were done on the
third day of the leadership camp wherein participants put together a goal for their community
and recognized their individual responsibility in ensuring that these goals are met.

KAC is one of the programs under RAFI’s Leadership & Citizenship focus area, one of
the five focus areas of RAFI where future leaders are nurtured to prepare them to effect change.
Its other focus areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture &
Heritage, and Education.

Since 1999, KAC has organized more than 240 camps for corporate/adult programs,
public high schools and other youth programs. It is currently building the Philippines’ first
Outdoor Experiential Center at Barangay Cansumoroy, Balamban, Cebu, which is set to open
later this year.

KAC is an organizational member of the Association for Challenge Course Technology-
USA and Association for Experiential Education-USA.

For more information about KAC and its programs, please call 418-7234 local 407 and
look for Althea May Santillan, or email at althea.santillan@rafi.org.ph, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or
www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph.

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last Sept. 5, 2011, the Ramon
Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and the Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) formally broke ground
last Nov. 21, 2011 the 4,500-square meter land where a home for elders and persons with
disabilities will be built.

The purchase of this land was made possible through a fund donated by the late Jose
Miguel Aboitiz.

Dubbed as “The House of the Lord”, this shelter in Poblacion, Talisay City is part of
MOP’s expanding services for the homeless and abandoned elders. It will be built across the
MOP Monastery and will house 100 elders and persons with disabilities in Cebu. The House of
the Lord is set to be constructed early this year and is targeted to be finished in December 2012.

The construction of this new elderly home will fulfill MOP’s charism and mission in Cebu
which includes taking care of the homeless, handicapped, and the poor. Currently, the brothers
are already taking care of 30 indigent elderly in a make-shift center in Sawang Calero.

With initial grant assistance from RAFI in 2005, the Missionaries of the Poor have been
operating the Little Lamb Center, a permanent residential facility in Cebu that caters exclusively
to children who are physically and mentally challenged. The Little Lamb Center in Sawang
Calero recently houses and cares for over 40 special children with cerebral palsy, autism, and
Down’s syndrome, among others.

“Years ago, MOP visited our office and told us everything about their mission. I am
grateful to know that we share the same dream. The MOP opened before us the greater chance
of sharing what we have to the less fortunate. I am thankful for these people whose heart
belongs to the poor. They showed to us the way to possible things, which otherwise we will only
be imagining,” Roberto E. Aboitiz, president of RAFI, said.

Fr. Richard Ho Lung, the founder and superior general of MOP, also expressed his
gratitude and lauded MOP’s accomplishments in Cebu.

Established in Kingston, Jamaica, the MOP is an international religious order of brothers
dedicated to the Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross to serve the poorest of the poor.

MOP is one of the beneficiaries under RAFI’s Grants program.

Grants is one of the capabilities in RAFI’s comprehensive approach to elevating lives and
communities. Its other capabilities are Awards, Institutional Development & Planning, Knowledge
Sharing & Advocacy, and Services & Facilities. These capabilities are harnessed for RAFI to
deliver on its promise through its five focus areas: Integrated Development, Micro-finance &
Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

For more information about Grants, please contact 418-7234 loc. 205 and look for Jan
Montilla.

With the increasing incidence rate of thyroid cancer in Metro Cebu, the Eduardo J.
Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) urged the public to
undergo early screening and prevention measures to fight the disease.

“Thyroid cancer is high on prognosis. It is preventable through various screening
methods, such as physical examination and ultrasound of the neck, as well as some prevention
measures, including regular exercise and maintenance of a well-balanced diet,” Ronald delos
Reyes, EJACC program coordinator, said.

Based on EJACC’s Metro Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry, the incidence rate of
thyroid cancer in 2003 to 2007 is high but the mortality rate is comparatively lower.

Within this period, about 573 cases of thyroid cancer were reported and 116 were
recorded to have died of the disease. The figures also show that 97 cases have been attributed
to persons in between the ages 15-30 while 350 cases are persons with ages 30-60. More
women than men have been affected by this disease; in fact, 134 cases are male while 439
cases are female.

As a common type of cancer diagnosed in men and women, thyroid cancer ranked sixth
in most common cancer cases in Metro Cebu.

According to the 2010 journal of the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates of the
Philippine Cancer Society, the incidence rate had increased from 1980 to 2002, with an annual
change of 0.4% in males and 1.6% among females.

Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of women at ages 15-24 years. Among
women, the incidence rate rises at age 30 and continues to rise with increasing age. Among
men, the incidence rate begins to increase much later, starting at 60 years old.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck just below the
Adam’s apple. It works like a tiny factory that uses iodine, mostly from the diet in foods like

seafood and salt, to produce thyroid hormones that, in turn, help regulate the body’s growth and
metabolism and other functions of the body.

The most common signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer include a lump or thyroid
nodule, that can be felt in the neck; trouble in swallowing; throat or neck pain; swollen lymph
nodes in the neck; cough; and vocal changes.

People exposed to high levels of radiation are much more likely than others to develop
papillary or follicular thyroid cancer. Treatment with x-rays is one significant source of radiation
exposure. Between the 1920s and the 1950s, doctors used high-dose x-rays to treat children
who had enlarged tonsils, acne, and other problems affecting the head and neck. Later,
scientists found that some people who had received this kind of treatment developed thyroid
cancer.

People who are diagnosed with this kind of cancer may undergo surgery. Common
surgeries include thyroidectory, lobectomy, and tracheostomy. Sometimes, even the removal of
the thyroid itself is needed.

“Like many other cancers, thyroid cancer may be more easily cured with early detection.
Earlier diagnosis removes thyroid cancer at a time when they are not likely to have spread
beyond the thyroid gland,” delos Reyes said.

For more information about thyroid cancer, please contact EJACC at 254-6351and look
for Gina Mariquit.