Four members of the family of my wife in Marinduque are now battling with dengue. Icon, our 14-year-old niece, had fever Wednesday last week. Her mom, my sister-in-law, immediately brought her to Dr. Damian J. Reyes Memorial Hospital, the Marinduque provincial hospital, where she was diagnosed with dengue.

Unfortunately, the provincial hospital could no longer accommodate our niece. She and other dengue and suspected dengue patients had to stay overnight at the hallway because the 100-bed hospital was full.

The following morning, our niece’s parents brought her to a private hospital in Lucena City, taking the first RoRo trip from Balanacan to Talao-talao Port. But another unfortunate event happened when they reached Mt. Carmel Hospital: Mat, Icon’s elder brother, also had fever and was later on confirmed to have dengue, too. The following night, my bother-in-law, the kids’ father, was also diagnosed with dengue.

Mula sa best-selling author ng “It’s a Mens World” na si Bebang Siy, isang makulit na honeymoon travelogue

Sa’n tayo magha-honeymoon? Tanong niya.

Kahit sa’n basta apat na pantig ang pangalan ng lugar, sagot ko.

So, napadpad kami sa Ma-rin-du-que.

Dala-dala: toiletries, flashlight, Gatorade, laptop at internet stick, mga cellphone at charger, Off Lotion, 5k (na hinugot namin sa mga sobreng natanggap noong kasal, thank you po nang bongga, Ninongs and Ninangs! By the way, me inipit din akong konting safety money sa garter ng panty ko), mga damit na pang-apat na araw, ilang seksing salawal na pang-ilang gabi (seksi talaga, ‘yong isa napagkamalan ko ngang pantabing sa pisak na mata ng pirata) AT bride and groom na paper crafts.

• http://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinduque
• http://www.marinduque.gov.ph/
• http://www.visitmarinduque.com/
• http://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.com/marinduque-travel-guide/
• http://marinduquegov.blogspot.com



Men of the 29th volunteer infantry wading in Port of Laylay, Boac, Marinduque on April 25, 1900

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was an engagement fought on September 13, 1900, during the Philippine-American War, between the forces of Colonel Maximo Abad and Devereux Shields, in which Abad's men defeated the American force.

"The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt would not look well if a complete history of it were written out." -Governor General of the Philippines William Howard Taft, concerning the U.S. Army campaign on the island of Marinduque during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902.

Background



Company F, 29th Infantry Regiment, United States Volunteers

On September 11, Captain Devereux Shields led a detachment of 51 29th U.S. Volunteer Infantrymen into the mountains of Torrijos to combat the elusive Abad and his guerrillas. They experienced little success, except for the dispersing of 20 guerrillas, in which no casualties were inflicted on either side.

Abad had excellent intelligence and was informed of Shields' movements by the local guerrillas ahead of time. In response, he assembled his entire force of 250 regular Filipino soldiers and around 1,000-2,000 bolomen. The regular Philippine soldiers were well organized and reasonably well armed with bolos, pistols, and Spanish Mausers, despite the fact that most were poor shots. The bolomen, armed only with machetes or bolos, served mainly to bolster Abad's forces. Dressed as friendly farmers or civilians in the daytime, they took part in guerrilla activities at night: ambushing small detachments of American soldiers, sabotage, and most importantly, supplying Abad with intelligence on American positions and movements. They had little military value, however, considering they had no firearms.

Battle

Battle Site Story Wall | Photo: Pinoy On The Road Blog

On September 13, Abad positioned his men along a steep ridge overlooking the trail which Shields would soon cross. Both Shields and his men had little combat experience and easily fell into the trap. Abad and his 250 soldiers opened fire on the column, which led to a fire-fight that lasted for several hours. Meanwhile, as the Americans and Philippine riflemen exchanged fire, the large force of Filipino bolomen began maneuvering to surround the Americans.

Shields, seeing that he was almost completely surrounded, ordered a withdrawal, which soon turned into a full-blown retreat, as Abad's much larger force poured over the ridge after Shields and his men. The Filipino soldiers harassed Shields for nearly 4 miles (6 km) before cornering them in a small rice field; their escape to Santa Cruz was cut off by the large force of Filipino bolomen. Abad's men again opened fire, forcing the Americans to take cover behind some paddy dikes. Shields, wounded and recognizing the futility of the situation, raised the white flag in order to surrender.

After months of hiding, Abad in only a few hours eliminated nearly one third of the American garrison on Marinduque.

Aftermath

The Battle as covered in American Newspapers | Photo: Ulong Beach Website

Shields' defeat sent shock waves through the American high command. Aside from being one of the worst defeats suffered by the Americans during the war, it was especially significant given its proximity to the upcoming election between President William McKinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan, the outcome of which many believed would determine the ultimate course of the war. Consequently, the defeat triggered a sharp response.

Arthur MacArthur, Jr. sent Brig. Gen. Luther Hare with "orders to treat the entire male population over fifteen as potential enemies and to arrest as many as possible and hold them hostages until Abad surrendered." Hare secured the release of Shields and his men. Maj. Frederick A. Smith continued the policy of destroying food and shelter in the interior of the island, and moving all civilians into the towns. Although Abad and most of his command continued to elude the American military, the civilian population was suffering for it, with many landowners and merchants joining the Federal Party, turning against Abad.

These new tactics led to the surrender of Abad in April 1901.


Infantry Battalion Plaque | Photo: Pinoy On The Road Blog

The following letter was sent by Capt. Devereux Shields' granddaughter, Julia to Mr. Shepard on August 24, 2010. It was originally enclosed in a postmarked, stamped envelope and addressed to: Mrs. Devereux Shields, No. 617 N. Union Street, Natchez, Mississippi, U.S.A. The return address was Devereux Shields, Capt 29th Inf. U.S.V., Manila P.I. Across the top is written - Soldier's letter. Also enclosed was a pressed 4-leaf clover in a carefully folded holder.

The Regional Development Council of Mimaropa has adopted a resolution that seeks to 'globalize the resolve of the archipelagic region to address the ill-effects of climate change | Photo: Rappler

MANILA, Philippines - With the Paris climate talks nearing, Region IV-B or Mimaropa is calling on world leaders to agree on a strong climate change agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

Eleuterio Raza Jr, Marinduque provincial planning and development officer, said in a press statement that the region has beautiful islands that lures local and foreign tourists, but such natural attractions are vulnerable to climate change.

“Our sustainable tourism industry and lives of our people are greatly threatened by extreme weather conditions,” Raza said.

In December, Paris will host global climate talks that will gather representatives from all over the world to discuss how to combat climate change. At the end of the two-week conference, an agreement is expected to be finalized.

The agreement involves how countries could stop the Earth from warming by more than 2°C. The Philippines will be part of these talks.

Mimaropa plea

The Regional Development Council of Mimaropa – composed of the Mindoro provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan – adopted a resolution calling on countries responsible for “spewing large amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere” to take the lead in striking a deal to reduce carbon emissions.

The resolution aims to “globalize the resolve of the archipelagic region to address the ill-effects of climate change,” according to Romeo Escandor, Jr, National Economic and Development Authority regional director.

“We aim to build disaster resilient communities and push economic growth under the principles sustainable development goals, however, our dreams and aspirations for the future generation needs global collective action,” said Escandor.

Aside from reducing emissions, the resolutions call on governments to implement mechanisms on climate finance in the context of loss and damage, adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, and capacity building for countries most vulnerable to climate change.

In 2013, the Philippines was named as the country most affected by climate change.

The region’s initiative is in support of the climate campaign “Road to Paris” launched by the Climate Reality Project (CRP), a movement founded by Nobel laureate and former US vice president Al Gore.

The CRP aims to mobilize grassroots communities, urging them to participate in the climate change conversation.

Mimaropa is home to the beautiful Verde Island Passage, pristine beaches, and is known for its rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity.

“Our main thrust for development has been environmentally and culturally sensitive. We may have an iota of carbon emission compared to others but we need to seek climate justice and walk the talk,” Raza said.

The region’s resolution will be given to the Climate Change Commission, then sent to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Source and courtesy: Rappler

Catholic prelates urge the government of Marinduque to pursue the class suit against Barrick Gold | Photo: Asia Pacific Post

Catholic prelates have joined calls by civil society groups to urge the provincial government of Marinduque in the Philippines to pursue a multimillion dollar class suit against a global mining firm over the 1996 Marcopper spill.

Local pressure for the Marinduque government to refile the case mounted after the Nevada state Supreme Court on June 11 threw out the case against the Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp, reported the Inquirer.

The Marcopper Mining Disaster occurred on March 24, 1996 on the Philippine island of Marinduque, a province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region in Luzon. It remains one of the largest mining disasters in Philippine history.