Butuan Ramblings 02-15-10
Written by admin on February 16, 2010.
02-15-10
Butuan Ramblings!
Greetings All!
Holidays are passed, the world turns and the river flows.
Butuan Ramblings (BR) has restarted and reshaped and refitted its design! My thanks to all that have wondered where my weekly offerings had disappeared to, and wondered about my health/security. All is now well.
BR is going to ease off the pedal a bit because my honeydo list is rather top heavy at this time. Freedom is being completely refitted, a construction project at the Marina is commencing, and a book I wrote about my solo horseback ride across the USA in 1996 is in editing phase.
My plan is to spook up an offering twice a month, and I continue to seek guest columnists-so if you want hang your butt out on a limb from this tree, you are most welcome!
We will wait until end of March, early April for the first yard sale of the year. Current listing is attached.
We are offering a new transport service which features airport pickup, a tour of Butuan and a stop at each hotel to view accommodations. See attached.
The airport kiosk continues to be well received. Advertising rate is P500 per month, with the added bonus of free ad space on the www.butuanexpats.com website.
Our property in Sintos Subd. is for sale, with very attractive terms for a qualified buyer. No bank financing needed! See attached for a sample mortgage.
Want to live in Butuan for free??!! See attached ‘2nd floor’ for details.
Congrats to friend Roy in the refitting and recent launching of Rosebud, a 30′ vessel outfitting for fishing. Shakedown cruises are imminent!
Island Motor Tours is a new venture in our clime. Wander by the new, well designed, Malvar Circle Commercial Center next to City Hall/Uncle Sam’s and look for the two beautiful motorcycles, and you have found friend Dan welcoming you to chat. www.islandmotortours.com provides info. Welcome Dan!
Speaking of motorbikes, let’s try for next Sunday morning for our next ride?
In the coming weeks I will explore the following issues;
1. The rolling blackouts in our clime.
2. The current Butuan taxing structure. For example, a business in San Vicente pays the same tax rate as a downtown biz, yet does receive the same quality of essential services. Can this be changed to reflect fairness?
3. Human trafficking/child prostitution in Butuan. As some of you know, a consortium of agencies with which I am involved with has successfully encouraged three Expats involved in this crap to vacate these climes in the last year. This year we ratchet up pressure as convictions are the goal. Soon posters will be seen in all local ports and participating businesses, increasing the awareness that Butuan’s children are not for sale. Two Expats residing in Butuan are currently under investigation by an international advocacy group. The advent of Project Destiny Kids has been the keystone in this advocacy, as it provides a loving shelter in which prostituted children can heal, and more importantly, identify child rapists via photographs.
4. I have been exploring the feasibility of introducing a Hospice chapter in Butuan. According to a prominent local physician, there is an abnormally high cancer rate in Butuan.
5. I hope to be able to report that Butuan City will be added to the list of Ports of Call in the Philippines before summer. International cruising yachts are always looking for ports that have available integral services. Once we have networked effectively so that these needs are available, Butuan can be added to the international list. In addition, Butuan is perhaps the most effective and accessible typhoon shelter in the country. The hurdle to overcome is the worldwide perception that Butuan, (as part of Mindanao), is not a safe harbor. Imagine large cruising yachts laying up at the downtown PPA facility!
6. Riverside Marina has contracted with the gents who built the Balanghai boats to construct framing for two 16′ sailboats. Friend Toby, who started his sailing career with Neptune, will oversee the ‘modernization’ of these frames and bring them to completion. The prayer is that via the facilitations of friend Sid Calo, and Datu Andaya of the BAMATA tribal council, that we can collectively design these ‘day sailors’ with uniqueness substantive enough to warrant international classification.
The end product would be a floating piece of furniture whose features celebrate the heritage of the BAMATA Tribal members, whose logo will be on its sail. The unique wood, design and representative history will be offered to the world via the internet.
7. Prior to the May elections, I hope to be able to explain to this readership exactly how much money enters the Butuan Government and the source of same. In the interest of transparency, I wonder if the citizenry is able to quantify revenues and audit expenditures. It seems that current leadership is criticized profusely for mismanagement of public funds, but I have never seen any supporting documentation. I have always thought that any person serving the public trust would embrace such a review.
8. There is a dearth of community notices of upcoming events among the local media. Let us find out why. Cable provider’s interpretation of community access channels seems to be the allowance of advertising by a select few private businesses, as well as utility notices. ABS-CBN is not much better, though they only have a 30 minute window for their evening news. In many other climes, local TV Cable providers are mandated to provide such a community channel specifically for upcoming events and notices. I wonder if that is true here. This void of information was really evident when most of the citizenry was not informed about the arrival of the Balanghai boat, or its send-off. These wonderful and uplifting events were missed by 90% of the citizenry. That is a real shame.
9. Speaking of the Balanghai’s-currently sailing south of CDO-I will keep you updated periodically of their progress. Construction of a third boat, designed to act as a tender, is scheduled to begin this week.
10. The institution of a Community Action Center. This is basically a resource for citizens to voice their questions and concerns about issues that arise in both public and private relationships. A sort of mediation center, but with teeth! Hopefully a CAC can be absorbed with the Chamber of Commerce, when the Chamber attains viability.
To that end, please consider, (or reconsider), joining, (or rejoining), the Butuan Chamber of Commerce. Past misdeeds are past. Let them lie and serve as learning points of the future. There is little chance of growth if a business community is fractured. A vibrant COC advocates on behalf of the private sector. Without same, public sector interests can run amok.
Chamber President Alan Silor is a bright, humble and forward thinking gentleman. Please give the man a chance to succeed on behalf of Butuan.
Thank you,
Greg May
www.butuanexpats.com
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