| Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines | Saturday, January 24, 2009 |
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Australia in My Mind |
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| Honorary Consul John Rivas Filipinos are highly regarded by employers… Australia, especially Darwin City, is very clean, spacious and very safe. Dr. Rosario De Guzman I’ve been to Sydney four times, and stayed there for about a total of about five months. I visited Darwin and Adelaide, too. Aussies who are generally friendly people who will go out of their way to help when asked for directions. One has to get used to Aussie-speak especially of the Sydneysiders, which is difficult to understand with their drawl, intonation, idioms, colloquialisms and slang such as brekkie for breakfast, bikkie for biscuits, ta for thank you, Maccas for McDo, etc. I consider the Sydney Opera House of the most spectacular buildings I have ever seen. The Sydney Harbour New Year’s Eve fireworks was really a sight to behold, with the government not putting any stops to the expense. I like the idea of free shuttle busses for citizens and tourists within the city with designated bus stops as well as buskers ,or street entertainers, in the parks who showcase their talents to earn money from tourists and passersby. Part of the people’s benefits include a baby bonus of A$5,000 to help parents –both citizens and permanent resident – with the extra cost of a new baby or child adopted, allowance for mothers who are allowed to go on maternity leave for a year with only two months with pay and others. Fr. Aniceto Buenafe Jr. The long stretch of white-sand beach in Gold Coast is a sight to behold. The melodies of the kookaburra in the morning remind you of the chirping sounds of the maya birds in our windowsills back home. The large servings of food, especially the kebabs, and the wide, well-paved roads make you long too see the same thing in the Philippine countryside. Dr. Corazon Chua-Ham Melbourne maybe a modern city with no traffic since most take the tram, yet it retains the Victorian architectural design. It reminds of a rich culture in a modern world. The beautiful flowers and lush trees are proofs of its eco-environment consciousness. Tourist spots are well kept and clean. The sight of the 12 Apostles and Blue Mountain can hold you breathless. Indeed, an awesome creation of God! Bashir Sadiq, Born in Afghanistan In Australia, life for us has greatly improved. Having been born in a war-torn country, life in Sydney is the complete opposite: it’s peaceful and quiet. I’m happy in Sydney. There’s no war, no problem. I feel safe. Robin Palileo, Boxer The environment in Australia is very good. It’s now my home although I’m happy to be home again, too, in the Philippines for the first time in about 14 years. Life in Australia is, indeed, good. Prof. Louernie De Sales – Papa Sydney is a tourist-friendly city where everything is accessible – a well-planned urban zone. Culturally diverse, it has great beaches and clean air. Best place to retire. Maeng Java, Artistic Director & Choreographer My experiences in Australia when I joined the WNU Kaanyag Dancers to Darwin were challenging. The challenges excited us. Australia’s cultural diversity is awersome. A Filipino definitely will fit into this kind of setting.
IN NATIONAL BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP Aussie Boxers Add Int’l Flavor Two Australia-based boxers gave theNational Boxing Championship, which ended in Bacolod Friday, an international flavor. Robin Palileo, featherweight division, and light welter Basher Sadiq, who was born in Afghanistan, saw action carrying the Black Town Hit Squad, a boxing team in Sydney. The two were brought to the ABAP championship in Bacolod by former national team member and coach, Ricardo Fortaleza, who is now based in New South Wales, Australia. Fortaleza, the Asian Games boxing bantamweight champion, the lone gold medalist in that event in 1970 in Bangkok, and trainor of the most successful boxing campaign of the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in 1991 in Manila, where all 12 boxers won medals – eight golds, two silvers and two bronzes – has been resident of Sydney since 2000. Palileo, whose parents hail from Bulacan, moved to Australia when he was 2 years old, which was also Sadiq’s age when his mother brought him and his three siblings to Pakistan to flee the Afghanistan war. When Sadiq was 11, his family moved to Australia, where they are now residing in Sydney. Robin clinched the gold medal in the Bacolod tournament via a 10-2 win over North Cotabato’s Arnel Gepollano. Robin said his older brother, Paulo, a former boxer, encouraged his interest in the sport since he was 9 years old. While he bowed, 3-14, to world-class boxer Genebert Basadre in the ABAP finals, Sadiq still looks forward “to seeing action in the Commonwealth Games and hopes to become a world champion”. I lost to a more experienced boxer but I gained plenty of experience, he said. Both are current New South Wales state champions with Robin, an 11th grader, holding the featherweight division title along with that of the Police Citizen Youth Club while Basher, who is looking forward to a Business course after completing his 12th year of basic education, rules the light welterweight category. “It’s my first trip since I left the country as a kid,” Palileo said, adding it feels good to know that he is on the list of ABAP for inclusion in the national training pool, the members of which was selected by the association from among potential medalists in bigger tournaments which saw action in Bacolod last week. No less than ABAP President Ricky Vargas, who watched Palileo’s semifinal match Thursday, which he won 20-0, expressed great satisfaction over the Sydney-based boxer’s performance on the ring. “Very good, very promising,” he said. Coach Fortaleza said he is happy of his protégés’ performance and said he looks forward to Robin’s inclusion in the training pool depending on what ABAP will propose and for as long as the boxer continues his studies in Sydney. He’s a great coach, he supports us through and through in our matches, Sadiq said. Fortaleza,whose brothers Roger and Rene, both former boxing standouts, too, have served ABAP for years, is also credited for preparing the Philippine team in the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 that gave the country a boxing bronze courtesy of Roel Velasco, now a national team mentor. An electrical engineer, the former Asian Junior Boxing Champion, worked as a Physical Education mentor in boxing, coaching and referee course in Taiwan prior to returning to the country where he worked for the Philippine Basketball Association under Jun Bernardino, particularly for its promotional Silver Anniversary activities. Today, as he mentors the two visiting boxers, he also volunteers as assistant to the Filipino parish priest of the St. Michael church in his NSW community. AVDelCarmen | ||||||||||