Wake-uppers: Because the granddaughter of a prominent family in Bohol is at the right age and has a flourishing career ala Maria Montessori, she decided to tie knot with her boyfriend (who's working abroad) in "secret." According to Bared Very Reliable Source (VRS), the "secret marriage" was held at Al de Veyra's gardens in Metro Manila South. "It was a planned 'Sky Lanterns' which added a magical sparkle to the celebration." Feliz compleaños to Eden Descallar, Globe Telecom-Bohol manager, August 1. The same felicitations to Glenda Gatal (who is still gorgeous at 34), August 1; and Danica Marien Duma, August 24. By the way, Globe Telecom was one of the major sponsors in the recently concluded Sandugo celebration.

Birthday celebrator Eden Descallar

If you happen to meet this lady who's into "I do" and "Smile 123" businesses, we warn you to be extra careful in dealing business with her. She has this "bad" attitude of not paying you after an agreement. She has the tendency of "backbiting your competitors just to win your side and vice versa. "She has no word of honor," VRS said.

Catch Willie Revillame who's Cesar Montano's guest at the Island City Mall today for Cesar's birthday celebration.

Cesar Montano is busy with a lot of things but he makes it a point to include Bohol in his future plans. Today, Cesar and Willie Revillame will join forces to bring "Wowowee" in Bohol to celebrate his birthday (actually on August 1) at the Island City Mall (ICM). "It will be a fun event because we will do gift-giving, bring fun, games and surprises to the people of Bohol to celebrate my birthday." Last week at the Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School marked the start of a series of film screenings for Jose Rizal. Cesar who plays the title role in the movie-and wife Sunshine Cruz attended the event. He is dreaming of having Bohollywood

***

You know, of course, that Dame Rosario "Rose" Soy is the new Mrs. Bohol International, don't you? Or, that Dame Rose is Queen of Rotary bestowed to her for four consecutive years because of her meaningful contributions to the growth of the organization. At the culmination of the Sandugo month last Sunday, hundreds of well-wishers cheered the Rotary Queen waving from a float (the most beautiful float with her name in every corner signifying strength, beauty, pride and elegance) who defined beauty through flamboyance. With a wave and a familiar smile, Dame Rose took the province's admiration from the townmates- a cynosure to all and more! At her prime (age not revealed, so what), Dame Rose is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, she is busy managing her travel tour

ROSE SOY

A globetrotter, she spent half of her life in Florida, USA before moving back to Bohol to focus in socio-civic activities and business.

She is also the vice chairman of Bohol Mangrove Keepers, Inc. and the director/manager of the Pres. Carlos P. Garcia Museum.

She has a regular ballroom dancing session every Sunday to cope with stress.

Philanthropist and socio-civic leader Dame Rose Soy redefines beauty as Queen of Rotary and Mrs. Bohol International.

Ask her what is her beauty secret and Dame Rose will tell you, "I am happy entertaining people and I smile a lot!" She has future projects and plans for the betterment of our people. As reigning Mrs. Bohol International, she has to help the beneficiaries at the Bohol Crisis Intervention Center (BCIC), a government agency that provides multiple intervention and rehabilitation services to help protect abused children and women, whether the abuse is sexual, physical or emotional.. "That's why I have to put up money for this purpose," she said.

She has dynamic fundraising activities in Rotary Club of Tagbilaran as Queen of Rotary Club for four consecutive years from year 2006 until at present.

She has also the highest contribution for the TBTK souvenir program which reached to the amount of Php 300,000.00, the biggest so far in TBTK history. "I know where my generous donation goes and I am supporting the cause for betterment of our brothers and sisters," Dame Rose said. Dame Rose wouldn't be called as the Queen of Rotary and Mrs. Bohol International if she didn't deserve such. With her exquisite features and natural elegance, Dame Rose defines what is to be real Boholana with beauty and heart.

Dame Rose Soy (center, wearing yellow gown) received cheers at the Sandugo parade, a cynosure to all!

***

As Bared reported last week, Miss Bohol International 2006 Loida Tiza Salve Lagonoy "accused" the Miss Bohol International organizer (Junior Chamber International -Bohol Chocolate Hills) for not giving her the "elusive" round trip ticket prize going to the US as one of her major prizes she won in 2006 and she was not accorded the treatment that befitted a queen. Loida "exposed" everything in her farewell speech during the pageant night on July 24, and was quoted with her famous line: "My reign was a reign that never was." Loida and Dame Pureza Chatto (JCI-Bohol past president and Miss Bohol International 2006 project chair) were exchanging words on dyRD's Inyong Alagad at the height of the issue.

Meanwhile, I just got emails from all over asking about the issue.

From Loida Lagonoy:

Hello. If it was not a ticket for the USA, I wonder why she told me to get a US visa first. I would like to correct that it was her who told me to get a visa first, because according to her I could not claim the ticket without the visa. Had she not told me that, I would not have pursued the getting of the visa wayback August 2007, since I knew for a fact that the visa would not be a problem since I had another year to process it. Secretary Atienza told me to finish my studies instead before I busy myself with the visa processing. Let me correct that right after I won, I was not advised to go to PAL and claim the ticket.

I was expecting that the organizers already have the ticket with them. Isa pa, I am the winner. Supposedly, tagaan nalang ko. Why did it have to be me to really run after my prize? Anybody would expect nga ihatag nalang sya. It was also not made known to me that it should be requested at least five days prior to the intended departure. Had I known, I should have set a departure date already bisan pa if dugay pa ko mularga. I wanted to claim the ticket closer to the expiration date since I was advised by her that by the time I claim the ticket, there is another year for its usability-supposedly a two year allowance, and by such time, I'm already done with my board exams.

Let me enlighten that their role was to make sure I get the ticket at the intended time range. Whatever I would have done with it- whether I use it or not- it's my call. The task for 2006-2007 was only the claiming of the ticket. Whether I claim the ticket a little short before it expires, remember it still is valid. She advised me that there is a travel tax of 16,000 pesos and not 11 thousand. She gave me only 3 thousand pesos and not 5thousand pesos which confused me, since I am the winner and not the organizer who had the MOA with PAL. She was the one who asked me of the 16thusand pesos travel tax and not PAL. Why would she give me 3thousand if she required it from me in the first place? Maam Emma Casenas did not compute the travel tax infront of me. She did not even talk of it. Even if there had been an advisory from the organizers to PAL Manila, I was expecting that ilaha jud ko kuyugan, granting nga dili pman diay solid ang ticket with them, as anybody would have expected at that time. Had I been informed of ALL the conditions right after I won this would not have happened. As an 18 year old student, 16thousand required of me to procure for less than 3 days only, is already taxing. I was not able to pursue the ticket right before it expired since I was not able to accumulate 16thousand pesos.

during our last phone conversation, I asked if I could have the ticket bisan ang paper nalang. bahalag expired. All the while I believed they already have the ticket.

Anybody who watched the show would expect nga naa nila ang ticket, and my task was only to claim if from them. She vehemently told me, wala na tay mabuhat adto day.

And I realized, if only I was able to pay the travel tax, I could have claimed the ticket. Unfortunately, I was informed about it, only less than 2 days. I even asked if we could find a way for it to be availed since wala man gyud sya na-enjoy. But I just learned from her over the radio this week that PAL is willing to adjust. nganong karon ra man na-determine? The number one question is where is the ticket? And the fact still remains that I did not receive any roundtrip ticket, as I've said in my speech. If it really was given to me but wala nako largahi, it should be my fault.

I was expecting to feel the motherly accommodation since she is the chairman of the organization and I'm bringing the name of TBTK, and I was to be her daughter but why didn't she talk to me, or had us both sit down and talk about the matter even before negative stories were thrown to me. We sent a demand letter a week before the pageant, yet wala ko niya tagda.

I just would like to add that during our last conversation, when I was asking for the ticket even if it had already expired, she did not enlighten me that that the ticket was only to be issued to me. She just vehemently said, "wala na tay mabuhat ana day". -then she excused me for she was to attend a funeral. And I just cried.

Regarding the US visa Processing, it's true that they tried to facilitate my papers.

Yet kanunay niya ibalik because of errors. They even sent the papers to manila for the scheduling but because of the errors in the application forms, she resent the papers back to me. It was me who called the embassy for the final schedule of interview. Her secretary only gave me the number to call. I can show the telephone bill. I was already on my own when I reapplied, for I was denied the first time. It was during the second time that if was granted the visa.

She did not tell me that the ticket was a non-revenue ticket. And for her info, I wasn't able to avail of Atienza's Manila ticket.

God knows the truth and the truth will set us free. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Loida

From Junior Chamber International -Bohol Chocolate Hills:

Dear Leo,

Thank you for this opportunity to give some clarifications regarding the above subject's issue. Here is the narration of events, exactly as they happened:

1. The ticket award was a round trip international ticket, not necessarily to the USA and back, through the courtesy of Philippine Airlines, being one of the pageant corporate sponsors.

2. The MOA between PAL and the organizers stated that the ticket shall be requested at least five days prior to the intended departure. Like all other airline tickets, it had one year validity.

3. After Miss Loida Lagonoy won the Miss Bohol International crown, PAL Manila through a letter was advised on Miss Lagonoy's being the rightful claimant of the award ticket. Said letter was received by the Office of the President of PAL on August 5, 2006.

4. Verbally, Miss Lagonoy was advised by the organizers to claim the ticket at the PAL Office in Tagbilaran through Mrs. Emma Caseñas. For reason that Miss Lagonoy was not yet planning to enjoy her award as she expressed she wanted to avail herself of the privilege only when she would be through with her schooling - graduate and take the board, she did not claim the award ticket early as advised. At that time in 2006, she was in her third year BSNursing course.

5. Sometime in April 2007, Miss Lagonoy was again encouraged to get the ticket so she can grace the CONBUSAC Convention in July 2007 in the United States of America. The CONBUSAC would have been a good purpose in traveling to the USA when she would apply for a US Visa. Still, Miss Lagonoy maintained, she had no plans of traveling yet. She verbalized that she had reservations in applying for a visa for fear that the US Embasssy might give her one month to a few months visa and that she might not be able to enjoy it as she maintained she still had to finish her nursing course - at that time she was entering her fourth year BSNursing - or a little over a year to go before her expressed intended departure in July 2008.

6. Miss Lagonoy had been reminded to simply claim the ticket as it was due for claiming end of July 2007.

7. Miss Lagonoy went to Mrs. Emma Caseñas, Manager of PAL Tagbilaran to claim the ticket on July 25, 2007, three days before the period of claiming would lapse. Ms. Caseñas computed her travel tax and other government fees totaling to a little over ELEVEN THOUSAND PESOS (Php11,000.00) which Miss Lagonoy had to pay before the ticket could be actually issued. Miss Lagonoy was then not prepared to pay her dues as a "would-be-traveler".

8. Miss Lagonoy called the organizers relaying her predicament. It was explained that the taxes were due considering that the ticket was a non-revenue ticket. PAL was awarding only the airticket EXCLUDING the taxes due to the government.

9. Miss Lagonoy, as winner of Miss Bohol International, had been awarded by the organizers the cash prize of FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (Php50,000.00) plus other prizes from corporate sponsors. Yet, in the desire of the organizers to help Miss Lagonoy raise the money to pay her travel tax and other fees relevant to her travel, the organizers gave her an additional amount of FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (Php5,000.00) on July 26, 2007.

10. Having not heard any feedback from Miss Lagonoy after the supposed due date for claiming the ticket on July 28, 2007, the organizers called to check on Miss Lagonoy re: the status of her ticket award. She said that she did not pursue getting the ticket because she had asked DENR Secretary Lito Atienza (who pledged to sponsor her plane ticket to Manila and back to Bohol and accommodation in Manila) to intercede on her behalf for the extension of the issuance of the airticket. According to Miss Lagonoy, Sec. Atienza advised her to get a US Visa first. Miss Lagonoy asked the organizers what she would do with the additional FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (Php5,000.00) given to her to help her pay her travel tax. It was suggested that she keep the money as she would still need it when she would eventually get her airticket.

11. Early part of 2008, Miss Lagonoy called the organizers to ask for the airticket even if it had expired. It was then explained to her once more that the sponsor, which was PAL, did not give the organizers any paper ticket as the same was to be issued only to the rightful recipient who was Miss Loida Lagonoy. Mrs Emma Caseñas had also explained this clearly to her on the very day Miss Lagonoy went to PAL Tagbilaran office.

12. Miss Lagonoy had been given the help and assistance she needed even in preparing the documents for her US Visa when she finally decided to apply for it in mid 2008. Same courtesy was accorded to her as well as to both her parents and two aunts in their US Visa interview schedule at the US Embassy. According to Miss Lagonoy, she got a ten-year multiple entry US visa - an opportunity elusive to many young single ladies and nurses at that.

Thank you again, Leo. God Bless!

-The Organizers