Issued by the International Organization for Standards, ISO 14001 provides the framework for an Environmental Management System (EMS) to be integrated into the over-all business activity of a company.After a decade of longing for an ISO 14001, The Cravings Group was recently granted this elusive Oscar of environmental excellence. My congratulations to the dynamic duo behind the sustained success of the group, Annie Pascual Guerrero and her daughter Badgie Guerrero Trinidad, CEO of the company. Annieis President with a special mission, to pursue the environmental and social responsibility of the company. For winning the ISO seal, I cheer also the management and staff of The Cravings Group who, I am told, read my column every week, reprinted in their in-house bulletin with my deliberate and delighted conformity. My words for their strength and number.

Why I devote my column to this achievement is to underscore the lesson that even without a law, running a green business is possible with determination. This is the first ISO 14001 to be awarded in the country's food service industry, a category that includes formal dining restaurants, fast food outlets, bakeshops, and catering. As its name hints, The Cravings Group is a holding company of many individual enterprises, all of which follow the Best Green Practices and Template on Sustainable Green Kitchen,instrumental to ISO certification. From the humble bakeshop along Katipunan Road, the company has expanded to include Cravings Restaurant and Bakeshop, TCB Unlimited Coffee, C2 Classic Cuisine Philippines Restaurant, Casa Roces Restaurant, Lab Gastropub, Lombardi's Italian Restaurant, Hollywood Steakhouse, Jeepney Pinoy Resto, Jalapeño Mexican Restaurant and Annie's American Comfort Cuisine Restaurant both in Tagaytay City, C3 Events Place, Oceana Events Place, Seven Suites Hotel Observatory, The Orange Place Hotel, Center for Culinary Arts Manila, Asian School of Hospitality Arts, and the Culinary Education Foundation which gives free tuition to deserving aspirants.After reading that, you should at least ban plastic bags and styro boxes from your kiosk, right?

Mr. Pio Geaga reminded us to leave as soon as possible for the ancestral house of the Villafranca as Mayor Emmanuel I. Aranda of Binalbagan would be waiting for us. Mayor Aranda is married to one scion of sugar barons in Binalbagan, the Villafrancas.

Mayor Aranda is an unbeatable politician in Binalbagan. According to my source he has a good political combination with Congressman Alejandro "Bebot" Mirasol. As long as they are in tandem, no one can beat them in Binalbagan. So it is not unusual that Mayor Aranda is Vice Mayor and Bebot Mirasol is Mayor or vice versa. And voters of Binalbagan keep on voting them that way. Now that Bebot Mirasol ended up Congressman talks in Binalbagan is that if things keep on with their tandem Aranda would end up Congressman one day and Bebot back again to Mayor. Who knows, but at this time voters of Binalbagan are satisfied of their political set up that way.

Aranda is a cousin of my wife. The "I" on Aranda’s middle name stands for Isulat. While my wife’s Ysulat is spelled that way due to record imperfection of the early American time. My wife insisted the original Ysulat is with the "Y" but Aranda’s Ysulat changed it to "I" for nearest name-calling on the roster by his forefathers. Which of the which but the Ysulats or Isulats of Dao, Antique let it that way. However, my wife keep on smiling that the Ysulat for a name of the street and a barangay in Dao is "Y" and not the "I". She said if based on historical facts it’s the evidence that the original spelling of Isulat is the "Y".

This is a reflection of the discussions broadcast yesterday by analysts Ramon Viva and Big Boy Urbanoso in DYAF’s "Bullseye".

If I may interpret, they were clarifying what Mayor elect Monico Puentevella did not promise at all, among which is the retention or non-renewal of "casuals" and "job orders" and the status of "co-terminus" positions. It must be clarified that these positions are "termed positions", meaning, it has a beginning and an end. As allowed by law, these positions are created upon the pleasure of the Mayor.

Co-terminus positions like those of the executive assistants are positions of trust as well. It is normal not to retain them all and invite new ones. Mayor Puentevella’s "world class Bacolod" must be served by executive assistants with analytical minds.

Clearly, Mayor Puentevella promised absolute "no vengeance policy". Hiring and re-hiring will be based on professional streamlining not along partisan lines or political vendetta. It must be remembered that Monico Kabuhi Ko (MKK) included beneficiaries under Puentevella’s political nemesis.

Shortly after the May 13 elections where Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer again bagged the congressional seat of the 4th District of Negros Occidental, he is already back to work.

In connection with the implementation of K-12 curriculum by the Department of Education, which was recently signed into law by President Benigno S. Aquino, Cong. Ferrer is busy looking for ways to add more classrooms, furniture, and equipment to public schools in Bago City, La Carlota City, Valladolid, San Enrique and Pontevedra.

He is currently working with the Angelicum Foundation of Barcelona, Spain, through the efforts of the Fundacion Familia Barcelona led by its president, Alfredo G. Barcelona, in order to construct a total of 10 classrooms for the towns and cities under the 4th District. The Angelicum Foundation funded the construction of the classrooms in coordination with Negros Volunteer for Change. Meanwhile, Cong. Ferrer personally funded the furnitures, equipment, and other amenities to make learning very conducive for young children in those classrooms.

Cong. Ferrer fully supports the K-12 program and he firmly believes that pre-school is the basic foundation of education. That is the reason why he will do everything that he can to help this sector.

DUMAGUETE CITY - Iloilo join the win column beating Iligan-Lanao, 1-0 even as Baguio and Cebu ended in 1-all draw in the 2013 PFF Suzuki U23 National Cup at the Gov. Mariano Perdices Memorial Stadium football field here yesterday.

After a scoreless half with both teams trying to score in a physical match but failed which cost Iligan-Lanao player Juvie Alvino’s red card in the 35th minute.

As the second half resume, Andrew Supeña find his mark in the 66th minute for the winning goal of Iloilo to avenged their inaugural match against North Cotabato, 2-0 last Sunday.

Each team made six substitutions in the duration of the game.

Baguio-Benguet and Cebu ended in a 1-all draw after Cebu’s Agapito Bacla-an scored in the 8th minute. But Aude Menzi connects in the 14th minute to equalize the score. It was Menzi’s second goal in the tournament after scoring against Baguio-Benguet that also ends in a draw on opening match Friday. Cebu, on the other hand, secured two wins and a draw in Group A.

The coach we refer here is multi-titled coach Freddie Lazarito.

Coach Nene, as we fondly call him, is the most dominating figure in football. He is the former national mentor (when foreign coaches have yet to invade the Philippines). He may be considered a dominating school-case mentor not only in the province and region but in national tournaments. His recent accomplishment is winning the 2013 National PRISAA held in Lingayen, Pangasinan last February. He also steered the Ceres-backed team of Negros Occidental Football Association in last year’s PFF-Suzuki U23 National Cup and is defending the title in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. I saw Coach Nene with NOFA-Ceres team on opening games of the 2013 PFF-Suzuki U23 National Cup Friday at Gov. Mariano Perdices Memorial Stadium, the venue of this year’s tournament. I saw him with Mr. Ramon Janeo sitting side by side each other when I glanced back. I saw him go outside with his team after the half of Baguio-Benguet and Iligan-Lanao opening match. But I DID NOT SEE HIM during the Media Thanksgiving Dinner Friday night at Bethel Guest House and instead Ali Go was sitting on his behalf. This really puzzled me only to find out that their Saturday, May 18 game against Zamboanga-Dipolog which they won, 6-0, Ali Go is calling the shots. Was this his furlough as what he had said before that he will give up coaching this team and only concentrate on school-based teams? Well, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt until he issues statements of his "disappearance".

Bacolod Tay Tung High School and St. John’s Institute are still the teams to beat in the 12 Under category while St. Benilde School, BTTHS and University of St. La Salle took notice in the 10-Under in the ongoing Condura-Basketball Coaches Association of Negros at USLS-IS covered court.

Tay Tung gave Mike Lim Basketball Clinic-Stallions a neat lesson, 82-38 and SBS, 70-48 over the weekend. SJI likewise stunned USLS, 55-37 and LLZ Warriors, 77-48 to stay within striking distance in the 12U group.

Cyril Dofitas

The Philippine Football Federation and Suzuki-Philippines disclosed during the press conference of the 2013 PFF-Suzuki U23 National Cup held last Friday at the Bethel Guest House in Dumaguete City that around a thousand balls have been donated by the motor company to the federation to strengthen its grassroots development program.

"It is a fact that not all provincial associations get equal support or sponsors. But by creating activities and posting competitions in various areas as well as strengthening the structure of competitions in these areas, it will encourage provincial associations to support their players because this is our commitment to Philippine football," said Cyril Dofitas, Department Head –PFF.

Dofitas also made correction on the impression that the federation is rich. "The subsidy of FIFA is being divided into several departments. It supports the grassroots development program, administration program, women’s committee and other programs to improve and strengthen the association. Likewise, we also set aside budget for our national team," he clarified.

Negros Occidental Garden Club members were treated to a private viewing on Saturday of a BBC documentary film featuring Prince Charles and the famous gardens at Highgrove House, his English country estate.

The film was presented by the Sampaguita Group at the club’s monthly meeting at the Sugarland Hotel.

The Highgrove gardens, covering some six hectares, are a showcase for the Prince’s interest in traditional and organic growing methods.

In the film, the Prince provides celebrity British gardener and broadcaster, Alan Titchmarsh, with unprecedented access to the gardens and gives a remarkably informal and candid interview thereby offering a rare insight into a royal passion.

The Prince bought Highgrove in 1980. It came with six hectares of almost featureless garden. In the ensuing 30 years, Prince Charles set about transforming the landscape into a beautiful array of diverse gardens.

Highgrove is an acclaimed promoter of the organic movement, both in terms of environmental sustainability and by its sheer natural beauty.