Up, Up Batangas is Usapang Pangkapayapaan, Usapang Pangkaunlaran 98.5FM

During times of emergencies and events of national interest, one would see Lt. Col. Gerry Zamudio on TV as the spokesman for the AFP, explaining away something that just happened.  I have known Lt. Col. Zamudio since 2006 when he was still with Fernando Air Base - and I felt so privileged to have known him when he became a celebrity of sorts as I always see him getting interviewed on national TV.  Lt. Col. Gerry Zamudio is a native Bicolano but is residing in Batangas with his lovely wife Nilda.

Sometime in March, he and a group of friends from the Rotary Club of Lipa South decided to start a public service Radio Program on 98.5FM every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. which is also aired on DWDD AFP Radio every Monday at 1:00 p.m. and on Channel 6 Cable TV Lipa every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. entitled Up Up Batangas.  Up Up stands for Usapang Pangkapayapaan and Usapang Pangkaunlaran

As our Vice President for Agriculture Mario Amparo is also from the Rotary Club of Lipa South, BPCCI became involved in this program.  We are at the Blue Sapphire every Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. for the live program on radio and simultaneously taping it for Cable TV. 

Lt. Col Zamudio is the program's Anchor.  We are often joined by Bing Formento of DZRH who comes all the way from Manila just to lend a helping hand and to provide the professional  "VOICE" to our "little-town" efforts.  Mr. Formento is doing this for the sake of old friendships, and our group is just so grateful to him for his generosity with his time and assistance.

This is a public service effort and no one is getting paid.  Those who want to contribute content, time, effort, or just pay for our coffee and local pandesal, which Mr. Mario Amparo tries to provide every session  is most welcome. 

Blue Sapphire is the "event place" and coffee shop in front of Fernando Air Base in Lipa.   During the last session, where the discussion was about NSO, COMELEC, the Police and AFP roles in the coming elections, someone brought "suman" all the way from the town of Bauan. 

The next session will be about Tourism and local industries.  Guests from Tagaytay Highlands, which new development is mostly in the Batangas area, (although their main gate is in Tagaytay City, Cavite) promised to give us a taste of their "bread and pastries" 

Thank you very much to all of you who have been helping us.