The people of Dapitan City salute the new administration for the successful celebration of the town fiesta held last July 25, 2004.

Through the efforts of former Congressman Romeo “Nonong” Jalosjos and the present Mayor Dominador “Jun” Jalosjos, famous television personalities such as Nancy Castillone, Alessandra de Rocci, Lana Jalosjos, and the staff of GMA – Eat Bulaga paraded the city of Dapitan in welcome of the city’s Patron Saint, Sr. Santiago.

With the cooperation of the local government units of the fifty barangays, a TV game show dubbed as ISA, DALAWA, TATLO, TAKBO hosted by Ruby Rodriguez and Gladys Guevarra, was also aired-live on television nationwide.

“We are thankful to the present administration that we have most of the shows and activities this year for free,” says Apple Marie A. Agolong, Chairwoman of the Committee on Tourism.

Dapitan City Mayor Jun Jalosjos highly commends the Circulo de Dapitanon USA for donating 17 large boxes of reference books for public use last July 27, 2004.

Circulo de Dapitanon is an association of Dapitanons in the United States of America. Ms. Alma Acaylar, president of the association expressed her excitement with regards to the date of completion of the Dapitan City Public Library located behind the City Mayor’s Office.

Ms. Acaylar added that the Circulo de Dapitanon USA is planning to donate more educational books including complete sets pf computers when the City Public Library is already complete.

“We have high regards to the present administration for giving importance to the development of the Dapitan City Public Library,” City Councilor Alexander Yurong, chairman of the Committee on Education said.

Likewise, City Mayor Jun Jalosjos is proud of the noble act executed by the Circulo de Dapitanon USA.

Last week Gov. Yebes ordered a comprehensive inspection of the area. The team was headed by Provincial Environment & Development Officer Remelo Damuag, Prov’l Atty. Jes Gal Sarmiento and Provincial Information Officer Roney Pacilan.

The provincial government has made it clear that it cannot just make any steps regarding the mining of beach pebbles in Tipan, Gutalac. The team will have actual ocular inspection of the area before any actions can be undertaken, the governor stressed.

Moreover, the governor has created a task force to inquire into the income of the province out of these pebbles, the volume of pebbles that are transported out of the province and the quantity of pebbles in Tipan.

Earlier, Gov. Yebes was informed by BFAR Director Sarmiento, Jr. that such mining of beach pebbles is strictly prohibited under the Fishery Code of 1998.

On the other hand, the pebble pickers in Tipan promised to submit to the law if mining of pebbles in the area is really prohibited.

Former barangay Kagawad Pilar Ayawan of Tipan narrated to this paper the change in their Barangay since the start of the mining operations in 1992.

Kag. Ayawan pictured Tipan as a Barangay with a very wide shoreline then. But today, 12 years after the operation, the shoreline is lost and the sea is just a step away from their doorstep.

When the pebble pickers were asked if the Fishery Code of 1998 be fully implemented, they sadly expressed that they have to submit to the law but they requested that they will be given enough time to look for other means of livelihood.

For the last eight years, the Kapunongang Dipolognon sa Manila, an organization of well-meaning and civic minded Dipolognons based in Metro Manila, has sponsored the college education of twenty six (26) financially-disadvantaged but intelligent students from Dipolog City.

Ms. Darla Elumba Castelo, an instructor of the Jose Rizal Memorial State College (JRMSC) and designated school coordinator for the Kapunongan, disclosed in an interview that said scholars were chosen based on their high school scholastic records, proficiency examination and personal interview. The scholars are given the option to choose the courses offered by the State College like B.S. Criminology, BS Industrial Technology, Midwifery, Food Technology, Automotive Technology, Architectural Drafting Technology, electronics and Bachelor of secondary education. Three of the scholars graduated cum laude.

The Kapunongan is headed by Atty. Nonoy Dalman while the scholarship committee is chaired by Mrs. Gloria Fernandez with Diday Pulido and Ma. Elouisa A. Patangan as members. Mrs. Elvira Ramos Ermita, member of the board, has been a consistent supporter to this project.

tingog kunsYensya

I am always saddened Jose, when I hear news about my “powerful friends” changing their attitudes and falling prey to the sycophanting (read: ulo-ulogang mga tawo) madlang people around him. Early in the administration of Brogs when I had the ears and respect then of the governor enough for me to call an appointment to see him hours even after the bell at Capitol rings for dismissal, I never blinked an eyelash telling him straight to his face never to allow his “sipsips” to “intrigue” him into believing ill of his men, using “Amatong loyalists” as the easy alibi. Never batted an eyelash to tell him never to allow his men to abuse his trust by acting like they are the court jesters whose shoes are bigger than the ones Brogs wears. Sadly, Brogs found the advices of this paper and his “editor-friend” to be “too demanding” and went with his way just the same. Shortly thereafter, Brogs found himself staring at a dilemma of “ firing out” a Super Casual in a Miniong Bergado. Found himself facing the dilemma of confronting a Senen Ladera. Found himself defending the actuations of a Calay Dalman who happens to be his esposo mia. The rest is history. Brogs belatedly found that the “urine” of this editor-friend of his is much too yucky to bear, even by his own farting and sycophanting loyalists. It was no secret that Brogs was smarting from the article I once wrote. It was the article in Italian about me wishing I were an angel so I can fly over the Capitol and urinate on its roof. I titled it in style then too. In Italian. “Sio Fossi Un Angelo”. Literally translated into “If I Were An Angel”. Bwahahahahaha.. If only I can relate the hardships I went thru to espouse such principle of cleansing the Dalman administration of their abscesses and excesses, I sure be proud to say that no one shall envy me! Bwahahahaha.

o0o

Then came Gahi. Thru 1998 to 2002, I was of the belief that Gani was a better leader than Brogs and never had any regret supporting him for two elections. By then, I can go to Gani, at any time of the day or night to “pitch in” my salt’s worth of advice. Sadly, there were lots of heads which rolled from out of those advices I made. No, not without due process though, I was monitoring. There were the heads of Vic Sanchez who once was given the post as PEDO. There was the head of Jojo Rule. The heads of Myrna Cash-in and the Eng’r-Lover Boy GA “Lovin’”. Incidentally, Zaldy Bala was trained by Myrna in the art of liquidation. I called her “Liquidator par excellence”. I wonder if zaldy Bala got her expertise as I heard that now, he is doing the cash advances for Governor Yebes and he knows where to look for receipts to complete these advances of Yebes should he fail to “collect” them after spending our tax money either in his travels out of town, or even locally. Whew! What expertise indeed, that they can rest assured that they are indispensable to the new administration even if they are prime suspects of the Computer Processor theft which up to now is still unresolved! That aside from being a maternal relative to the governor no? Now back to Gani. It took me only two transactions to know that Gani has done a brogs. Something that my own conscience and principle could not really accept. Arrogance too, had crept in thru his bureaucracy that even inconsequential flies like Abet Barbaso, King Ocupe and Superman Verduguez now are feared in the halls of the Capitol. Susmarya, now we see traces of corruption blatant and patent even if Verduguez swears to high heavens nga “mang-ilok” or was it “manglingbawot” iyang balhibo if he deals in corruption, whatever that means! We stood by our expose indeed and now, the Capitol of Yebes has a reason to let them undergo the Lifestyle Check, as if they still have the power to, especially after these people have left government service! Of course, I sought Gani out to ask his stance on now clearly abusive, corrupt and erring officials. It even came to a point where I asked my brother to write Gani a letter asking him to lay-off and stop protecting the corrupt and officials in his administration, in that joint expose we made of the equipment scam. “Don’t let yourself be used by the people who are hiding behind your skirt to evade charges of corruption and effectively drag you with them,” was the tenor then of our letter. “Get off these guys and we will fight them in any for a to prove how corrupt they are,” it added. But sadly, Gani have changed. I remember telling Abet, that I shall be sad to be the complainant in a graft case against her and Gani. Sadly though, my witness met an unfortunate shooting that derailed my case. Gani’s luck for the meantime, of course. But since then, I never had any occasion to even meet him. Nor talk to him, except for a minute or so in one or two unavoidable social functions. The rest is history. Gani humilitangly lost in the 2004 elections. I shall not say that I was central to it, but a lot credited me for cracking the armor of Gani. Since I left him, as a matter of fact, he was fair game to all criticisms by all media. Something that never happened to him in the five years we were together. I had no ill will for Gani. After all, he is still godfather to Pope, even if he will chose to forget such fact now. But I have a problem with his arrogant administration. Reason why, I feel uneasy with reports of my “powerful friends” involved in no-so-compassionate moves!

o0o

I shall not expect that Yebes shall “listen” to my advices. Nor shal I expect that his men shall allow me to even talk it out with him. But since I consider Lando as another of my “powerful friend”, he being a friend of a friend beside generously crediting me for my “help” in installing him at Capitol, I shall tell him straight to his face when the opportunity crops up that he has a problem in his hands. A big problem, in fact, considering that his is but a three-week old administration. Right now, we hear that his brother, Engr. Eduardo “Nonoy” Yebes is LORDING it over at Capitol. Nonoy, I hear is slated to be appointed by Lando as his private secretary after the Sanggunian shall have approved the creation of said position within the month. Sadly, however, Nonoy is effectively not-yet-a-public servant as of this writing. Already we heard that this guy went to the Provincial Hospital to check on a former security escort of Gani, Norman Marabulas, para lang motan-aw sa iyang nawong. “Ganahan lang ko motan-aw sa iyang nawong. Magtiwas lang nya ta sa Sibuco,” was how this guy veiled his arrogant threat on the poor guy whose only fault is to be chosen by Gani to be detailed as his security escort. Already we hear that this guy went to look for a Heidi Maraon after the former was overheard to have said that she does not know him. “Kinsa man gud na siya nga wa man ko ka-ila ana niya?” was Heidi’s not-so-palatable remark after she was told to surrender the keys of the pickup addigned to her on instruction of Eng’r. Yebes”. “Aha man si Maraon,” was the quote coming from Lando’s brother when he barged into the office of the former. “Ganahan man kaha siyang maka-ila nako. Ganahan man kaha siyang motan-aw sa akong nawong!” I wonder why the “nawong” is always an issue with Eng’r. Yebes. Even as I still have to meet him, this guy seems to have a psychological problem indeed that such childish remark shall be attributed to him as his quotes. Asked by media once, he was quoted to have bragged to an Amatong Press that “magkita lang ta sa 2007!”. I would suppose that Lando has not yet “talked personally” with his brother on this matter as I got from a reliable source. But the sooner we are told what the papel de hapon ni-aning iyang igsoon diha sa Capitolyo, the better for his “needed” cooperation with us, neutral and objective observers. But again, arrogance is also an option for Governor Yebes if he chooses to hard ball it with us, inconsequential media flies. After all, it is no secret that he almost hired all of the media people of DXFL and put them under the payroll at Capitol in what I would be scared to know as 15-30 payola, if ever the evidence warrant. Until then, we shall watch hos mives with hawk-eyes ever vigilant of his reactions. Oh, how sad to end a honeymoon so early with a slap on the face! But I assure them that like them, we won’t regret losing a few “powerful friends” in our quest for a principled job. Funny, Eng’r . Yebes might have prophetically said it: “Magkita na lang ta sa 2007!” Bwahahahaha… (Tingog Peninsula, Vol. IX No. 37)

Man’s behavior is varied. When an event would be in his favor, he could afford to smile with his mouth wide open. But when it would be otherwise, he would sour-grape and be jealous unprofessionally even to the extent that he forgot of having done the thing before he now loves to criticize.

We have some crazy cases of Ex-Governor Gani Amatong’s crazy boys who like dogs that bow-wow-wowed the Yebes administration for having installed as part of his official family some men whom they saw as not qualified.

Excuse us, not qualified of what? Gov. Lando Yebes men are educationally qualified, s we see them. Not like Gani’s men who ran the Capitol before like hell! His men are morally qualified too, because like the governor himself, they are morally upright. Not like Gani’s trusted man, a Padre, who readily gobbled up his own relative to become his own Madre! (Susmaria y Hosep!) Not like Gani’s Verduga who pretended to be a Verdugo but was reported to have swallowed in the end a certain beautiful Sheena.

Now, would it not be better if Amatong’s crazy boys would stop criticizing the Yebes Administration for the imaginary things it will never do but was already done by Gani in the past?

It would be better perhaps if Amatong’s media dogs would help the new governor in uplifting to a better status the present sorry socio-economic sate of our people. It would be better, probably, if they would help the new governor rebuild our province that is left devastated socio-economically by Gani’s dictatorial regime.

As the questions grow louder who is responsible for allowing the illegal gambling in the barrios and some other parts of the city, Dipolognons always look up to the major leaders of the city for answers.

And who else? As tari-tari, bagrak and hantak go on and on without let-up, even organized and participated by officials themselves, people tend to point an accusing finger at the City Mayor or the barangay captain or the police and other city officials.

And they must.

While there is no law, ordinance, or resolution allowing the conduct of such activities even during “linggo ng barangay” or “araw ng barangay”, then such activities are illegal and punishable by law.

The officials cannot just go blind to those whom they know and go after those whom they do not know just because they are not political allies.

They cannot just turn deaf ears to all these queries if gambling is legal or not, just to please those they call “paparts”.

If they do, then this is an utter blunder to the oath of office they have taken for the interest of the city.

And it is.

But the people cannot always take the double standard governance in stride. They cannot always allow absolute discretion as regards implementation of the laws.

The people can always say enough.