OPINION: The dark horse and the populist

BLOGISTA
By Cha Monforte

Boardmember Helario “Larry” Caminero has all the potential to be a congressman in the District 1 of Davao del Norte. At least that was one floated by others last week. But I say BM Caminero has first the qualifications- he came from the legitimate media, became a Kapalong administrator, councilor and now the PCL president in the province. He has also the winnability- only and only if all the municipal councilors will troop around him and dream they could produce a congressman of their own. Why not?
In the country’s elections, there are suprises and upsets. But it looks like these took place in different tempos. North Cotabato Greg Andolana, for one, had only little money from lawyering but he was carried by the waves of victorious opposition right after EDSA Uno uprising and had the backing of the Church people that made him a congressman. Andolana fought against an entrenched fortress of moneyed poliliticians in the late 80s and showed that with a galvanized people long revolted by the traditionalism and excesses of provincial power brokers one poor man could still win in a high public position. That was Andolana’s favorable epoch- similar to the springing up of Atty. Bal Sator as congressman then.

It was so long after EDSA Uno military-backed civilian uprising that Grace Padaca of Isabela in 2004 and Ed “Among” Panlilio of Pampanga in 2007 respectively captured the gubernatorial post against long-entrenched and moneyed political clans, no less than in the President’s home province in Among’s case. While they lacked a party and a well-oiled machinery to run a campaign, there was a groundswell of support from the people, who desperately sought a change in leadership. The good political fortunes of Cong. Way Kurat Zamora, former Gov. Joecab, and Cong Olano were etched in queer political milieu and tempo, but these need a another essay or two to bare.

But if a tempo that local legislators, the councilors who comprise 98 percent of incumbent elected officials could be made and they rally for their own congressman, BM Caminero has a chance to beat today’s current aspirants for the post- Vice Gov. Baby Suaybaguio and BM Roger “Dangpanan” Israel. This is the key in setting up BM Caminero as the dark horse for the congressional post in District 1.

But at the end of the day, it is still the people who should be awakened for ideals for them to rally for a good candidate who truly represents their plight and aspirations.

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Then and now populism- seen in the common tao’s cry “gikan sa masa para sa masa”- has been a leveler factor for poor candidates against those coming from the rich and moneyed. Even if it’s made and spinned as battlecry, in the likes of the hit rapped up by Erap in his presidential run, the dominantly poor electorate are won over for the sight that they have one of their own running for a public office. Ours is representative democracy, and we need true representatives, not the representa-thieves.
Former Davao del Norte Governor Yayong Gementiza quipped in my recent interview that he had only the fermented tuba nga bahal when he was still a jambolero, a street-smart broker of agricultural products, to feast on with the masa when he defeated a young, popular UM Tagum professor Nick Suaybaguio Sr. for Tagum municipal mayorship in 1967. For being with the unwashed masa, Yayong’s political career keeps on flickering- even now, I suppose.
Last-termer City Councilor Vicente “Enting” Eliot, the one teased (condescendingly?) during sessions by lawyer Councilor Joey Millan, has been in a life of odors, dusts and gutters as a magbobote, but being “Mr. Botelya” is one sight the great unwashed masa in Tagum has been visibly proud of. No wonder they voted “Enting Magbobote” for a long-reigning barangay captain and a city councilor for three straight terms, besides the various presidencies of Church organizations he served from the mandate of pastoral and laymen’s flocks (Name it, he has it). For over thirty years now since the early 70s, Enting does buy and sell of bottles, bakal, plastics and other recyclable saleables for a living, from which his brood of six children have succesfully earned their respective professions.

No doubt, Enting’s livelihood on scrap through the decades allowed him to talk and immerse with the masa. That makes him different to Millan, who lawyers for the few landowners. Enting is not annoyed of the sweat and brawn of the laborers, who compose the backbone of Tagum’s economy. The populism that has long come to associate to Enting Eliot by his trade is his most competitive edge in politics. That did him already through the years as a populist politician.

That makes him also a sure replacement to one of the four vacant slots for boardmember in District 1 of Davao del Norte. Sources said that only BM Tony Lagunzad will be left for reelection as two BMs are going back for mayoral comeback, one is graduating and another is running for Congress. Now if there’s already that Great Tug-of-War in the SP, with the moves of former Cong. Tonyboy Floirendos (will this ever come), the more a populist Eliot is given vacant BM slots for a good filler.

BLOG & BUZZ: Welcome Police Supt. Giusseppe Geralde for the Tagum City PNP chief post. His first name, from Italian name, is just pronounced “Joseph” and his family name pronounced “Heralde”. Today he would be conferred the rank of police supt from police chief inspector. He’s a PNPA graduate Class ’98 and has gone serving as chief of police in Sulop, Magsaysay and Digos City in Davao del Sur before becoming the intel and operations provincial chief of Davao del Norte, his most recent prior his present assignment. The new COP is like Police Supt. Dario Gunabe- amiable, friendly to local reporters. COPs being civilian in character should know rudiments of community relations through the legitimate press….Who’s this rumored public officials (male and female) who went abroad to secretly meet there to rekindle past and present love affair? Just tsismis?

(For online edition, visit my site: http://cha4t.wordpress.com, or email: chamonforte@yahoo.com, text 09069104553 for your reactions and commentaries. Watch my hourly “Tagum Newsbreak” over WTV 11 channel in Skycable Tagum)

Filed under: boardmember larry caminero, boardmember roger israel, councilor joey millan, plc president boardmember helario "larry" caminero, tagum councilor vicente "enting" eliot, vice governor baby suaybaguio, boardmember larry caminero, boardmember roger israel, councilor joey millan, plc president boardmember helario "larry" caminero, tagum councilor vicente "enting" eliot, vice governor baby suaybaguio

NEWS: Internet cafes given til December to dismantle cubicles

Aftermath of UM Tagum sex

scandal

oct 27

Internet cafes are given until December to dismantle their long, unauthorized semi-closed cubicles that authorities considered as one of the physical reasons that led to improper use of the Internet, said a report of a local Visayan paper last Friday.

But Vice Mayor Allan Rellon said in text message yesterday that while the Internet Café Advisory Board (ICAB) in its recent meeting agreed to still make the dismantling of the cubicles optional for now ICAB is enforcing to establishments wanting to put cubicles for privacy purposes to comply with the regulated height of up to four feet or face sanctions as provided by the city ordinance regulating operations of internet cafes. .

In earlier report, Councilor Joey Millan said that cubicles that are intended to protect privacy in communication have not actually led to increase of internet users that benefit internet cafes.

Reports said earlier that long cubicles have been used as a cover of the youths like high schoolers to surf pornographic sites in the web or malicious chatters to show their private parts on webcams to the ones they are chatting with.

The same report said that the victim UM Tagum student who was secretly camcorded resulting to the spread of what was dubbed as UM Tagum sex scandal video has already filed a case against suspects after NBI Tagum agents raided Oct. 15 the Aroma Internet and Computer located in Suarez Building along Sobrecarey Street.

The raided establishment is owned by Edgardo Silagan, president of the Internet Café Association of Tagum City (ICAT). His branch along Mabini St. has been closed for about two weeks.

The raiding team led by Head Agent Lorenzo Tan seized 23 computer units including webcams and other peripherals which were sent to Manila for the NBI computer experts to track on “cookies” that could leave imprints on the recording of the UM Tagum sex scandal video that shocked the city two months ago.

In an earlier interview at the height of the stunning news on Tagum sex scandal video, Silagan said that owners of internet cafes are usually entrepreneurs who did not know about technicalities of computer programs but he also admitted that there are some owners who know about it.

In that interview, he also expressed apprehension over what legal repercussions internet café owners would be culpable of if one of their attendants did something wrong without their knowing.

NBI agent Tan said that the suspected internet café will be facing a case for alleged violations to Republic Act 9208 otherwise known as Anti-Trafficking Law. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: councilor joey millan, edgardo silagan tagum, icat tagum, nbi head agent lorenzo tan, tagum sex scandal video, councilor joey millan, edgardo silagan tagum, internet cafe association of tagum, tagum internet cafes, tagum sex scandal video update

The tricycle fare increase in Tagum City

sept 19

The City Legal Officer Roland Tumanda made the inevitable reason loud and clear to quell murmurs around on the possibillity of holding in abeyance the present P7 motorcycle fare since prices of oil products have been already decreasing over the last two weeks. The increased P10 fare will continue for Tagum City despite the price rollbacks.

Since it’s the Tagum City Federation of Tricycle Transport and Services Cooperative (Tafettrasco) that would be benefited, its act of volunteering to distribute the taripas is a just a natural reaction knowing that tricycle drivers and operators have then been losing when gasoline prices were still about a double of the January price level, as well as due to the unfair competition posed by the colorum habal-habals which have been snatching their passengers in the city’s streets during sunny days.

“Unless the ordinance is amended,” Atty. Tumanda said to belabor a point that the fare could still be decreased to attune with current oil prices.

It’s good that there seems to be a quick price reflex now in the country’s deregulation regime in the oil industry but this positive news about price rollback is so scarce vis-avis the many instances of price increase.

We hope there will also be quick reflex mechanism in our local legislation. It seems to us that on the average it would take us one month and a half to two months before legislation is finally implemented after passing through the local and provincial legislative processes. But we start to count on the date of approval of the ordinance. In particular, the city ordinance on fare increase was unanimously enacted last July 28 and if taripas would be issued today, it takes us a total of one month and 21 days to have it implemented.

However, the delay on this fare increase ordinance seems to occur at the provincial level.

Nevertheless, despite what appear as discreet dilatory processes occurring at the provincial level for this piece of legislation, the city councilors who all voted yes to the ordinance should still be congratulated- for increasing fare at a time of decreasing oil prices. Thanks for the delay.  (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: tagum city, tagum city hall, tagum city councilors, tagum councilors, tagum, atty. tumanda, councilor joey millan, councilor francisco remitar, mylene baura, councilor alfredo pagmilao, councilor suaybaguio, councilor allan zulueta, mayor rey uy, tagum tricycle fare increase, atty. tumanda tagum

NEWS: 9:30 PM siren for 10 PM youth curfew mulled in Tagum City

A 9:30 P.M. siren to warn for a proposed 10:00 P.M. curfew for the youths and minors has been proposed at the Tagum City Council in Monday’s session.

In the bid of nipping at the bud the emerging problem of youth gangs in the city, Councilor and ABC president Alfredo Pagdilao proposed for an imposition of 10 P.M. curfew time for the youths and for this a 9:30 P.M. warning siren would be sounded off for the loitering youths and minors to return to their respective homes.

“Beyond 10:00 P.M. dakop na,” Pagdilao said before his colleagues on privilege motion.

But Pagdilao’s proposal immediately met several opposition voices on Monday.

“Unsay iyang gipasabot, di na manan-aw ug kalingawan ang kabataan sa Freedom Park?” (What does he mean, that the youths would no longer watch festivities at the Freedom Park?), said Ryan Subico, a habal-habal driver said.

A source from University of the Mindanao said that Pagdilao’s proposal is “alarmist” besides that it could immediately make “lonely nights” for city.

During yesterday’s session where the existence of youth gangs was tackled, Pagdilao informed his colleagues that his Barangay Magugpo South has been mulling for a 10:00 P.M. curfew time for the minors as they have been apprehensive over reports of youth gangs that are preying on even on minors.

He said that aside from gangs the city has also been facing the problem of drugs engaged by youths.

Pagdilao though did not specify the maximum age among youths who would included in his coming measure.

But Councilor Raymond Joey Millan immediately favored Pagdilao’s proposal as he urged him to pass first a resolution from Pagdilao’s Association of Barangays Councils (ABC) as guide to the city council.

Pagdilao admitted though that youths from his own barangay who are returning late at night have been reasoning out that they come from nightly festivities held at the Freedom Park. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: councilor alfredo pagmilao, councilor joey millan, tagum, tagum city, tagum city councilors, tagum city hall, tagum councilors, tagum, tagum city, tagum city council, tagum police, tagum sex scandal

NEWS: No more P4.66 per liter jack-up if City buys oil on cash – Millan

By Cha Monforte

Tagum City Councilor Raymond Joey Millan has bared that the city government can save at least P4.66 per liter or more than P.8 million in a year if it buys gasoline on cash basis than the usual credit mode from the suppliers.

In a privilege speech on Monday’s brief session of the city council, Millan that the amount of savings made through cash purchase was “quite substantial” which he said could already build numerous two-classroom buildings and deliver the much-needed basic services to the city constituents.

The councilor said his renewed call for the city to seize on advantages of making cash purchase of the high-priced oil was just a reiteration to what he made some three months ago.

Showing his proof based on the last weekend’s gasoline prices, Millan bared that last Saturday gassed up his government service vehicle for an amount of P1,000 from the city gasoline supplier and received a credit invoice of purchasing a total of 18.9 liters at a pump price of P62.87 per liter.

On next day, Sunday, Millan said he had gassed up his private vehicle for an amount of P500 and received a cash receipt of purchasing a lower P58.21 per liter.

He added that the difference of P4.66 per liter if multiplied in days of the month and year and on the estimate that the city government is spending 500 liters in a day could result to savings amounting to at least P69,900 in a day and P838,800 in a year.

Earlier on his speech, Millan called on his colleagues to join in Mayor Rey Chiong Uy’s call for cost-saving measures to address the problem of high priced oil products like the carless day, which is scheduled to be first day of the week, which Millan claimed he observed last Monday and will observe every Thursdays thereafter.

The councilor also suggested that their P6,000 gasoline allotment could be personally shouldered by the councilors subject to liquidation and reimbursement by the city government so they could “buy more liters of the gasoline.”

The city council entertained Millan’s proposal and moved to subject it to further discussions with the Atty. Roland Tumanda, the chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and the city treasurer Edgar de Guzman.

Several city councilors were seen taking their government service vehicles after they moved to adjourn after taking one of their shortest sessions which lasted only to about 1 hour and 10 minutes. They adjourned at 10:10 A.M.(Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: councilor joey millan, comval sex scandal, joey millan, tagum sex scandal

NEWS: NTC asks formal complaint vs Tagum City FM radios

The National Telecommunications Commission is asking formal complaints from any aggrieved party against some radio stations, particularly FM radios operating in Tagum City and the neighboring areas.

NTC-X1 regional director Josue de Villa Go, who faced Tagum City councilors during the SP session on Monday clarified the formal complaints to NTC would be used as basis for possible issuance of a cease and desist order to any violator.

During Monday’s session of Tagum City Council, the status of the X88.7 FM radio station was tackled following last week’s privilege speech of Councilor Raymond Joey Millan who complained of the audio interruption entering the channel allocated for GMA-TV over Skycable in the city.

NTC-XI Regional director Josue de Villa Go, who was invited as resource speaker along with GMA and Skycable representatives said that “X88.7 FM station is affiliating with Kalayaan Broadcasting Corp owned by the Floirendos”

But he skirted the query of Councilor Francisco Remitar about the station’s legal papers to operate saying that some radio stations in the city were already authorized by NTC and issued with Provisional Authority (PA) “so they could already operate on test broadcast.”

Earlier, several Tagum councilors had questioned the legal papers of the said station built by a certain Fernando Marquez.

The station’s management had already resorted to self censorship when it suddenly terminated the blocktime program of broadcasters Ben Wang and Manny Pajarito who made recurring criticisms to some city councilors and other provincial officials.

Go did not also specify the franchise and authority status of other small FM stations in the city which he cited as 99.9 FM, K91.5 FM and the Radyo Natin of the Manila Broadcasting Corp (MBC) even as he bared that there are two other FM stations applying for PA at NTC given that the city’s airwaves have still a lot of radio frequencies for allocation unlike Davao City’s airwaves that are already wholly filled up with radio frequencies.

He bared that the NTC policy now is to grant PA only to those stations having a minimum of 1,000-watt power.

In the past NTC has allowed small FM stations notably the MBC Hot FM stations that operated in 1-watt to 500-watt power.

As this developed, an MBC high-watt Radyo Natin station management in Nabunturan has long complained over the alleged refusal of Mayor Macario Humol to issue business permit to their station since October last year resulting to stoppage of broadcast despite NTC’s authorization.

The said station started as 1-watt small MBC franchisee station in 2002 and later shifted and operated as MBC Radyo Natin for over 2 years until it stopped broadcasting shortly before the 2007 polls reportedly due to internal conflict in its management.

Nabunturan town councilor Alfonso “Jun” Tabas, former anchor of the station, told Sidlak that Humol is allegedly not issuing business permit “due to politics.”

Tabas has been critical of Humol since early this year due to the P90-million bond flotation, charged to be expensive and exorbitant project pushed by the latter.

Due to Humol’s continued refusal to issue a permit, the station affiliate owner Lito Olarte is accordingly incurring monthly losses due to his continued payment of monthly rental for the station’s office and antenna in new location since late last year.

Tabas said Olarte is reportedly preparing to file a mandamus case against Humol. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: councilor joey millan, councilor francisco remitar, jun tabas, radio station comval tagum, mbc, X88.7 fm