BLOGISTA
By Cha Monforte
jan 15
The gun ban started last Sunday and in Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley provinces a few police and military elements and private persons were arrested. It’s a good sign that our police force made arrests at the start, since we know that armed bodyguards of politicians abound in our provinces. We hope the PNP conducts a no-nonsense and no-sacred-cow campaign for the gun ban until victors are declared in the May elections. For one, we know of a congressman having armed bodyguards in tow. What to do with them now? Are they exempted from the gun ban?
Tagum City PNP chief Giusseppe Geralde bared that not even with those in the intelligence community including police and military assets who are armed in public places and not in operations are exempted from the gun ban. They face apprehension by Geralde’s uniformed policemen. This is to prepare and ensure peaceful May elections.
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PSupt. Geralde has an early assessment that for Davao del Norte and Tagum City he expects peaceful elections to come considering the lack of rivals of incumbents, and knowing that Mayor Rey Uy is a “strong candidate”. Besides, Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has no opponent, he said. We have long known also that Uy’s rivals- former Governor Yayong Gementiza and Congresman Arrel Olano aren’t warlord type politicians who have a bunch of armed bodyguards in company.
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It was Vice Governor Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio Jr who said to me that Davao del Norte’s politics is by nature good. It’s where you see rival politicians reconciling and becoming friends again. He cited ex-Gov. Yayong, who opposed Gov. Del Rosario in gubernatorial fight in 2007 polls, being seen later shaking hands with the governor during last year’s State of the Province Address. It’s good that in this side of the country, politicians fought tooth-and-nail, with doses of black propaganda during the campaign period, and later before the next polls they reconciled. Vice Gov. Baby once fought City Mayor CO in a hotly contested mayoral bout in 2004, and now they belong to the same opposition party- the Liberal Party of Noynoy-Mar tandem. Baby lost in that political battle. He is confident of Mayor CO ’s backing of him in his current reelection bid for vice governor.
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BLOGS AND BITS: Rival politicians in Davao del Norte were seen elbowing each other during the opening of a new FM station in Tagum City- the 100.7 Perfect Seven Radio Caritas. Seen were Gov. RDR, ex-Gov. Yayong, Vice Gov. Baby, BM Israel, ex-Kons Boyet Gementiza, who’s running again for councilor. Cong. Olano and Mayor CO , who were both invited, were not there. It was almost a party…. NTC regional director Josue Go was also there. With regards to local FM stations “usurping airwaves” of Davao City FM stations, he said he has yet to receive complaints from the public. Either the local FM signal is too strong, or the signal of Davao City FM stations is weak, Go offered an initial explanation. But NTC should investigate on this with or without a complaint. Youths going loco over new musical hits have been complaining of hearing only one FM station in their locality after its operation which shut down reception of other FM stations especially those from Davao City which offer variety of music genres to choose from…. Heard in the rounds that the Daneco board is “infected of aliens”. Buzzwords said that some Daneco BOD members allegedly want to make the cooperative come crushing down to smithereens for the private sector to come in. Deja vu Aboitiz privatization buy-out scheme? (e-mail: chamonforte@yahoo.com)
CHA MONFORTE REPORTING 