Friday 28 September 2012



Creek cleanupThis tractor sent by the Jose Panganiban LGU is not paving the ground to build a new road just like what has been going on around the municipality since last year. It is actually scraping the bottom of this “estero” (creek) known as Maligat canal to unearth rubbish and silt that have accumulated over the past many years – decades, we can, perhaps, say– courtesy of residents nearby as well as those vendors at the wet and dry goods market just a few meters away. This estero lies just next to the temporary bus terminal of Superlines Express, which operates the Mambulao-Metro Manila route – another source of rubbish that obviously ended up on the creek. Until lately, residents have complained of stench that was said to be emitting from this creek. When it is high tide and the water gets really high, enabling it to flood into the creek, it drags with it tons of waste materials as it pulls back to the bay. The rubbish then finally ends up along the beach of Parang, just on the outskirts of the poblacion.

Men and stinking silt …  Municipal government contract workers work on the creek known as Maligat canal right next to the wet and dry goods public market. The color of the wastes that had been manually dredged ranged from brown to stinking black – giving one an idea that they had been buried/or deposited there for quite long years until they were unearthed recently. At any rate, this waterway has been rescued from its gradual death, and made friendlier to the environment and to the people around it. Clean or unspoiled waterway is always pleasant to look at especially when its water ends up into the nearby Mambulao Bay without carrying any rubbish. The most intriguing question now is: could the people operating in the vicinity maintain its cleanliness? – Photos supplied/text by AP HERNANDEZ














Late-breakers: This early, election fever heats up, by PERCY A OSTONAL


1) Sige na naman Pare!!! Governor "Egay" Tallado has no choice except to tap his former 2010 vice-governor candidate and three-term mayor William Lim as their Liberal Party standard bearer for mayor in Jose Panganiban, CamNorte. The only problem is, based on local political surveys, Lim’s chance of winning is not assured compared to that time when he occupied the town's executive office for nine years as "Alkalde ng bayan", plus another six years as vice-mayor of ex-mayor Roger Padilla (Mayor Ricarte "Dong" Padilla's brother). Gossips all over town indicated Lim’s "non -committal" to challenge Dong Padilla. Our reporter gathered from reliable sources that he is rather "more comfortable" running as vice-mayor against Vice-Mayor Ariel Non. As one old resident said: "Putol ang ulo ng liderato ni Gobernador Tallado dito sa Mambulao at segurado kapag wala siyang official lead person, sino sa palagay mo ang magdadala ng boto para sa kanyang re-election?" (Tallado’s leadership is clearly disabled in Mambulao without an official lead person to gather votes on his behalf … who do you think would help him get votes for his re-election bid?). Political pundits in our town predict a "battle royale" between Lim and Non for the second top command. "Wawalisin ni Mayor Dong ang opposition sa darating na election hindi sa pamamagitan ng mga salitang nakasasakit, kundi sa pagtulak ng mga kaukulang proyektong pambayan na nakakatulong ng pangmatagalan sa kabuhayan, kalakalan at kaunlaran ng bayan … sa malinis at tapat na pamamalakad sa sambayanang Jose Panganiban o Mambulao sa dalawang taong pamumuno," a  barrio Santa Rosa Norte resident said. Would Lim file his candidacy for the mayoral contest? “Abangan po nating ang susunod na kabanata", but for NOW, back-patting goes on: "Sige na naman pare!!!” 

2) Most probable" sangguniang-bayan candidates, Liberal Party (Opposition). It has been widely speculated that the individuals listed below have been seen as the leading candidates for the 2013 Sangguniang-bayan elections under the leadership of ex-mayor William Lim. They will be carrying the banner of President "Noynoy" Aquino III administration's Liberal Party. Meanwhile, Mayor Ricarte "Dong" Padilla’s local political party called "Lakan Padilla" would be backed-up by the coalitions of Vice-President Jejomar "jojo" Binay, Sr’s PDP-LABAN (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan ) and that of former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada's PMP (Puwersang Masang Pilipino ). The coalition would now be known as UNA (United Nationalist Alliance)
.
A quick look at the candidates:

1) Artemio Andaya - Former JP Sangguniang-Bayan member, who ran for the CamNorte provincial board but lost
 
2) Edgar Arjete - Current Baranggay Sta Milagrosa chairman
 
3) Jason  Arriola - Current Baranggay Bagong-Bayan chairman, son of former and long time municipal councilor Jose "Joe" Arriola (deceased)

4) Casiano Dilao - Former baranggay chairman and vice-mayor

5) Pompe Gusman - Current JP Sangguniang-Bayan member and re-electionist

 6) Tres Panganiban
- University of the Philippines-Los Banos, Laguna, scholar, student leader, no  public service experience

7) Nestor Solis - Current Baranggay Salvacion chairman
 
8) Roger Ultra - Current  JP Sangguniang-Bayan member and re-electionist

Fernando Ybarola is believed to be on a "floating” political status and a re-electionist and partymate of Gusman and Ultra during the 2010 election for the Sangguniang-Bayan slot under the Padilla-Non team.
"The Magnificent Seven" line-up was said to be "on hold" by the party hierarchy led by Mayor Dong Padilla.

3) JP brownout to end soon.
Our local correspondent had a look of the site at Baranggay Santa Rosa Sur where CANORECO’s (Camarines Norte Electric Company) newest 5MVA transformer is scheduled for commission to resolve the persistent brownouts in Mambulao. Field workers and installation managers have projected its full operations this month. To our avid "kababayans” on Facebook, many thanks for your notes of wisdom.

4) Paranial Radar Station latest updates. From about 72 hectares of lands for clearing, it would be reduced to 50 hectares instead due to the following reasons, according to the latest update from our sources on the ground:
 
a) The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has to look into the "off limit zone" that borders the ancestral tribal lands of our hinterland brothers (Kabihug and Aeta-Abiyan), who have been there living and raising their families for centuries. Preservation of ancient culture would be the most our government can do for now.

b). Our reporter in JP was given a briefing too by a high-ranking official from PAF on the presence of endangered species such as wild boars, deer, monkeys and various species of snakes, reptiles and charismatic birds such as parrots and doves within that 25 hectares perimeter of land. Under RA 9147 or Wildlife Resources and Protection Act of 2001, this wildlife law enforcement and governance is in effect. Since this is considered protected areas, DENR has to make sure that government agencies must be the first to observe its promulgation.









LITERARY CORNER

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In this Edition


Volume 1, No 23

Saturday, September 29, 2012

PAGE ONE PHOTOS … Creek clean-up/Men and stinking silt
LATE-BREAKERS: This early, election fever heats up, by PERCY A OSTONAL
LITERARY CORNER: A mini-short story

NEWS



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EDITORIAL: Trashing the ‘epal’ candidates



RECENTLY, Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr said on Twitter: “The best way to deal with (these) ‘epals’ [is to] remember their faces now and forget their names come Election Day.”

“Epals” are those aspiring candidates or incumbent politicians who are represented by the pictures, names and initials you see plastered all over the place. 

Such names or initials are attached to government projects as if the funds to realize such projects came from their pockets and not from taxes paid by the people.

If Mambulaoans would be game to dance on Brillantes’ suggestion, we can assume by now that would-be re-electionists CamNorte Governor Edgardo Tallado and CamNorte Congressman Unico will never win in the municipality of Jose Panganiban in the May 2013 elections.

Their handsome faces were recently the talk of many disgusted Mambulaons, especially on Facebooks, following the sprouting of their roadside streamers and banners announcing this and that public works projects, congratulating new graduates from the Jose Panganiban National High School and greeting the people on their coming baranggay fiestas.

These were attempts to promote themselves months ahead of the campaign period, which starts three months before Election Day.

We can assume as of this writing that Unico and Tallado and those who would be running for provincial offices are now readying to spread in the open air above the road leading to the poblacion wide streamers bearing their names and mug shots and patronizing Mambulaoans on their October 6-7 town fiesta. 

Or maybe, they have done it already.

Don’t vote for these SOBs.

Funded by money from the “kaban ng bayan”, said streamers and banners are nothing but self-serving attempts to embed in the public minds a name recall that would become handy come election day.

It is most likely that the face and name – their faces and names, to be exact --- they are trying to push into public consciousness are OVERRATED compared to the actual social significance of public works and projects they installed during their terms as public officials.

The voting Mambulaoans, assuming that they have not been bought a few hours before they are to cast their ballots, would always know whose names to write in their ballots: the candidates who have served their constituents -- when they were in office -- honestly, ardently, effectively, brilliantly and promptly, with tender, loving care.

Whatever social projects and public works they delivered during their incumbency – if ever there were -- would be more than enough for them to deserve the winning votes.

Whatever achievements these would-be candidates etched around the community would be monument to their humility as public servants, assuming that they are indeed sincere and humble.

On the local scene, Mayor Dong Padilla doesn’t need to do this.

He got his banners and streamers well in place in many parts of Jose Panganiban in the form of ribbons and ribbons, stretches and stretches, of freshly concreted roads.

When Mambulaoans pass through these pavements on their way to town from their homes in far-flung baranggays for their usual day to day errands, the second thing that would come to their mind is: “It’s good Mayor Dong did his best to cement this road … this was unheard of before him …”

Over the past several months, the JP local government built much-needed facilities such as health clinics in one or two baranngays away from the poblacion and classrooms; it is working hard to build bridges that are badly needed in flood-prone rural communities, untiring in seeking funding support from the powers-that-be in the national government.

Projects like this, although slow in coming due to funding constraints, especially those that have to come from the national government, will always be a reality, simply because Dong Padilla wants it that way, and this is without “ifs” and “buts”.

The bottom line is that worthy projects that served the good of the community – Mambulao for that matter -- are more than enough to sell the prime mover of such a project, if ever he or she intends to run for public office.

Obviously, Mayor Dong will seek re-election.

He wants to see the fruition of what he started late last year – the road cementing project across the municipality of Mambulao – a total of 81 kilometers -- which has obviously captivated beyond belief the educated, the professionals and the ordinary Mambulaoans.

Right now, they are not interested in the guy who would want to challenge him in the May 2013 elections.

And to those who have the plan to do so, MWBuzz suggests: they can go fly their kites across Mambulao and make themselves “pogi” or fools, for all we care.

And to the voters, we say: Just don’t forget Comelec Chairman Brillantes’ twitter: Don’t vote for these SOBs.

- A P Hernandez

For feedback, email ahernandez@thenational.com.pg and alfredophernandez@y7mail.com




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