Term Limit for LGU Officials

The term limit for Local Government Units (LGUs) officials will forever be a hot issue. For a good Mayor, 3 years (1 term) or 9 years (3 terms) is too short. On the other hand, 3 years (1 term) or 9 years (3 terms) is too long for a bad Mayor.

In Manila and if you have Atienza as Mayor, you’ll probably want to put him in the office forever. No doubt, Atienza did everything he could to re-invent and beautify Manila. When Alfredo Lim took the reins of the premier city, he practically destroyed all the beautification projects that Mayor Atienza made for the city. He also splurged (spent) all the surpluses (worth billions of pesos) accumulated during the Atienza era.

Manila is the microcosm of the Philippines. Unfair it may seem but for foreigners, what they see in Manila is the Philippines in itself. Nakakapanghinayang that the city that once hold a promise of revival was damaged by Lim’s inability to lead. Mas inuuna niya pa ang pamumulitika. In fact, he sends all Barangay Officials allied to him to an R&R in a major city in Asia (Of course, courtesy of the City of Manila’s treasury).

The same is true with Iloilo City. It only takes a Jerry Treñas to make Iloilo what it is today. Well, he really needs more years actually but because of term restrictions, he has to bow down. I’m not really saying that he’s the best thing that really happen to Iloilo (not even the next big thing). There were allegations before that he wanted to eliminate Adonis Manzan, a local critic. It’s still an allegation but Sheila Manzan, Adonis’ sister was horrified when a group of armed men open fire at the Manzan residence in Calumpang.

I’m sure that you guys have good and bad things to say against your local officials. The best thing is that, you have the power to vote who is best for our community. Just vote for someone who truly represents you. If he fails to perform, you just have to wait for another 3 years, and vote for the more deserving one.

I admire the intentions of the framers of the Local Government Code. They specifically designed a law that won’t allow a Local Official to remain in the office forever. However, as with all the laws, it should be reviewed to adapt to a changing times.

My Iloilo

Before leaving Al Khobar for Iloilo, I was so worried about the weather. News reports say that Iloilo’s weather was not so desirable and some parts of the City were even flooded. It was a relief to learn when we landed at the Iloilo Airport that my fear was baseless. The design of the new Iloilo Airport is similar to that of Davao. It’s better compared to the old Iloilo Airport in Mandurriao. You’ll only miss the proximity of the old Iloilo Airport to the city. The ride from the New Iloilo Airport to the City was smooth. The road to the Airport was superb in Philippine standard.

I was billeted at the Century 21 hotel in Quezon Street. I love the hotel location because of it’s proximity to SM Delgado, St. Paul’s Hospital and the Atrium at the Capitol. There are so many changes in the city that one day is not enough to explore it. The only comment I have with Century 21 is that their AC is so small that it would take ages for the room to cool. Overall, my experience with Century 21 was alright.

A trip to Iloilo City is never complete without visiting Boardwalk and Smallville Complex. The restaurants at the Boardwalk are hip. You’ll be surprised how the dining in Iloilo totally transformed from the usual Mansion House, Breakthrough and Tatoy’s Manokan. My favorite hang out place inside the smallville is the Pirates Resto Bar. I really love the ambiance of the place. Their concept is also very interesting. I also had the chance to visit Bourbon Street and tried their baby back ribs. I compared their (Bourbon) steak to that of Chilis, Applebees and Tony Roma but Bourbon’s are way better in terms of quality and price.

The best thing that a visitor should do after hours of drinking at the smallville complex is to walk instead of taking a cab. What my friend and I did after night of partying was walking until we reach Ted’s Old Timer Batchoyan near UP Visayas. We did it for five nights!

It was nice to be back. I’ve missed Iloilo so much. I’ve been away for quite awhile that I almost forgot its beauty.

Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is one of the most celebrated events in the City of Iloilo. The city did not celebrate it this year since the celebration falls during the Dinagyang Festival. Chinese Schools such as Chinese Commercial, Santa Maria and Sun Yat Sen (my alma Mater) prepare cultural shows for the Ilonggo people. There are Dragon Dances which forms part of the traditional Chinese New year. The Iloilo Hotel and Restaurant Association also held food festival for the event.

My family is partly Chinese but we do not celebrate the Chinese New Year. We’re 100% culturally assimilated and we feel more Filipino than the naturally born Filipinos. My great grandies had to fake several papers and bribe several government officials for us to be declared Filipinos though.

According to Chinese Lunar Calendar, this is the OX. It says that the year of the ox is not a financially optimistic year. People should be careful in putting money into high risk investments. It’s a general prediction since we all know that the whole world is now suffering recession. I was born on the year of the snake and my zodiac says that I’m not lucky this year but my lucky stars (Creative, Treasure and Promotion) counters that.
I may not really believe what my zodiac says but it still feels good to hear positive things. Self proclaimed psychics, astrologers and Fung Shui experts have this disclaimer that says ‘You make your own fate’. We make our own fate and destiny. If we will not work hard, we will not achieve the success that our stars had promised.

Iloilo City earns Php 30 Million in ICT Industry

It was reported that Iloilo City is enjoying Php 30 Million monthly income from the ICT Industry. Outsourcing companies and software developers also provide 3,000 jobs for Ilonggos.
I know somebody who is currently employed by the call center operating in Iloilo City. The outsourcing industry maybe at risk once Barack Obama takes office. One of Obama’s economic programs is to bring back the jobs to the states.

Mahogany Trees Uprooted in Dumangas

Public Officials should be the protectors of the environment. That’s not true in Dumangas as the Municipal Mayor Ronaldo Golez was pointed out as the ring leader in the uprooting of trees in ISCOF campus. We always hear news about government official abuses that we become immune to their evil deeds. We’re not anymore surprised on what the greedy politicians can do. Sadly, those trees were planted by ISCOF Class of1952. It took 56 years for that tree to grow only to be uprooted by the corrupt mayor of Dumangas. The DENR and the Office of the Ombudsman should investigate the matter and jail the abusive that abusive mayor.

Inday Miriam lost her ICJ bid

The Philippine team tried but trying is never enough in the World Politics. Miriam loses her bid to sit at ICJ. Ilonggos are still proud of her because she put up a good fight. Miriam said that she’s destined to be in the country. When she lost the 2001 Senatorial election, the Senate was never the same for three years. That’s why people put her back in the office. I love Miriam’s intellect, her speeches, anecdotes, highfalutin words, and pang ookray! She’s brilliant and amazing but most of all human. Who would ever think that the fiery Ilongga would be seen in national TV crying when she lost her son?

Iloilo City Hall to be moved to Mandurriao

A report says that the City Council is eying the old Iloilo Airport to be the new seat of the City Government. Mayor Jerry Treñas indicated that he favored the moved to Mandurriao as there’s more room for development. There are few objections coming from the Philippine Retailers Association. They argued that once the City Hall is moved to Mandurriao, small businesses in Calle Real will be put in danger of closing down.

Calle Real has a very soft spot in my heart. It is where my friends and I nurtured our friendship. I remember walking and buying most of my stuffs at school when I was still studying at Sun Yat Sen High school. For the information of my non Ilonggo readers, Calle Real covers the Streets of JM Basa, Aldeguer, Iznart, Guanco and a portion of Ledesma.

In my opinion, Mayor Treñas should push through with the move. Iloilo City is a first class city and should think of the long term projects that would benefit its people. The present City Hall is dilapidated and doesn’t help much in the image that we want to project in the outside world. To move forward, we need to embrace the new things in order for us to achieve our goal of being “The next big thing”.

Iloilo City Redistricting Bill

Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr. filed a bill dividing Iloilo City into two congressional districts. As per Rep. Gonzalez proposal, the first district will cover Mandurriao, Jaro, La Paz and Lapuz while the second district will be City Proper, Molo and Villa de Arevalo.

The redistricting bill of Iloilo City however has opposition. A group of lawyers and ex-politicians filed their opposition to Noynoy Aquino’s office. The group said Iloilo City did not meet population criteria. The division would also mean more salaries for the congressman and for his staff.

I see no harm in the redistricting bill. Two Iloilo City congressmen means Ilonggo voices will be heard more in the lower house. If the senate approves the bill and it becomes a law, the city will be electing two representatives in the 2010 general election.

ICPD tightly monitors Frat recruitments

I promised myself that I will start writing about the happening in Iloilo. I’ve hesitated to write at first since I’ve been gone for almost 8 years and the news that I gather are not first hand.

Anyway, there’s a report that the Iloilo City Police District is monitoring the fraternity recruitment in the city. It’s ICPDs response to frat clashes in the City in the recent weeks. The director also said that they will not hesitate to arrest frat members who are involve in the brawl.

Youngsters join the fraternities for several reasons. The selling points of most of the fraternities would be brotherhood / sisterhood. They usually recruit obedient sons / daughters from the far flung towns who new to the city / university. They are lonely and have hard time adjusting to their new environment. Frat leaders would promise campus recognition or popularity to name the few. After that the prospective frat member will go through initiation process like embarrassing himself in the public (e.g. guys wearing ladies bistida in the campus) and going through physical pains (paddling). If you won’t die in the initiation process, you’ll be their brother/sister. Most of the fraternities have Greek alphabet as their names (e.g. Tau Gama, Delta Rhu, etc.).

It never occurred to me to join fraternity while I was in college. I have low tolerance in going through excruciating pain (very coward). I also don’t need affirmation as my friends in the university are influential and known. I was also too busy in my part time job in the food service industry.

I salute the head of the ICPD for initiating the move to curtail violence in the city and the school campuses. It’s the prime responsibility of the police and the university to restore order. However, the parents should also be involved in protecting their children. More often than not, parents are the last people to know that their children are involved in frat violence.

Cha Cha for Federalism

The Arroyo administration announced that all are set for Charter Change through a Constituent Assembly. The reason given by the people in Malacañang is that peace in Mindanao can only be achieved through Charter Change. PGMAs critics believe the opposite. Well, who cares, it’s the votes that counts. PGMA has the numbers in the House of Representatives. Her only headache is the Senate who are full of presidential aspirants.

Here are the reasons why I believe that it’s about time to change our Charter:

1) The present constitution has so many provisions that suppresses our competitiveness to the globalize concept of economy.
2) A shift from Presidential System to Parliamentary system would solve any ouster attempt by few pressure groups in EDSA and rogue soldiers from the AFP. In the present form of our government a proper term limit is observed while in a parliamentary form, the any unpopular prime minister would only undergo a vote of ‘no confidence’ and he could easily be removed.
3) Senators must be elected from the State (Federal) to avoid electing popular but incompetent senators.
4) Qualifications for Prime Ministerial job must be raised to avoid electing uneducated and dumb individual for that office.
5) In a centralized government that we presently have, only Mega Manila benefit from the infrastructure and progress. A Federalized republic would solve the issue.
6) A Bangsangmoro State (in the area of the present ARMM) I hope will bring about peace (Inshallah).
7) The Sabah claim must be pursued by our country.

The proposal according to the Malacañang source is that they will create a State of Western Visayas. Iloilo of course would be the capital of the new state. Ti, hala bira ilonggo eh!

You know you’re a true blue Ilonggo if:

The author of this piece is GLADITA www.promdiliving.com/ilonggo-guid/. I hope you won't mind if I copied your piece. Kanami bal-an sang thought kay every Ilonggo can relate to it. Hope you can make more pieces like this one. Madamo guid nga salamat.


You know if you're a true blue Ilonggo if:

Your one peso is pisos
You take a bath using a tabo which you call Caltex
Your bathroom has at least one lugod (some has one for every family member)
Your nanay used to make you drink Mirinda or Royal Tru Orange when you have a fever, which is supposed to make you feel better
Sinamak is a staple in your dining table (the best Ilonggo invention if you ask, was even banned on airplanes long before 911)
Your toyo is patis and your patis is Rufina
You use atsuete for your adobo and pinamalhan (pinaksiw)
Your daily meal will likely include laswa, kbl (kadyos, baboy, langka), ginat-an nga tambo with tugabang and okra, ginat-an nga munggo, linutik, apan-apan, etc.
November 1 means eating ibus, suman, suman latik, kalamay-hati, bayi-bayi, valenciana or other native delicacies with glutinous rice and coconut milk
You call your special someone palangga, pangga, langga or ga (means love)
You call your siblings or cousins inday, nonoy or toto and the househelp may call you the same
You call those who are older than you manang or manong
You catch the attention of sales attendants by calling them “day” or “to”
Your childhood games include tumba patis, taksi, panagu-ay, balay-balay, ins, tin-tin baka, etc.
You used to be (or still are) scared to go out at night lest you meet the aswang, tik-tik, tayhu, kapre, kama-kama, morto, etc.
You used to listen (or still listens) to Tiyay Evelyn, Sin-o Ang May Sala, Lain Siya Sa Iban, Probinsyal Jil, and Toyang Ermitanya
Your grandparents read Yuhum magazine
You call a person, thing, place and event “kwan” when you forget it (si kwan, ang kwan, sa kwan) You used to sleep in an aboy-aboy made of patadyong when you were a baby (probably applies only to us below the poverty line)
You understand that “Particulars Keep Out” sign means outsiders keep out (believe me, this sign may look and sound English but only us Ilonggos use it)
You use words such as “ahay” (expression of pity, grief, empathy), “yuga” (expression of disbelief, surprise), “ambot ah” (to say you don’t know, expression of impatience)
You often start your sentence with ti
You say goodbye by saying “halong”
Your favorite cuss words are linte (if you’re slightly pissed off)

Pila Balde in New Lucena, Iloilo

A freshman from New Lucena Polytechnic College was raped by 15 teenagers. She was invited by the boys (her friends) to a drinking session in an abandoned house. When she was drunk, the 15 boys lost no time and alternately raped her. Rape is a heinous crime in the Philippines that is punishable by death or reclusion perpetua (Life in prisonment).

The girl shouldn’t have accepted the invitation of the guys (who happens to be her friends). However, she thought that those guys are her friends and she willingly give in to their invitation. It never occurred to her that the guys have other plans. I pity the girl because she’s a victim of a heinous crime. Our law should be tough on the suspects so it won’t happen to others. We should not blame the victim instead we should hold our hands in supporting the victim in her quest to get the justice she deserved.