(dis)honorable

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s Friday. As you read this I will be in Tacloban for some personal business. I will have traversed (again) the famous Samar roads (okey, it’s the Calbiga-Calbayog span that makes it famous; or is it infamous?). Anyway, my point is, though it’s still a bumpy ride, it's nice to note that work is finally being done. Of course, that is after the formalities that the contractor and the concerned government agencies need to do after President Arroyo gave a go-signal for the project during the last Calbayog Charter day celebration.

Satur Ocampo is still the news. So, back to his episode (I guess episode is a more diplomatic term compared to fiasco or fracas). He is a congressman, isn’t he? I think his term ends months yet after the forthcoming elections (that’s granting that he doesn’t get re-elected. That I doubt). So what’s the catch? I just need to remind myself that he is an honorable (you know the title we give to our lawmakers) after seeing the way he was handled by some authorities in an effort to fly him to Leyte, err, to take him on that joyride over the southern skies. That certainly was a dishonorable handling. How is it different from dishonorable dismissal that some people get from their schools? (oops, don’t take the last line seriously, it’s supposed to make you smile this weekend)

After the Tomb of Jesus episode, another channel is supposed to show something about the trial of (the) freemasons. Interesting. How I wish for that day when we see the trials of some famous Filipino lawbreakers, kahit sa documentary na lang.

My apologies to his members, but I was never into Mike Velarde. A few years back, when one bishop uttered that he was shallow (referring to what he would teach and the way he taught it to his followers) I was tempted to agree, but of course I never watched his program, so I stayed put. Anyway, (at the risk of electioneering on my part, I’m tempted to say that) I guess he made sense when he went on TV and in a way, gave support to the senatorial candidates from the Kapatiran group. Now, after hobnobbing with the high and mighty (via the famous Luneta gatherings), this is a welcome relief.

* * *

Here’s the third part of Charo Nabong’s article “People who made a difference in Samar in 2006”:

Romeo "Omi" Royandoyan is the executive director of SENTRO SAKA (formerly Philippine Peasant Institute), an NGO working for Filipino farmers. He has served as member of the Board of Trustees of the UCPB to look after the interest of the farmers' coco levy. For many years now, Omi has consistently been assisting the coconut farmers in Samar. As a response to the low price of copra, his NGO came up with the Kopra Social Investment Plan to enable farmers to bring their copra to the milling companies at miller's price and chose Samar as one of their pilot sites. (Samar is the biggest coconut producing province in Eastern Visayas which in turn, is the third coconut producing region in the Philippines). In 2006, he brought Danilo Coronacion, CEO of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund and Oil Mills President, to Samar where he linked up CIIF's Coconut Farm Development Program to the coconut farmers of Samar. The program covers 12 municipalities in Samar provinces to undertake planting, replanting & fertilization; crop intercropping with tuba-tuba and other crops; and harvesting and copra processing. This is an industry-wide program that could boost the sagging coconut production and income of coconut farmers in the province.

Don Mabulay succeeded me as the executive director of Tandaya Foundation, a non-government organization based in Catbalogan, Samar. In the NGO community, Don is known to be a non-conformist in a community of already many non-conformists. He is known to greet you over the phone with reverse greetings (greeting you good morning when it is afternoon and vice versa). A self-proclaimed Cinderella (to be home before 12 midnighthe tells his buddies that being Cinderella he is scared of becoming a mouse), you can count the few times he turns up in long pants and shoes, preferring to be comfortable in his shorts and sandals. Early on in our NGO work, he tried to teach Samarnons in government “how to think”. His "WII-FM"? (What's in it for me?), an innovative process to generate participation has now been adopted and used by many NGOs in many parts of the country in their trainings. Eccentricity aside, he was a major winner, in the national competition of the World Bank's Panibagong Paraan 2006. His policy proposal “Aquaculture for Fisherfolks” calls for making Technology accessible to small fisherfolks to engage in sea farming. With dwindling yields from fisheries not only in the Philippines but also worldwide, his proposal was hailed to be the most practical policy to increase harvests and incomes of fisherfolks. (to be continued…)

* * *

Now for some political ek-ek (oops, that’s a jargon which can also mean chika, intriga, etc). An official was in town recently (let’s refer to that official as high-ranking official). It was not actually a social visit to one of that official’s allies in the city. I guess we can call it part of the muscle flexing that candidates do this election season. So, what about it? Some, err, a good number of officials (of the lesser order. Whatever that means, kayo na ang mag-imbestiga) were called to dine and wine (the latter I’m not so sure). I suppose there were some “envelopmental” moments (they ought to have received something. A friend of mine who was a kibitzer in that gathering got 200 bucks); and what else? The (high-ranking) official supposedly sought the commitment of the officials (of the lesser order; or should I say officials who are children of the lesser gods) as to delivering the votes in favor of surprise – not that high-ranking official – but for the opponent of an official in the city who is seeking re-election (magulo ba? E, magulo talaga ang eleksyon).Yun lang po. I still need to check on some more people who were in that gathering. By the way, when I inquired from someone supposedly privy to comings and goings of the official’s ally (from Calbayog) I was told that it was not actually the city official (seeking re-election) that the (high-ranking) official is after, but the officials who are running for re-election in _______ . Yup, it’s a blank. Sorry, I can’t disclose it. Not now, anyway. (p.s. how many times did I use the word official? Smile!)

* * *

This is it for now. I guess the preceding paragraph should be enough amusement for you today. Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!