It’s the President’s Birthday Today

It’s the 73^rd birthday today of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. According to his special assistant Bong Go, simple prayer would make the president "very happy" on his natal day. Certainly, the Philippine’s most powerful human equally needs a powerful prayer from a holy person like St. Theresa of Avila.

Theresa is a controversial figure, not unlike Digong. The people of her time thought that the Spanish nun is crazy because of her visions and locutions. Theresa tried to ward it off for she was frightened she could be truly under an evil spell or something diabolical in nature.

Digong is brave and despite of his usual cursing and indecency he is a prayerful man. In fact, he is a product of Catholic education. When he won the presidency, the first thing he did was to pray near the tomb of his late mother. It was a very solemn, thankful and earnest prayer.  Truth to tell, over Facebook, the president has its own prayer warriors.

When Theresa of Avila was so disturbed, she put herself under spiritual guidance of the Dominican and the Jesuit priests who eventually discerned that all of her graphic or felt experiences were coming from God. She had a vision of hell and made her realize that she had to save souls.

Whenever he is criticized, Digong is verbally countering. He put himself away from International Criminal Court or ICC after the Court receives cases alleging that Philippine security forces have committed crimes against humanity but still believing that God is behind him in this deadly campaign. He had a vision of heaven: a crime free society where drug personalities are all annihilated.

Teresa wrote a remarkable credible spiritual autobiography of her experiences. Digong remarkably and incredibly jokes about everything in the presidential podium. They both have extraordinary visions in very a contrasting way. But he dipped his hand into the dish (Today's gospel, Holy Wednesday or Spy Wednesday, by the way is Matthew 26: 14-25) while she didn't.  

While she is the patron saint of Sta. Teresa in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro, he is the worldly patron of the DDS.

And one of the rare things in common between President Rodrigo Duterte and St. Theresa of Avila is their birthday which is today, March 28.

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(Photo: hidayatullah.com

Decorum on Colorum: The Passenger Vans in Occidental Mindoro

We could not have an exact number of illegal passenger vans operating in the province today. They have been regular features of our main throroughfares in the last ten years or so replacing the jeepneys and the local buses plying the Abra de Ilog and San Jose routes. But aside from its unlawful operation (as far as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board or LTFRB is concerned) this transport system is serving the commuters in general. The students, employees, the Mangyans, all people from all walks of life actually. But of course, there are accidents happening every now and then involving these vans but these speedy little vans are still the most receptive public transport system in Occidental Mindoro.

“Colorum” is a slang term used to describe a vehicle soliciting passengers without expressed authority from LTFRB while “decorum” on the other hand means a “behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety.”

In his recent visit to Sablayan in the aftermath of an accident last March 20, 2018 where at least 19 people died and 21 others were hurt when a Dimple Star Bus with plate number # TYU 708 with body number 7805 fell into the railing of a bridge in Patrick Pass, near the boundary of Brgy. San Agustin and Brgy. Batong-Buhay in this town, President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered a massive crackdown of all colorum passenger vans in the land.

Both the so-called grand terminals in San Jose and Sablayan cater colorum vans. Through their respective legally-operating terminals, local governments are accommodating them or at least mum about the situation of colorum-ness. The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) also considered some of them as legitimate. One cannot blame the LGUs for such inaction for they deeply know the importance of the transport system to the economy, not to mention its social importance. Minus the isolated cases of accidents, the transport system serves well the general public. 

In July 2016, Rep. Jesulito Manalo of ANGKLA Party-list re-filed a crazy bill penalizing as criminals the persons found to be operating or owning motor vehicles identified as colorum. Under the bill, colorum is classified six different ways including a duly registered and franchised unit plying a new route without permit. As a criminal offense, the operator and/or owner is liable under the Revised Penal Code and will be fined no less than Php 200,000 but not more than Php 1 million. That is if the bill is approved.

This criminalization of colorum came almost two years before the president issued its total crackdown announced in my home province just last week. Some think that this is a holistic approach to the problem and would finally eradicate the proliferation of such operations all over the land. His supporters lauded the president for this. In 2007, there are around 200,000 colorum public utility vans in the Philippines, according to LTFRB.  

But instead of cracking down, why not legalization? Meaning, officials have to make them have a cheaper and easy access to franchising of said public utility vehicles. The LTFRB may draft rules and regulations for legalizing or registering the colorum vans that have been illegally plying routes as PUVs.  They should be also be given an installment payment scheme.

This will also benefit the riding public in general because their usual patrons like me will be covered by insurance in case of accident.  Aside from trailing and hunting down the colorums, the LTFRB must alongside create programs aimed at ensuring the safety of passengers of the vans and other public utility vehicles. Aside from cracking them down, or being poured with gasoline and put to be set in fire (as what the president suggested) the LTFRB should also establish a satellite office here in Occidental Mindoro and facilitate the easy access of such licensing requirements for the so-called colorum vans.

Actually, many of the van operators been applying for their franchise since 2014 and already a big amount of money they spent in its processing but to no avail. The red tape in franchising must also be stopped. This should be aired is a meeting with LTFRB, if in case there will be one.

Meanwhile, every body,- the dispatchers, drivers and conductors, who are in the public van transport business in Occidental Mindoro are gravely affected by this closure. Including the families they need to feed plus the operators who are still paying off loans for purchasing their units. In the very peak season of the business, the opportunity for a more income was snatched from them. 

Instead of banning the vans in our main highways and bolstering the present crackdown, the LTFRB, the Land Transportation Office and other agencies of the Department of Transportation and Communications must lobby for amendments to the Public Services Law, or Commonwealth Act 1936, to meet the present realities in public transport.

To reiterate, the Duterte administration, instead of chasing or running against colorum vans in my province, he and the concerned offices under him must cut down the fees for transport franchises and speed up its application process. There must be a LTFRB express lane for this right here in our province. In addressing major highway-related irregularities, the law enforcers assigned to the job regularly be on the street like the PNP Highway Patrol Group.

I am more inclined to help my people rather than big transport companies and capitalists outside of my province. The local transport business helps the local revenue for it will just circulate around the province while in the case of big transport corporations based elsewhere, our money is siphoned from us. This is not an inclusive growth right from my lenses and senses.

This is the proper decorum on colorum to me…

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(Photo: Heraldion V. Manzano)

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/10/16/colorum-van-drivers-ask-duterte-rid-ltfrb-of-fixers

https://www.philstar.com/metro/2007/01/08/378856/ltfrb-mulls-legalizing-colorum-passenger-vans

https://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/bill-filed-to-criminalize-driving-colorum-vehicles.html

Dimple Star Strikes Again!

In July 2013, I lost a close friend when the Dimple Star bus going to Manila from San Jose flipped on the side of the road in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro. The driver of the bus allegedly lost control of the vehicle as it was a rainy night and the road was slippery. The friend I am mentioning was Sister Myrna Suarez, the only fatality, a member of the religious congregation Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Sr. Myrna was on her way to Manila to discuss with her religious superiors the concerns of the Taubuid Mangyan tribal community with whom she worked in Sitio Balangabong, Brgy. Malpalon, Calintan, Occidental Mindoro.

October 2014. A Dimple Star from San Jose, Mindoro with plate number TYS 454 collided with a 10-wheeler truck along the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in Lipa City, leaving two people dead and 49 others injured. 

June 2017. Fifteen passengers of a Dimple Bus en route to San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro from Calapan were injured after the driver lost control of the vehicle, which served off the national road in Brgy. Nicolas in Magsaysay, according to reports.

And only last night, March 20, 2018, at least 19 people died and 21 others were hurt when, again, a Dimple Star Bus with plate number # TYU 708 with body number 7805 operating in Occidental Mindoro fell into the railing of a bridge in Patrick Pass, near the boundary of Brgy. San Agustin and Brgy. Batong-Buhay in Sablayan town of this province. The bus was traveling from San Jose going to Manila, contrary to the initial report of a Manila-based media network.

In an interview over GMA News as of 8:00AM today, LTFRB Board Member Aileen Lizada said that the Board is now conducting a franchise verification of the bus company. The action is aimed at determining how many units should be covered by the suspension order. She further added that it usually lasts about 30 days upon receipt of the order.

Arcris D. Canillo of Sablayan LDRRMO released the list of the fatalities early today. The list includes Rudy Bacani, Teresita Dupagan, Elizabeth Dela Cruz, Arno Panganiban, Marciano Ramos, Verginia Ramos, Erwin Ebienga, Lolita Bayle, Lea Borlado, Anselma Gomez, Gilbert Vanguargia Jr., Robert Jose, Gloria Gabuco, Geraldine Tarcena, Cely Pama, Nellie Alvaro, Rodolfo Santiago and Percival Flores. 

The victims were immediately rushed to San Sebastian District Hospital in Sablayan and Mamburao District Hospital. According to Canillo, the bus has around 40 passengers. 

Those injured are Alex Hernandez, Asuela Azula, Normina Lancian, Angela Bayle, Vanessa Bayle, Darwin Robles, John Harvey Perlas, Hanila Bermeo, Von Bayon, Khiera Mae Tulaylay, Raffy Acosta, Jess Driza, Kristine De Jesus, Brandon Perlas, Ace Tulaylay, Madelyn Tulaylay, Allan Sanchez, Mary Jane Dawis Caballes, Jessica Odena and Byron Hugo Burlado.

In the October 2014 incident, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) only suspended 18 units of Dimple Star for the period of just 30 days. It’s high time to investigate the bus company and our local leaders must push for its franchise’s revocation, if deemed necessary.

This bus company is already killing, though unintentionally, the citizens it is supposed to serve. They must compensate the victims the soonest possible time.

The gory accounts coming from the rescuers, the medical authorities, witnesses and the survivors themselves need not be retold here. Certainly, this horrible accident will long be forgotten. As far I could remember, this is the most worst vehicle mishap in our province's history.

Today, I pray for the soul of my friend Sr. Myrna and of those who suffered or died due to Dimple Star’s reckless imprudence, then and now.

If unity can be invoked in festivities, we have to invoke it more in times of tragedy …

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(Photo: Ben Sachez’ FB post)

On the Resignation of Bishop Palang

The news on Pope Francis’ recent acceptance of Bishop Antonio P. Palang’s resignation came to my knowledge last Sunday, 5^th Sunday of Lent. The official Pontifical action was released by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) and though I am now away from organized religion, the news made me reflect for a while and uttered a prayer for the spiritually-confined 71-year old and sickly prelate who is my employer since he was ordained bishop in May 2002 until my separation from the diocese’s social action apostolate in 2012.  

In John 12:20-23, the gospel that day, Jesus speaks about the grain of wheat that must fall (resign?) to the ground for its eventual fruition. The almost rotten seeds kept in a jar for a very long time ought to reach its true destination, which is the soil, to be truly productive and relevant. With this latest development in our Local Church, big social challenge is ahead of her.

Complete. The road we aim to tread must be complete as the important and divine events of the Holy Week: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday and Easter Sunday. We cannot allow one occasion of holiness and mystery be left behind. It is written, “When anyone is united to Christ, there is a new world. The old order has gone and a new order has already begun” (2 Cor. 5:17) for God is not a God of burned things and ashes but of renewed things, as I have written some years back.

Bishop David William V. Antonio was officially installed February 12, 2016 as administrator of Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose and now reappointed by Pope Francis to take full charge of the local church as mandated by the Roman Pontiff until the seat for the Vicar Apostolic is occupied.

Three years ago, Bishop Palang gained attention in the US when he issued an official statement in defense of his priest, Fr. Fernando Suarez, from a memorandum of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or USCCB alarming their local dioceses over Suarez’ healing masses there. The prelate protected him against the alleged “damaged caused to the reputation” of Fr. Suarez by the Conference in a statement he released April 20, 2015.

The vicariate’s pastoral nets must again cast into the deep sea of pressing needs, immediate concerns and urgent social questions via her pastoral and administrative thrusts. The seed’s falling is just a transition to a new life as emphasized in yesterday’s gospel. God aspire for a truly complete new life for our Church, His seed.

The Swiss critic and theologian Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet said centuries ago: “Resignation is the courage of Christian sorrow.” It is, indeed in this case...

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(Photo: Roderick Ignacio FB Account)

References:

http://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/pope-accepts-resignation-bishop-palang-appoints-administrator/

https://twitter.com/frfsuarez/status/590394822248169474

Rest Now, Ka Bise

Rodolfo “Ka Bise” Acebes, the paraplegic author and local historian is now gone. He, to me, as far as writing local history is concerned, is a role model. His foosteps must be followed, so to speak.

I had a last chat with Ka Bise last May 2016 asking me to help him spread the news about the launching of his last book, “Mindoro: The Stepping Stone”. The milestone started when Ka Bise received a letter from Lucky Guillermo, top honcho of Spyron AV Manila, a national creative production company that has close partnership with (Douglas) MacArthur Memorial, one of the auspices of City of Norfolk, VA’s Department of Cultural Facilities, Arts and Entertainment. Guillermo’s letter contains this remarkable opening message: “Your book is definitely a good material in history. From a perspective, students and followers of World War II will have a fresh treat from your book.”  Acebes already published over half a dozen works to his credit and in the Introduction of “Stories of 100 Families”, he wrote, “People must remember the past. People should know that stories of the past, once impressed upon their memories, are indestructible.” These are the words, from the man who just left us, summing up his sterling achievements as a devotee of history that many of the influential residents failed to notice. Perhaps for one reason or another.

Ka Bise writes from his bed after that fatal accident in 1988 which paralyzed half of his body. In an interview for the Inquirer in 2008, Ka Bisi recalled, “After the accident, I went back to reading and writing to keep my sanity. I worked on a borrowed manual typewriter placed on top of three pillows on my right side.” He made more than two dozen of letters to the editors of various broadsheets and magazines. Maybe, just maybe, if he did not went through this trial, his writing potential would forever be imprisoned by his erstwhile happy-go-lucky attitude. He was with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) when the misfortune happened. Many lives were touched by the man as a writer, activist, paralegal and journo.  

As I have written in my tribute to him on his 61^st birthday, Acebes’ reminded me of another great intellectual named Marcel Proust of France. Proust was asthmatic and dying and could write well only when bedridden. Ka Bise was my Bureau Chief at Mindoro Guardian in the late 90s and I still remember him lying in a lay half-suffocating in a room hazy with inhalation and his bedclothes serving as his desk. In our intimate moment way back then, he encouraged me to write a book.

Blaise Paschal and Lucretius too were at their best in writing their respective masterpieces and not eaten up by their severe illness, solitude and destitution. Such situation did not hinder these great men of science and prose to concentrate. They have special gifts that are easier to cherish than to describe. And we thank them all for their contributions to the world despite of their previous conditions when they are still alive. They are in no way forgotten.

And that includes Ka Bise…

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(Photo : Kenneth D. Pangilinan)

Is the spending for MIMAROPA-RAA 2018 lavish?

The 2017 health statistic shows that Occidental Mindoro is number 2 in the list of prevalence of malnutrition in MIMAROPA and yet, the province still come up with the money for a lavish hosting of a regional athletic meet. Well, meets like this need not be this extravagant or, pardon the word, wasteful.

The last time an event held in the province with this intensity is in 1970 and that was 48 years ago. True, this would boost local economy in a way and really an opportune time to put our province in the map. But these cannot be laid as excuses for such an excessive spending especially if our children, the fair hopes of our locality, are suffering from the debacle with regards to nutritional status.

As far as I know, the DepEd’s only main concern in each RAA holding, aside of course from the non-tangible development of youth in sports, is the safety of the athletes and delegates, the appropriateness and suitability of sports facilities and accommodation. The preparation, as others have observed, is more sumptuous than Palarong Pambansa, the national meet. The holding of RAAs provides an avenue for friendly competition that develops physically fit and upright individuals. It also serves as springboard in the development of desirable attitudes and values among the youth to become productive, responsible and worthy leaders and citizens of our country. So, the grandeur of the welcome and closing ceremonies are supposedly just optional and not the main menu.   

In 2016, the Municipality of Sablayan lost its bid to host the 2017 RAA to Municipality of Brooke’s Point in Palawan. Prior to the bidding, the municipality already put into place major requirements, especially sports facilities and physical structures. According to certain DepEd policy, hosting of a municipality in any province requires first the official nod of its governor and the municipality’s Letter of Intent must be endorsed by him/her. That is why Sablayan didn’t get it the first time. The following year, while the games are unfolding in Brooke’s Point, the MIMAROPA RAA Meet Board again convened for the bidding. Instead of endorsing Municipality of Sablayan’s second bid, the governor bid for the whole Province of Occidental Mindoro.

So, both the Municipality of Sablayan and the Province of Occidental Mindoro joined the process as competitors. There it was voted and approved by the Board that the 2018 RAA will be held in a Municipality in Occidental Mindoro (and later the provincial officials decided to hold it in San Jose). For the year 2019, an election year, the Municipality of Sablayan was officially selected to host the RAA.  Sablayan is next in line, as the song goes.   

  

I have heard from the grapevine that an estimated total amount of Php 17,856, 250.00 is allocated by the Provincial Government for the event broken down as follows: Opening Program and Grand Parade, Welcome Night, Solidarity Meetings, Unity Night, Closing Program, Incident Command System, Sports Equipment and Coordinators’ Meeting. Not included, of course, is the financial allotment for the physical construction of sports facilities and the newly-constructed Occidental Mindoro Grandstand which is allegedly pegged at Php 27M. In DepEd’s DO 14, s. 1999 on the Austerity Measures in the Conduct of Sports Meets it is stated, “Austerity measures shall be observed in the conduct of sports meets in all levels. Ceremonies shall be in the simplest mode and format, with entertainment numbers included without additional costs.”  The Welcome Night alone has a budgetary requirement of Php 6.2M and the purchase of sports equipage is marked at Php 5M, the two largest cuts of the pie. I have no qualms about the latter for the equipments can be used in other sporting events. It's the former that wowed me!

Obviously, there was financial sharing pact among the Provincial Government, the Office of the Congressman and LGU-San Jose other than that from private donors or outsources like, maybe, Senator Loren Legarda, who happens to be the guest of honour to grace the occasion. Same assistance from said internal sources is expected next year since the future host municipality is also part of the province like San Jose.

Based on the data from the state of nutrition for MIMAROPA, Occidental Mindoro ranked 2^nd in malnourishment. The province has a total of 3,440 pre-school children that are underweight; 1,175 pre-school children are severely underweight. The province’s total number of malnourished children is 4,698. In sum, Occidental Mindoro’s malnutrition prevalence rate is 83.03% and a malnourishment precedence rate of 7.71%.  Ranked 1^st is Palawan. Palawan as a province never bid for RAA but Puerto Princesa and Brooke’s Point, all belong to Palawan, already hosted the regional meet.

After the RAA, a backlash in the public coffer for the rest of the year is imminent. The chunk of big money allotted to the meet could be more responsive if forestalled to address the malnutrition issue and other health issues in general like manpower resources for public hospitals especially health care professionals like nurses. Not to mention the job orders or JO personnel stationed in health care facilities whose salaries are always delayed. Not to mention the shortage of medicines in said hospices. With such a huge cut in the MOOE and other expenditures in the year's Annual Investment Program (AIP), our agony on health care will be prolonged. Also, every time an indigent child-patient dies in a public hospital, say, San Jose District Hospital, due to diseases attributable to malnutrition and was not given proper medicines and treatment, people will think how improvident the province’s accommodation of the 2018 RAA is. This is how I see it and I may be wrong.

To be fair to all, among us Filipinos, hospitality and simplicity are bi-polar values which can be negative or positive, healthy or unhealthy. Depending on how we see and weight things in a given time…

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(Photo: CJ Dangeros)