Mayor Rey Ladaga, the Educator’s Son

The Municipal Government of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro held an oath-taking ceremony for all newly-elected officials in the municipality. The ceremonious event was held June 29, 2022, at San Jose Covered Plaza, and of course, the man of the hour was Mayor Rey Cajayon-Ladaga. His oath, along with the other elected officials, was administered by the Honorable Governor Eduardo B. Gadiano.

As I have said in my recent blog entry that you can access if you click THIS, Ladaga banked on his anti-corruption narrative and this time it hits the target. The battle cry of his forthcoming administration: Bayang Angat sa Pamahalaang Tapat. Expect that it would center on the mantra of Progress and Honesty.

Well, he is already a seasoned politician for he was once vice-mayor and board member. The Abogado ng Masa finished his Law Degree at San Beda College in 1974. He was once branch attorney and branch manager of DBP-San Jose. This is his third time contending for the mayoralty position. He didn’t make it in 2016, and 2019. In the 2022 polls, he garnered a total of 33,533 votes against his closest rival Michelle de Mesa Festin, who got 18,024 votes. Out-Going Mayor Romulo “Muloy” Festin also came for the turn-over ceremonies proving how such a sport he is (in other municipalities elsewhere, the outgoing LCEs didn’t show up for one reason or another).

As a local political history enthusiast, please allow me to grab this monumental occasion to impart how the Ladagas came here in Mindoro, mainly in Paluan and San Jose, particularly his father.

Mayor Rey’s father, Orencio Madelo Ladaga, was originally from a town in Bohol called Garcia Hernandez which is around 53 kilometers from its capital Tagbilaran. Before WW-II, the young Orencio left Bohol to follow his dream leaving his parents, Pedro and Maria Ladaga, behind. He worked as a waiter at the pre-war Manila Polo Club and later pursued his studies. He took up Elementary Teachers Certificate (ETC) at National Teacher’s College but when the Japanese forces invaded Manila, his dream of becoming a teacher was momentarily disrupted.

To avoid the cruelty of the war, Orencio sailed to Paluan from Manila. While the country was wrenched by war, he met there his future girlfriend and later, wife, Mercedes Cajayon, daughter of Pedro Cajayon and Maria Abeleda who are prominent residents of Paluan but have roots in Lubang.

After the war, many residents of different municipalities on the west coast of Mindoro transferred to San Jose because the liberating American forces made Pandurucan (San Jose) city-like. As the ravages of war settled, the love between Orencio and Mercedes sweetly existed like a rainbow after the tempest.

On September 17, 1945, Orencio and Mercedes sailed back to Paluan to exchange marriage vow officiated by then Judge Cipriano Liboro, later congressman and governor of the province. The couple first settled in Barrio Central in San Jose and in January 1946, they moved to Barrio Caminawit where the pantalan or port is located. He taught elementary grades there in makeshift classrooms. Together with Mercedes, they gave their children a good education. Fe is a nurse, Orencio Jr., is an engineer, and of course Rey, the lawyer-mayor.

Orencio pursued his studies until he finally earned his BS in Elementary Education and Master of Arts degree at Arellano University until he was promoted as head teacher in 1957, principal of the South District in 1963, and district supervisor in 1970 until his retirement in 1976. He finally rested on June 1, 1997, at the age of 84.

In his inaugural address, Mayor Rey Ladaga said, “Ang taong may puso para sa bayan ay dapat nyo ring mahalin sapagkat minahal ko ang bayan na ito, dito ako pinanganak, dito po ako lumaki at dito rin siguro papanaw. Pero sisiguruhin ko po sa inyo na kapag ako pumanaw, ipagmamalaki nyo ang bayan ng San Jose.” In short, he assures everyone of us of lasting legacy for the next generation.

As I have said in the past, a very tall order awaits the educator’s son who is now his place of birth’s chief executive.

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Photo: Oliver Roldan

Reference: Story of 100 Families, pp. 211-215; Rodolfo M. Acebes.

Transcription of Excerpt from Mayor Ladaga’s Speech: Mary Ann Gener of PR Team LGU San Jose

Pandan Island/Isla Puerta

Sablayan’s enchanting and historic Pandan Island was given a new name for cinematic purposes in the latest film by director Roman Perez, Jr. The movie which was finished early this year (2022) titled “Putahe” named Pandan Island as Isla Puerta. As far as I know, it was the only movie that was shot entirely in Occidental Mindoro. “Putahe” is a sexploitation film, an erotic thriller. Many scenes in Joey Gosiengfiao’s 1996 film “Nights of Serafina” belonging to the same genre was also filmed in Paluan, starring Georgia Ortega.

The island is called Isla Puerta, according to the narrator of the movie, because is it shaped like a vulva. “Putahe” was released on May 13, 2022, by Vivamax and I’ve seen it yesterday. To catch its trailer, click this.

The Pandan Island in the municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro Province is an island of 28 hectares, almost round in shape and almost flat which are far from the attributes of a normal vulva. A coral island with its shores is rocky with sharp coral rocks alternated with one lovely white sand beach of several hundreds of meters long. A larger part of the island is forested and a lot of trees grow there. A truly ideal location for a movie. The movie was taken only for a total of ten days. A quickie indeed (all pun intended!).

But way back in 1949, a post-war film called "Parola" was filmed in our province. It is a story about an innocent man who was tried for murder but while being transported by ship to prison sunk and luckily he escapes to an island inhabited by another man and his daughters and a sister who abandon city life and settles on a quiet island to ease the pain and hatred. Included in the cast are Jaime dela Rosa, Gil de Leon, among others. Film buffs of old say that Occidental Mindoro is never portrayed so blissfully perfect as this film. It was filmed on Lubang Island and directed by Jose Climaco. Watch the film's clip here.

Let us go back to Isla Puerta, I mean "Putahe".

 "Putahe” was told from the perspective of Jenny (Ayanna Misola) who lived with her fisherman father Abel (Ronnie Lazaro). Jenny worked for Isla Puerta’s woman barangay captain played by Shirley Fuentes as Pompa. The 16-year-old Jenny had a boyfriend named Ephraim (Massimo Scofield). The other main dwellers of the fictitious island barangay were Kagawad Betong (Mon Confiado) and his wife Lalaine (Carlene Aguilar), the village prostitute Elise (Hershey de Leon), and soldier Capitan Cain (Jiad Arroyo), among others. Some residents of Sablayan also played as extras.

During the shooting, it was reported that the production staff almost meted with a penalty by the municipal government after receiving reports that the group fished in the area. It is prohibited to catch fish and other marine species in the waters around the Pandan since it is a protected area. The problem was immediately settled, nonetheless.

A mysterious seductive woman named Euka (Janelle Tee) arrived one day on the island and established an eatery introducing her own exotic and innovative fish dishes. Euka does not only serve food. More than her delicious delicacies, she also bigheartedly serves the so-called “luto ng diyos” of which her customers primarily want to partake. I won’t tell you how the story ended and how the characters shared the menu. Watch it at your own risk.

And the only thing that I enjoyed most in the movie is its soundtrack from the the immortal Victor Wood titled "Malupit na Pag-Ibig". Listen to it, kids. It's a hit during our days.

Also, I do not do movie reviews so I will stop here but a certain film critic named Fred at Blogger pertinently said: The title of this latest Roman Perez Jr. film is playful as it literally denotes "viand," but also naughtily suggests "prostitute." It was too bad that there was more about whoring than it was about cooking.”

In short, we just hosted a movie about whoring.

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Photo: imdb.com

Shutdown?

A letter that circulated on social media recently apparently sent by Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corp. (OMCPC) to Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) caused great alarm to netizens and not only to the latter’s member-consumer-owners (MCOs). The letter is supposed to be just between the two entities as far as I see it.

In the letter dated May 26, 2022, and addressed to Cesar E. Faeldon, NEA Supervisor of the EC, OMCPC said and I quoted here in verbatim “Please be informed that our plant can only operate up to June 1, 2022 at 0600 hrs, if we will continue to operate our 3 gensets at full capacity. This is in connection with our previous letter informing you that the plant will cease operation due to the reason that our fuel supplier will no longer deliver fuel to our plant site unless we settle our payments to them. Our existing fuel stock in the plant will only last up to the said date and we do not have any choice but to shutdown our plant operations." The letter was signed by OMCPC-SAMARICA Plant Head Edgardo D. Cruz.

Supposed internal correspondence such as this should be kept confidential between the EC and the power provider and should not be publicized because it may create public panic and it did. Having it posted on social media, it would draw unnecessary alarm, anxiety, and intrigue. With high probability, the letter leaked from the camp that would benefit from it. To me, making it public pressured, if not threatened, OMECO particularly its BOD to facilitate the release of the estimated 300M peso subsidy from the National Power Corporation (NPC).  

I attended in person the 41^st Annual General Assembly (AGMA) at Mayor Juan G. Santos Memorial Gymnasium in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro last Sunday, May 29, 2022, 3 days after the letter circulated on social media. Through teleconferencing, the AGMA has other two satellite venues, the Sablayan Astrodome and the Mamburao Municipal Gymnasium. The keynote speaker, Emmanuel P. Juaneza, NEA administrator, rendered his speech via zoom due to equally important commitment he has to attend in person.

The previous online discussions went overboard and went far as to conclude that the OMECO has an unpaid debt to OMCPC. The OMCPC people did not attend the AGMA for an unknown reason. So with other invited municipal and provincial officials. Only out-going mayor Romulo “Muloy” Festin of San Jose, the host municipality, who rendered a message and swore in the incoming BOD members attended the AGMA but immediately left after the oathtaking. I also spotted there SB Mercy Alvaran, also of said town sitting at the long and neatly covered table with immaculate white tetoron allotted for said officials-MCO.

In his report, the outgoing BOD President Rodolfo Plopinio made it clear that OMECO has no standing debt or whatsoever to OMCPC. They were ordered by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to prioritize the paying of their supplier. Plopinio even added that their payment to the lone supplier is always in advance and concluded that OMECO does not owe OMCPC anything. Earlier today, May 30, 2022, OMECO had a advance payment of 65M pesos for OMCPC to settle their account to their fuel supplier, ergo, no shutdown is about to happen this coming June 1, 2022. They already got what they want.

If OMECO did not publicize the supposed internal letter from OMCPC, who leaked it? Be the judge, my dear readers.

In other developments, in 2021, there are 3 sources of power supply in the whole Occidental Mindoro according to the Power Supply Update presented by Engr. Celso D. Garcia, manager of the EC’s Technical Services Department: The OMCPC 20MW Bunker-Diesel Power Plant in Pulang Lupa, the Pag-Asa Grains Center, Inc. (PGCI), and the Net Metering Agreement (NMA) with Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative or ORMECO. The NMA is suspended at present due to a lack of supply in Oriental Mindoro. The PSA of 9MW in MAPSA was docketed on April 13, 2022 and there is already a Provisional Authority (PA) from ERC that was already posted in their website recently.

In sum, the demand for electricity in the whole province during peak hours is pegged at 27MW while they can only supply 24.5MW, therefore, the rotational brown-out we are experiencing since the start of this year.

The PSA for Sablayan’s 6MW Diesel Plant signed on January 12, 2022, was already docketed to Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) only last May 2, 2022, and soon it will be for commissioning, connection, replacement of the existing system, and in full service hopefully before December 2022. At present, we are just waiting for PA to operate before its full service (For specific details of the power supply update, you may contact OMECO on the matter-NAN).

Please be informed too that the PGCI is a biomass power plant and providing the company's excess power from 1.5 to 2MW. It is more cheaper for it is classified as renewable energy so it is exempted from taxes.

To set the record straight, again, OMECO has no debt whatsoever to the OMCPC. This is just a figment in the imagination of the irresponsible social media personalities and users and the enablers of the entity, the capitalists, and personalities that will benefit from the letter’s exposure to the public on the impending, alleged shutdown. The culprit/s in thinning out such external business correspondence broke the ethical standard in a business partnership.

Shame on them!

Still, OMECO continuous to be our favorite whipping boy, fall guy, and scapegoat rolled into one although most of the problems in electricity we are facing are rooted in various negligence and vested interests of top to bottom players, those who are in power, in business and politics alike, and their cahoots in the industry throughout the country including neoliberal laws and policies on energy that are anti-people. We singled  out our very own cooperative for blame.

Shame on us!

San Josenian Chris Lalata Enters the PBA

After 47 years of existence of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) finally a player born and raised in San Jose, Mindoro will be playing in Asia’s first-ever play-for-pay league.

Chris Lalata was able to fulfill his dream of being a professional hoopster for he was selected 2^nd round 16^th draft pick over-all chosen by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. A total of 75 players submitted their draft applications, but that number got cropped to 66 as some failed to submit the obligatory requirements.

Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser lands at Blackwater as the top pick, while Terrafirma and Converge select Jeremiah Gray and Jeo Ambohot as the No. 2 and 3 picks, respectively. The draft happened at Robinson’s Place in Manila yesterday, Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Lalata’s first-ever PBA team is managed by Paulo Bugia and governed by Atty. Raymond Zorilla with Michael “Topex” Robinson as the head bench tactician. The team debuted in the PBA in the 2016 Commissioners Cup. Its franchise commenced after it acquired the second Barako Bull team (erstwhile known as the original Air21 Express team) in January of that year. Aside from Lalata, also listed to play for the team are PBA tyros Tyler Tio and Encho Serrano. The three are expected to immediately gel with the team’s top players such as Chris Banchero, Vic Manuel, RJ Jazul, Matthew Wright, and the rest.

Back in San Jose, Lalata studied and played for the Pedro T. Mendiola Sr. Memorial National High School and joined various regional competitions and sandlot basketball as a kid and inter-municipality, provincial and regional leagues as a teen.

If you are a budding basketball player, seeing your name on the back of the jersey worn by fans and exhibited in a sports apparel store feels like heaven. Especially if thousands of people cheer you on, as you play in famous venues such as the Big Dome, the MOA Arena, and the rest. The PBA is the Golconda of every Filipino basketballer with its adulation, salary and perks and other advantages.

As far as I could remember, there are only two professional players who came from Mindoro Island before him: the legendary Nelson “The Bull” Asaytono of various champion teams of the league who was born in San Teodoro but raised in Mamburao, and Robinson “Ben” Obrique of the CDCP Galleon Shippers from Roxas also from the island’s eastern side.

Seeking greener pasture in the big city, the long-limbed Mindoro cager played for St. Francis of Assisi College, Olivarez College, Marinerong Pilipino, Muntinlupa Cagers, the Bicol Volcanoes, Zamboanga Family Brand Sardines, Bacolod Masters and Davao Occidental Tigers. Lalata stands 6’5”, 198 lbs.  He was born in Barangay Mangarin on January 9, 1995. I featured him in this blog entry two years ago.

He practically grew up on a breeding farm for fighting cocks in their community. This youthful power forward from Occidental Mindoro soars through the big league like a winner rooster that powers its way out of the cockpit arena.

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Photo: WWW.PBA.PH

 

 

Ryan Sioson’s Win: Beginner’s Luck or Destiny?

 

Unlike his governor uncle who rose from the ranks of the political ladder from barrio captain, municipal councilor, vice-mayor, mayor, and governor, Ryan Gadiano-Sioson, a newcomer, came to the province’s political scene with a bang. And a loud bang at that!

Was it beginner’s luck?

He is the eldest child of Punong Barangay Rodel Sioson and Erlinda Gadiano also the eldest nephew of Governor Ed Gadiano. Ryan is a computer engineer by profession and served as the executive secretary of his uncle from July 2019 to September 2021. When AKAP HUB, the convergence and progressive health program of the provincial government which is a brainchild and banner program of the Gadiano administration came into existence, he was immediately appointed as its focal person.

Despite the financial mess that he bested brought about by the disagreement between the executive and legislative branches, AKAP HUB became the bastion of hope for thousands of our province mates who have health issues, especially those with serious medical conditions. His new assignment put him closer to the marginalized, vulnerable basic sectors of society including the Mangyans coming from different ethnolinguistic groups in the province.

The hub was launched on October 7, 2019, and since then, the name Ryan Gadiano-Sioson became synonymous with AKAP HUB, therefore, the political moniker “Mr. AKAP HUB”.

Sioson ranked third in the recent election for board members in the first district of Occidental Mindoro covering Looc, Lubang, Paluan, Abra de Ilog, Mamburao, Sta. Cruz and his hometown Sablayan where he figuratively spooned a total of 48,790 strong votes. The newbie lawmaker, better-half of an engaging social worker from Sta. Cruz town, Hannah Patrisha Torreliza-Encina, vowed to continue what he have started in AKAP HUB, short for Aking Kalusugan Ating Pangalagaan-Health Unified Body.

When asked why despite his lack of experience in the medical or health field, why did he accepted the challenge and took the cudgels he said, “Everyone gets sick and sickness is not always planned. Not all time people can afford to pay the high cost of medication, recuperation or hospitalization.” With his full adherence to this advocacy, two legislations in the future came to his mind: the issuance of health cards for particular sectors of society and the other is to craft an ordinance towards steadier institutionalization of AKAP HUB.

Indeed, at some point in one’s life he won a game he never played before and since politics is a game of chance, Sioson considered his victory as beginner’s luck but as days pass by, he realized that it was a combination of hard work and destiny that came into play for him. He does not have his own political coordinators, leaders, and campaigners but he steadfastly labored for this win. While name recall counts (because he has a Gadiano pedigree), he made have distinct marks in countless attributes.

The incoming board member is a believer and champion for clean elections and politicking for he won without even a single drop of fraud and as clean and pure as stainless steel. He pledged a corruption-free tenure as the people look forward to it.

May these words of Buddhist monk and teacher Shunryu Suzuki inspire Board Member Sioson’s baptism of fire in politics and amidst the old-timers in the provincial legislative board: “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.” This is in a way a brotherly nugget of wisdom for the young legislature coming from this simple Mindoro chronicler.

Whether it’s a beginner’s luck or not, one day Ryan Sioson will make a name for himself and would no longer be a beginner but an expert in politics and statesmanship.

Hard work and dedication prelude destiny for sure where luck plays a very minor role.

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Photo: SP Ryan G. Sioson’s FB Page

Ladaga-Javier’s Tall Order Ahead

There is a very high expectation in the forthcoming administration of Mayor-elect Atty. Rey Ladaga of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. He has to deliver swiftly on various immediate concerns confronting the most progressive municipality in the province. He banked on his anti-corruption narrative and this time it worked out. Ladaga, former vice-mayor, and board member won the position finally after 2 successive failures, in 2016, and 2019. Ladaga finished his Law Degree at San Beda College in 1974.

In the recent election, Ladaga reaped a total of 33,533 votes winning against his closest rival Board Member Michelle de Mesa Festin, daughter of incumbent mayor Romulo “Muloy” Festin, who garnered 18,024 votes. It is very telling that if you combine the votes of Festin-Rivera and the rest mayoralty wannabes specifically Councilor Bobot Chua (9,728), Vice-Mayor Rod Agas (6,961), and the unknown Senen Erandio (267) the total would be 34,980. If Cong. Josephine R. Sato as their political leader was able to unite her group and come up with just one candidate for mayor, the outcome would be different, at least mathematically speaking.

Though Sonny Javier (40,327) won the vice-mayoralty slot via landslide, the majority of the elected Sanggunian members came from the Sato-Festin camp, namely Jiji Aguilar (29,218), Myrna Zapanta (28,556), Erning Jaravata (25,291), Robert Mangahas (22,477), and Jimmy Holgado (18,650). Only Arnel Argame (26,595) and Barok Balmes (21,524) belong to Ladaga-Javier tandem. (I do not know where Councilor Mercy Alvaran (19,539) is affiliated at present.) Balmes and Mangahas are barangay officials while Holgado came straight from the private sector. He manages a security agency, has roots in Iling island, and known for his charitable works. 

By the way, Sonny Javier got 40,327 votes winning the position of vice-mayor and presiding officer of the municipal council over Jun-Jun Malilay’s 21,949 shades.

What are the pressing concerns of San Jose at this very moment? Numerous. But the first two things that come to my mind are the public market and the public cemetery. These are the biggest eyesores as of this moment. While the Aroma Beach Pathwalk project has already been started by Mayor Muloy, for some reason, it has not been completed as scheduled, the public cemetery and the public market are still for the inauguration. The people in my town of birth expect that before Ladaga’s term ends in 2025, these two grand projects must be completed or at least commenced.

Ladaga will be inheriting a 290M loan of the municipality from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The municipal council authorized Mayor Muloy in entering into a loan agreement with the aforementioned financing institution just recently. Ladaga got prominence as lawyer of the masses but this predicament will test again his prowess in financial management. Let as not forget that he was once branch attorney and branch manager of DBP-San Jose, the same bank where the local government has a borrowing.

The Festin administration has 70M budget for the construction of the San Jose Public Market. Meantime while the construction is ongoing, a temporary building is being constructed in the former Motor Pool in Labangan is in progress with the water and electrical systems are still underway. The Ladaga watch will be met with resistance coming from the stall owners and vendors. On the other hand, the Festin administration is yet to start the transfer of the San Jose Public Cemetery which is now very congested and requires fast and smart solution. The new set of officials has to purchase a lot for the purpose and start immediate construction of facilities therein. 

Quick delivery of basic social services is another area that the in-coming new administration has to resolve including efficient and effective activities, projects, and programs concerning pandemic recovery toward the so-called “new normal”. In line with the Mandanas Ruling, human resource services must be streamlined and professionalized and hire only a justifiable number of employees, specifically casuals and job orders. It has been said that the LGU's delivery of basic services is red tape-ridden and the customer satisfaction rating is very low. Relevant social services for all especially persons with disability, senior citizens, the Mangyans, children, the youth, and the women that assure effective and inclusive delivery and social inclusion must be implemented in toto. The clients if its different offices must be at ease doing business with them following the letter and intent of the ARTA and of course, the bible of local governance, the RA 7160.

Effective and inclusive governance through the close coordination between the barangays and the local government through genuine accountability and transparency is also a must for the new administration.

Like the biblical temple, the Office of the Mayor necessitates a thorough cleansing. The constituency needs an immediate solution to these major problems that the incoming administration has to instantaneously solve within its first 100 days in office.

On the part of the legislative department, even though they are a minority, incoming Vice-Mayor Sonny Javier, the people expect efficient and effective measures by directing the smooth flow of legislation within the bounds and true essence of the legislature through warranting and governing a free and inclusive lawmaking-body which the ordinary San Joseño like this writer can depend on at all times.

VM Sonny, as a man of faith and being involved in religious organizations, will nurture adept leadership and doing by example, bringing the legislative body closer to higher standards and moral values. Hopefully.

May God help them both and so are we.

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(Photo: San Jose PR Team)

 

Analysis on the Gadiano Victory

 

The people of Occidental Mindoro have spoken and through the ballot, they ended the 32 years of unblemished election record of Josephine Y. Ramirez-Sato, former vice-governor, governor, and congresswoman. The political trio known as TGT composed of Leody F. Tarriela, Gov. Eduardo B. Gadiano, and Diana C. Apigo-Tayag won a landslide victory against their separate rivals for congressional, gubernatorial, and vice-gubernatorial seats, respectively.

In 2019, when Sato overpowered Mayor Juan M. Sanchez in her third bid for a seat in the House of Representatives, she confidently declared, “Hindi pa ipinapanganak ang tatalo sa akin.” (The one who defeats me has not yet been born.) To trace back, Sato was elected governor for three consecutive terms (1992–1995, 1995–1998, 1998–2001.) Then served her first term as congresswoman from 2001 to 2004. After Sato's first term as a congresswoman, she again served for three consecutive terms as governor of the province (2004–2007, 2007–2010, 2010–2013).

Then after her sixth term as governor, she has again elected as congresswoman of Occidental Mindoro until she was badly beaten in an electoral contest by Gadiano just yesterday, May 9, 2022. This is the first time that the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) did not endorse her since she started her political career. This is Sato’s first taste of defeat. This cemented the belief of the political observers that the leader from Sablayan who climbed the local ladder of authority is indeed capable of overtaking titans.

Gadiano got a whooping 150,627 votes over Sato’s 92,138 tally (As of May 10, 2022/2:32 PM). Out of the province’s 11 municipalities, Sato won only in Looc. Here is the breakdown:

1.      Abra de Ilog: Gadiano-9,721; Sato-5,513

2.     Calintaan: Gadano-8,808; Sato-4,529

3.     Looc: Sato-2,931; Gadiano-2,924

4.     Lubang: Gadiano-5,385; Sato-5,110

5.     Magsaysay: Gadiano-10,663; Sato-7,732

6.     Mamburao: Gadiano-13,610; Sato-9,809

7.     Paluan: Gadiano-7,038; Sato-3,553

8.    Rizal: Gadiano - 11,217; Sato-7,950

9.     Sta. Cruz: Gadiano – 12,953; Sato-6,163

10.                        Sablayan: Gadiano – 28,408; Sato-12,313 (Gadiano’s bailiwick)

11.  San Jose : Gadiano: 39,908; Sato-26,535 (Sato’s bailiwick)

I also attribute the victory of Gadiano and the rest of the TGT to good branding and effective narrative, its counter-propaganda initiative, well-oiled machinery, and the Sato strategy itself that backfired, especially the negative campaigning her camp employed like the supposed sexual assault, especially those fiddled by fictitious social media accounts and trolls, and paid radio programs, more so those hosted by a turncoat notorious radio personality based in San Jose. 

For me, the TGT and the Ganados employed a combination of competency-based and politics of discontent brands of political campaigning. It also thrived on the combination of both Change and Continuity that is common in confronting politicians who overstay in office facing an incumbent candidate. The issue of brown out, as I keep on insisting every now and then, became the burning issue at hand given that Sato had been in power, as they keep on saying repeatedly in every sortie, for 32 years. This shows the brilliance of the TGT's campaign operators and propagandists. This is the fruit of their hard labor.

Brownouts have a direct personal experience with all of us and aside from the best practices of Gadiano administration in less than 3 years, like the establishment of AKAP Hub, the sustainable livelihood program, the pandemic response related PPAs, the sea ambulances that had not been considered since the province’s founding 7 decades ago and the rest of the best practices of his government, played a major role of giving him a fresh mandate as the province’s chief executive. The TGT team also was able to touch and bring their message to the farthest sitios and even the geographically isolated and disadvantaged border communities while their rival concentrated more on the periphery than the countryside. Not to mention the baseless accusations painted all over concrete and conspicuous bridges in Sablayan. Such special operation exploded right at the very faces of those who masterminded it.

It is also worthy to say that the TGT and the rest of the so-called Team Ganado in different municipalities led by Gadiano himself, were able to articulately convey the message that they are being “dribbled” (from the governor’s own word) on the issue of the disapproval of the two annual budgets. How his office and the whole province’s delivery of basic services, projects, and programs were badly affected by the budget curtailment of the provincial board dominated by Sato’s political allies. Gadiano succeeded in telling the people that this modus will make the people, especially the poor, suffer more. That political "repeaters" are the culprits why we are still in this social mess. This includes the huge deficit in the public coffer when he stepped into office in 2019. But despite this, he was able to manage the finances and delivered priority programs and essential projects responding to the people's needs while the gargantuan loans of the previous administration were gradually settled. He dared to deliver even amidst the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. Gadiano delivered his message clearly winning inch by inch the hearts and minds of the common tao with utmost conviction, authority and fervor.

Being aligned with Marcos-Duterte tandem was also a big factor for them in terms of tactical alliance.

The people yelled out their discontents and anxieties through their votes.

Let the murky water of partisan politics settle for a moment.

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(Photo: Gov. Ed Gadiano’s Facebook Account)

 

 

The Inseparability of Politics and Electricity in Sato-Gadiano Rivalry

 

Since the time of Thomas Edison, the electricity industry is already been a permanent feature in politics. Before Pearl Street (his pioneering streetlight project) ever opened, Edison had to bribe New York politicians to begin laying the foundations of his work.

As Time magazine recounts, Edison “obtained with great difficulty the consent of New York’s famously corrupt city government to build his proposed network on the southern tip of Manhattan.” As the early electricity industry grew, it became more involved with city politics over lighting contracts. Electricity providers had to receive franchise rights from city officials to serve local areas, opening the door for those officials to extort power companies for campaign contributions or personal bribes.

The year was 1882.

Fast forward to Occidental Mindoro. Present time.

Centuries have already passed as it proves that electricity and politicians are inseparable, with due respect to its deniers and pretenders from both ends.

The Island Power Corporation (IPC) controversy is the mother liquor of this sourest situation of a power failure and brownouts in the province. This situation is just the offshoot of a series of awfully debauched business decisions taken by the previous Board of Directors and management of OMECO since 1993. It all started when the OMECO BOD entered into a one-sided Contract or Energy Conversion Agreement (ECA) with Island Power Corporation (IPC) on December 10, 1993. The ECA guaranteed an onerous 25-year term (with the option to extend) to the latter, without providing for a “termination clause” that would have allowed OMECO to “automatically” rescind or terminate the ECA in case IPC failed to fulfill its obligations, without having to seek judicial recourse. A political titan represents the IPC, the former Governor Jose T. Villarosa.

The Power Supply Agreement (PSA) between Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) and the Emerging Power Incorporated (EPI), Philippines, was signed February 28, 2014, at Sikatuna Beach Hotel in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. According to Rep. Josephine Y. Ramirez Sato, EPI assured them then that by 2015, we would be getting an additional 3.3 MW and expected to increase each year. She said, “By 2017, we can all say goodbye to brownouts and other hassles brought about by power outage, we were assured.” The truth is, the geothermal source was a hoax, and out of nowhere, the Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC) immediately appeared like Aladdin’s genie and inked a Swiss Challenge Procurement Agreement with OMECO. And the rest of the EPI story is history, I mean, a fairy tale.

Sometime in March 2018, Rep. Josephine Sato and her allies led the Solar Para sa Bayan (SPSB) opening in Paluan. Critics of the project said that the SPSB exploited a captive market of electric consumers now nailed to the power company’s greed. Cong. Sato even said then that the project “should be replicated all across Mindoro.” 

Rightly so, the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) has insisted that SPSB cease its operations because Paluan is part of the electric cooperative. No local politicians then stood on behalf of the EC and its MCOs, defended their electricity franchise privileges, and yielded their mandate to SPSB. OMECO did not receive any support from SPSB enablers on this problematic area. It was understandable because they are backing the solar project during its infantile stage of operation. The Municipality of Paluan, after a few years of partnership with SPSB now relinquished its power provision to OMECO. The SPSB abandoned the solar project afraid of totally losing their capital. The electric cooperative that they once bypassed redeemed them from chaos.

Sato and Villarosa are now on speaking terms after decades of hostility. Even their political allies in different political positions now merged as a group. Some known and longtime political allies of Villarosa now aligned themselves with the Sato group. Their former warring media propagandists and supporters already buried the hatchet, directing their criticisms over the radio and social media on their common "enemy": the incumbent governor Eduardo Gadiano. Gadiano recently advised OMECO to fast-track the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) to have a new power provider. The governor’s critics even pointed out that other politicians had already resolved his allegedly late proposals. The opposition rejected all his recommendations and action on the matter with all mean intentions. They belittled him saying that the governor does not fully understand the issue.

The governor failed to get from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the resolution declaring the province under a state of emergency because of intermittent power interruptions.  Take note, too, that a crack among the provincial board members on issuing such resolution as requested by the governor arose.

This coming May 9, whether we like it or not, the issue of brownout or power shortage in the province becomes the on-point issue. It will be immaterial for the voters the reasons and justifications for technicalities and legalities in the power industry sector. They will not forget the fact that after 32 years both of the camps of the two local political titans the problem is not resolved to date.

Politics and electricity are designed for relationships and not for isolation. Politicians and the electric consumer are socializers. They, too, are inseparable. And the agony is, the politicians’ circus is the electric consumers’ crisis.

They employ power-play politics amid power failures. Even those who deny it know that.

Local politicians have made promises for decades to end brownouts, but they ignore the reality that they had been part of the problem. Since time immemorial, they had already dipped their fingers in the issue with both beneficent and sinister motives. That is all in aid of (re-)election, one may think.

The bottom line of all: This issue of power, once again, could make or break the political careers of those gunning gubernatorial and congressional seats in 2022. Failure to employ political power that caused power failure is the main meat of the discourses leading to election day and beyond as long as brownout still exists, whatever its cause. Be it rotational power distribution, turbine washing, tripping, and other trouble like the recent mechanical disturbance in the power plant.

The bone of contention is the politicians’ three years of apparent lack of knowledge on the issue contrasted with three decades (or more) of vested interests, incredible business choices, and perhaps, negligence. Be it coming from the transmission, generation, or distribution side.

It will appear like this: Politicians versus their electoral rivals and overstaying political factions against the brownout fed-up voters and electric consumers. The electric consumers who are also voters are all discontented with this situation of electric power in the province.

When asked what are the prospects of this coming election, my friend, Atty. Lawrence Villamar has this to say: "It's important to note that this election may mark an end of an era and introduction of new players in local politics."

This word picture makes the elections on Monday and the local politics in Occidental Mindoro more fun and exciting.

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References:

 https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/history-electricity/#Dawn

 https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/976292/mindoro-solar-power-project-to-supply-electricity-at-p9-per-kwh

 https://www.philstar.com/business/2014/02/26/1294492/emerging-power-eyes-mindoro-market?nomobile=1

 

 

Mindorosas 2.0, Lubang Island

Vice-President Leni Robredo will be coming to a famous island in my province Occidental Mindoro at around 9:00 AM tomorrow, April 26, 2022, and the venue is Plaza de Francisco M. Sanchez. Last April 6, the TRoPa held their sorties on mainland Mindoro, specifically in San Jose, Occidental and Calapan City in Oriental.

Lubang Island is known for being the hiding place of Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese World War II straggler who made the island his home and battleground long after the war was over. His story was made into a motion picture in 2019 directed by Arthur Harari. The movie Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle was an entry to Cannes Film Festival 2021 and bagged the Best Original Screenplay at César Awards, France 2022. Click HERE to watch its trailer.

But other than the Onoda story, the folk dance Pandanggo sa Ilaw is said to have originated from the place. It is generally danced in couples, with traditional clothes for both women and men. They carry lighted glass oil lamps on their heads and the back of their hands. Dancing to the rhythm of lilting music, they sway and balance, go around the stage or dance floor, intermingle, manipulate the glass lamps with amazing and spectacular deftness, and maneuver for the dramatic and arresting position on the floor. Swiftly of hands and agile feet, the dancers do not trip or drop the glass lamps that they carry. The oil lamp is called tinghoy.

Cabra Island, also part of the Municipality of Lubang, is the site of the alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary to eight children in December 1966.   The children were pupils at the Cabra Elementary School and this incident hit the headlines and became the subject of debates among theologians and the clergy themselves.  The purported apparitions eventually inspired the 1982 Ishmael Bernal drama film Himala, starring Nora Aunor and with a screenplay by Ricky Lee, which took place from 1966 to 1972.

Lubang too is the place of birth of world renowned human rights advocate Sr. Mariani Dimaranan, SFIC. She was born on February 1, 1921, and her name is synonymous with Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), founded in 1973, where she served as its chairperson from 1975 up to 1996. She worked hard for the release of political detainees despite being jailed by the Marcos government.

Lubang is also known for Pasandal. It is part of traditional Flores de Mayo aside from Santacruzan. In Lubang, it became part of their tradition to have 8 days of dancing known as Pasandal. On the morning of the 9th day, which is the Santacruzan, a mass was held and in the evening, selected beautiful sagalas dressed in gowns to join the religious pageant.

Lubang Island consists of two municipalities, Lubang and Looc. In 2019, according to the records of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the former has only 13,490 voters while the latter has 7,684 registered electorates. Regardless, the Leni-Kiko tandem went down in history for giving special attention to this small but lovely island in my province. The tandem finds time to visit and build a lasting relationship with those even in far-flung areas or the outskirts of society.

The name of this island came from lumbang, a kind of tree that grew profusely on this island during the early days.  Due to constant use for so many years, the name became Lubang, according to historian Rudy A. Candelario.

The rally organizers selected pasandal as its campaign theme tomorrow.

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Photo: VP Leni Robredo's FB Account

“Mayor Lang” Explained

The Tagalog word “lang”, is short for “lamang”, which is often used as a modifier to provide an accurate picture of the quality, as an adjective or quantity, or numerical count being presented.

For example: “Isa lang ang iboboto ko sa mga konsehal” means “I will just vote one among the councilors.”

But in some usage, it is to limit the scope of the word that may usually carry ambiguous or far-ranging content. For instance, when you want to say “I have voted”, you will use “Nakaboto na ako”. But when you want to say “I have just voted” (i.e. recently, or just now), you will say “Kaboboto ko lang.” Therefore, “lang” in English means “only” or “just”.

But in many contexts, “lang” is used to express a “limitation”. There are uses in certain contexts that are very difficult to translate into English. For example:

“Magtrabaho ka na lang.”

“You just work.”

(Focus. Maybe something will turn up.)

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 “Maghintay ka na lang.”

“All you can do is wait.”

(Just wait for now….)

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 “Kumain na lang tayo.”

“Let’s just eat.”

(No point in doing anything else.)

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 “Umoo ka na lang.”

“Just say yes.”

(It’s useless to complain.)

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 “Manood ka na lang.”

“Why don’t you just watch?”

(Don’t bother with anything else.)

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Just like how Vice-Mayor Walter “Bong” B. Marquez uses the phrase in his campaign slogan in his bid for a mayoralty position in Sablayan. His catchword for May 9 Elections simply reads “Mayor Lang.” His “lang” in this particular milieu connotes a sort of limiting himself if ever elected mayor of this municipality, and constantly reminds him not to exceed his duties and functions as local chief executive of Sablayan. He promised to do only those things required by or under the law, specifically those stipulated in the Local Government Code.

It is his way of emphasizing that he will not usurp his duties and would not be involved in any moonlighting activity and be involved as a clandestine servicer of the government, a “commissioner”, supplier, power broker and be involved, directly or indirectly, in anything that beyond his thrust and mandate as a local official, and in particular, a mayor.

The context of Vice-Mayor Marquez’s “mayor lang” according to him means that he will not capitulate to unlawfully performing his mayoral duties in case he is elected. He is just speaking for himself, he said. He does not care about the other candidates nor does he alludes to his rival.

Nothing in his mind and his slogan that he emphasizes that the mayoralty post is “basta-basta” or in the bastardized lingo, “just-just”.

It is very intellectually dishonest that this use of “lang” is presented as an affront to the esteemed and honorable government position or office that he aspires for. In visioning and animating such values instead, you purify the sanctity of that office.

Nonetheless, elections and political leadership are like a winnowing fan in our hands separating the grains from the chaff.

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(Photo: VM Bong Marquez Facebook Page)

 

Pandanggo sa Dilim and the Leni-Kiko’s Sortie

The Leni-Kiko campaign rally in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro last April 6, 2022, has three important highlights at least from my point of view: it paved the way for Cong. Nene Sato’s declaration of support for the Kakampink tandem, the first-ever dance steps of VP Leni in her entire campaign sortie and it became the venue where my kababayans protested for more than three decades of an intermittent power outage that we are experiencing since January of this year. I will just focus on the last two climaxes for it’s just natural for Cong. Nene to endorse VP Leni for they are both top brasses of the Liberal Party (LP). Let us juxtapose Leni’s fandango and our being the infamous “brownout capital of the Philippines.” 

Regardless of our political affiliations, we are gravely affected by this debacle of power interruptions. We are experiencing this hellish situation even since Leni Robredo was still earning her degree in Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Even when she was not yet a lawyer and married to Jesse Robredo, energy crises have been bugging my people to no end and Cong. Nene was already a vice-governor just two years later. Cong. Nene has never been defeated since 1988 and has been up and down, in a manner of speaking, as congresswoman and governor interchangeably.

After reading a placard with the message "Mga sanay sa brownout for Leni," VP Leni said, "Pero hindi ba dapat hindi tayo nasasanay because ang kuryente, basic na pangangailangan natin. Ang akin lang pong mapapangako sa inyo, kapag ako mismo and pangulo, ako mismo and tututok sa mga bagay na ito." She assured every one of us and that was after she rendered that historic Hanunuo fandango with all gracefulness and gusto. When she said, "Ako mismo," it was tantamount to saying that since the effort of the local leaders are not enough, if ever elected, the veep herself will take the responsibility of solving it.

The crowd roared for they know that electricity is as essential as lugaw in some situations. Even the nationalistic Day of Valor last Saturday, April 9, became a "Day of Brownout" in a large part of the province. Sad.

The apologists of the local power groups and the propagandists of the congresswoman herself say that she should not be faulted for such a predicament. They insist on blaming Governor Ed Gadiano for such a fiasco saying that it is his role as the province’s chief executive to provide basic needs of his constituency, especially electricity even if he was in the position only for less than three years now.

Aside from lambasting the governor for this over spinning rotational brownout in the province, the political propagandists and critics of the provincial chief executive keep on defending the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) and the Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC) saying that though the latter had already been ready in supplying the whole power requirement of the province, the contract has been archived at the Department of Energy (DOE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) unsigned by the authorities concerned. They keep on censuring the supposed red tape in said national offices and Gov. Gadiano for unsubstantiated expositions. I do understand they have the right to say this because of political reasons no matter how silly their arguments are. I do believe that electricity and politics are inseparable (I will write a separate blog entry about this next time).

The rally participants found a venue to once again vent their concerns and our province’s endless tragedy that has been hounding us even during the time of the fictitious Majoma.  The million-dollar question is this, how come that after decades and decades of this situation of doom, the concerned sector only managed to provide us with limited power sources and just one producer through the years? They were a failure in this matter and we, the consumers, and the supposed co-owners of the electric cooperative were led to a dark slaughterhouse of uncertainty. 

In the past four decades or so, we are given false hopes by our sitting provincial politicians on this nagging issue of power shortage. The mammoth 18 thousand more or less Leni-Kiko crowd both came from opposing political camps, by the way. The only thing common to them is they are all pro-Leni and Kiko but they differ in their local choices for governor, among other positions.

In the 1990s, people look up the Power Sharing Agreement between Island Power Corporation (IPC) and OMECO as the ultimate solution and expected to electrify every municipality but our aspirations gradually died like a fading candle. The reasons for its failure involve financial, managerial, legal, and technical issues surrounding the agreement besides the fact that the later owner of IPC is a local political leader in the province. We more than ever were left figuratively in the dark. We as a people feel betrayed by these nothing but money-paddled transactions. EPI was allegedly a power company that is about to operate a 45-megawatt geothermal power plant in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro but EPI and OMECO including the rest of the national power industry agencies dropped it like a hot potato for reasons that I’m not privy to discuss but what’s important is, we, the people have again faced a broken political promise for a clean and secured, sustained and affordable power supply that purportedly we will be enjoying in 2017. They again lied to us about our aspirations for a brown-out free (or less brownout) Occidental Mindoro puffed like a balloon of colds in a murky kid’s stuffy nostrils.

In just a wink of an eye and away from the eyes of the public, the EPI and the OMCPC changed roles like harlequins in a circus. With dedication and fervor, Cong. Nene has been bridging coordination gaps among energy national regulatory agencies such as the DoE, ERC, NPC, the NEA and OMECO, and OMCPC, sole distributor and supplier, respectively. Until now, the light at the end of the tunnel is still a thing of the future. We still grope for true and brand new political leaders whose heart bleeds with us in our darkest moments. We still shout and cry for fast-tracking the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) and welcoming all the qualified applicants as power providers and pressuring all the involved power industry sectors to act swiftly on the matter.

But this is a thing that political apologists cannot alter: brownouts, as well as politicians, overstays on this forsaken half of the island we call home. And the people are fed-up with both!

This is their eternal legacy of Pandanggo sa Dilim, similar to Remigio Agpalo’s political analogy/analysis Pandanggo sa Ilaw, a folk dance that originated here in our province, particularly in Lubang Island, in 1965.

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My upcoming entry: "The Inseparability of Politics and Electricity: A Reflection Paper" 

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Photo: Sen. Kiko Pangilinan’s Twitter account

Reference: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1482004/mindorenos-assured-of-sufficient-power-supply-sato