Ernesto F. Jaravata’s Mini-Biography

Back in the day, it was sara-sara (roasted rice coffee), a poor man’s hot drink, and years later it was Madam Auring. These are the two symbols that best minted the long political career of Atty. Ernesto F. Jaravata of San Jose.

In 1980, Ernesto F. Jaravata overwhelmingly defeated the longest-serving mayor of San Jose, Mayor Juan G. Santos. The former is a good orator and teller of naughty jokes during campaign sorties. Under his administration, he built additional buildings in the old public market before it was razed down by a fire in 1992. To date, in his already chronologically challenged age, he is the only Ilocano mayor of San Jose and the oldest active politician in the whole of Occidental Mindoro. Born October 10, 1942, in Mangaldan, Pangasinan, he is now 79 years old. 

His parents, Fernando Jaravata and Marcelina Fernandez migrated to San Jose and lived in Siete Central in 1947. His father is a native of San Fabian, Pangasinan, and Agoo, La Union while his mother came from Mangaldan. They had 6 children and all are boys.

He served this province in various capacities, from being the people’s lawyer par excellence up to his colorful political career that lasted for more than 4 decades. In both the figurative and literal sense, he outlived many of his contemporaries together in public service and the legal profession. Mind you, he is still a bankable politician, as he is about to complete again his term as provincial board member, he is still gunning for councilor of the town come May 2022.

To write a mini-biography of this respectable man, I preferred to interview my friend and high school classmate, Rolando “Boy” Ilustre, a remarkable radio personality himself and a political analyst in his own right and a very close ally of the man whom he considered as his second father and a political mentor. Boy is a fellow activist, human rights advocate,  and local history enthusiast gladly granted an interview for a blog entry about the oldest active politician in the province, the one and only, Board Member Ernesto Jaravata!

When was Atty. Erning Jaravata’s first attempt in politics?

Rolando C. Ilustre (RCI): “He was the only politician who beat the late Mayor Santos in 1980. But that was not his first attempt. In 1968 he ran for Vice Mayor but was beaten by Dra. Anita Villaroza, wife of the then sitting Governor Arsenio “Senying” Villaroza.”

Was he pro-Marcos that time?

RCI: “As typical Ilocano yes he’s pro-Marcos but not very vocal in his political sympathy with the Marcoses. According to him, he is greatly indebted to Marcos because, in the  1970s, it was President Marcos thru Assemblyman Antonio V. Raquiza of Ilocos Norte when the Petition for land distribution of National Investment and Development Corporation (NIDC) property in Central became a reality. Jaravata was the lawyer of the petitioners then. When he ran for mayor in 1980 he was under Nacionalista Party (NP). He admired Ferdinand Marcos but he was not the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan or KBL bet at that time. The NP was considered as the opposition party during the heydays of KBL. It was only in 1985 in the Snap Elections when he shifted to KBL because jokingly according to him, he was “pressured” by First Lady Imelda Marcos using her charm when they were both onstage watching  Marcos delivering his campaign speech.”

What is the story behind the “sara-sara” symbolism in his politics?

RCI: “That famous  “sara-sara” tagline on him was originally coined by the late local radio host Fernando “Toto Nanding” Gallenero of DZYM, the province's pioneering station. Toto Nanding, a Visayan, was the station manager and at the same time host of the early morning show “Pa-Pito-Pito Lang”, a political commentary program, where he used the word to ridicule, in a friendly manner, his bosom buddy Erning. That was when the latter was removed as mayor after the so-called EDSA Revolution and when he lost to the newcomer Mario Gene Mendiola for a seat in Congress in 1987. Taking a break from politics, he started developing his mango orchard in Canwaling (now Brgy. San Isidro) but due to financial constraints, the best he could offer to the laborers are cups of “sara-sara”. Every morning Toto Nanding calls him “sara-sara” in a special greeting insinuating that having experienced those two career hiatuses, Erning is just at his farm swigging roasted rice coffee, doing nothing.”

In every election, he has a large poster erected in Pandurucan river bearing messages falsely attributed to the late Madam Auring. What is the story behind his “Madam Auring” political antics?

RCI: “The Madam Auring thing is just a juice coming from his creative and witty brain. Knowing him so well, it is normal for him to crack a casual joke. As far as I can remember, it started when he come back as a board member after losing his candidacy for Congressman in 2007. Beneath such antic is a philosophy that he believes in. He trusts in destiny and that is his expression of his faith in his career. It was in 2013 when he run again after two consecutive losses when the tale of Madam Auring, a Filipino fortune-teller and actress, became part of his propaganda strategy and however how cheap is that, it worked since then. He even uses a combination of Tagalog and Ilonggo languages to attract the attention of the passers-by. He has never been defeated since 2013 when he first employed the Madam Auring trick.”

How do you see him as a lawyer before he entered politics?

RCI: “Atty. Jaravata as a lawyer before entering politics had a very brilliant career. He was appointed fiscal, later on, as municipal judge of Rizal town also here in Occidental Mindoro. He graduated from San Beda College as a low-profile lawyer. According to him, he was not a brilliant student but an average one. But he was a lion inside the courtroom mastering the craft due to active practice as a trial lawyer. Jaravata's sympathy for people made him a lawyer for the poor. His free legal service to poor litigants particularly when he served as a public attorney made him more popular to the masses.” 

He can fluently speak Kinaray-a and Ilocano, of course aside from English and Tagalog. How come?

RCI: “He is an  Ilocano by regional origin. As a  son of  Ilocano parents, they migrated to Mindoro in the 1950s. They first settled in Tanyag, Calintaan, and had purchased land ideal for tobacco growing. His parent had a friend who encouraged them to sell dried tobacco leaves in Pandan, Antique. As the trade prospered, they took their children in the place to help them in their newly-found business venture. The Jaravata siblings resumed their education in Antique and Iloilo. Erning involved himself in speaking his fourth tongue, so to speak, which is Kinaray-a, and became fluent at that. He finished high school at Panday Bay Institute in Pandan, Antique. Knowing these two dominant parlances, he identified himself with both the Ilocano and Visayan voters that he woo when he came back to Mindoro as a politician. He is effortless in four languages: Tagalog, Ilocano, Kinaray-a, and English.”

He ran for a seat in Congress and lost, when was that? Please, enumerate his political career from Day One to 2022 except for those already mentioned above?.

RCI: “He ran twice for Congress in 1987 and 2007 but both chances slipped through his fingers. In 1987, after EDSA he did not place himself in alliance with the local traditional politicians who unite themselves to beat the influential KBL candidate in the province. Instead, he ran without any political backing from national-level politicians and parties so he lost to Mario Gene Mendiola, who got the sympathy of the people because of his father’s death. In sum, here’s the chronological order of his political career:  1980-86 -Mayor of San Jose;1987   - run and lost for Congressman; 1998- 2007 Elected  Board Member of Occidental Mindoro; 2007- run  and lost  for Congressman; 2010- lost  for Board Member; 2013-2022- elected Board Member.”

What can you say about him as a private citizen, a family man, a public servant, and as a politician?

RCI: He's an extraordinary person. I never heard him praising or boasting about his accomplishment nor cursing or ranting against anybody. Very cool and has a very admirable composure. He cannot be rattled even during a situation under pressure. He knows how to listen to anybody even with different views. He will not engage anybody in a debate. For him, he will only argue inside the court or during the official forum. I never saw him raising his voice even to his workers or to anybody. He's the only person I know who has this kind of character. He always showed sympathy to people maybe that’s the reason why the opposite sex used to admire him. But that’s another story and will not dwell on that for obvious reasons (laughs). Seriously, for me, that is the most important trait I learned from the man.

He was a good provider to his family and very caring to his wife Sonia. Living a very simple and frugal life he had sent his children to schools. Never got angry with them in any situation. He just accepted things as they come. He's also very generous in helping people in his little way. He's not a Santa Claus type but he has his means to extend material assistance for the needy.

As a public servant, he's not the ambitious type. He will submit himself to the disposition of his allies. He will not push himself to acquire any ambitious title. I remember in 2004 when Ricardo “Ding” Quintos, the Dream Team figurehead, wanted him to run for vice-governor and that irked Ramon Atienza, a party mate. Quintos and Atienza were already in conflict at that time which might split the party. But Jaravata advised Quintos to choose Atienza instead. If he did not drop the suggestion, maybe his career will be a lot different today.

As a politician he's but just an ordinary one. He will not assert himself. He just relies on his jokes and the magnitude of supporters to gain votes in every poll capitalizing on the magic and solidity of his Ilocano and Visayan voters. Thrifty as he is, Atty. Jaravata will not spend millions on his campaign. He uses the cheapest propaganda materials, employing his common tao's jokes to persuade and win votes.”

His most notable achievements as a legislator (SP)? 

RCI: “Jaravata's golden years as a legislator was highlighted by his crucial opposition to Governor Jose T. Villarosa’s (JTV) attempt to loan the province for more than Php 300 million in 2004. At the justification of development, JTV had almost succeeded but he was stopped by the bright board member. Thru his  brilliant  argumentation in the  Sangguniang Panlalawigan session, JTV was totally annihilated in the deliberative exchanges. It's crucial because once it was granted, JTV could have used it for his reelection in 2007. In his recent SP stint, he's not usually the proponent but more as a legal authority to make sure that all the agenda and by-products of what was being passed and approved must have no legal impediments or whatsoever. He provides comic relief when issues are hotly contested in the legislative hall.”

What are the life lessons you have learned from him?

RCI: “A lot of lessons I learned from him. That’s his belief in destiny, compassion, and being humble, not to become a braggart and commanded by egocentric ambition. His adherence to peace is also exemplary. I remember when most board members avail their firearms privilege. It was only him who was not tempted to acquire a weapon. For him, having a gun is putting more risks to his life. He has no bodyguard. He only has his nephew Robert Jaravata as his driver.”

What about his philosophy that you admire most?

RCI: “I remember him always saying that a man should imitate a bamboo tree, that the more it gets taller, the more it stoops down.”

Any messages, or reflections about the man?

RCI: “I wish him long life. I believe that Jaravata's absence will create an imbalance in the equilibrium of Occidental Mindoro politics. 

He was the one who helped me survive when at 32, I returned home in 1997. I was down and out, separated from my family, jobless and hopeless. I have nothing. But Erning saved me not primarily by extending material help but by the guidance he shared. I was his secretary in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and until now we are very close to each other. I know his story like an open book on my palm.

I can't forget the old motorcycle that he gave me in 1998. It was an old Suzuki scrambler. He told me to use it. It helped me recover and fight life’s obstacles. And like Che Guevara, the motorcycle and the ride gave me hope. That is for every kilometer I explore, it provided me new willpower to overcome my  demoralization.”

(End of the virtual interview.)

Well, that’s Ernesto Jaravata for you folks as told by his longtime friend and associate Rolando “Boy” Ilustre. Allow me to add that Boy’s son was named after Jaravata who happens to be the namesake also of Guevara. 

The two Ernestos are both Ilustre's lifetime idols. 

(Note: This has been edited for conciseness and clarity- NAN)

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TAILPIECE: Dr. Rodolfo "Rudy" Jaravata, a virtual friend and younger brother of Bokal Erning Jaravata, sent me a message of thanks today, December 27, 2021, for writing this blog entry. He said, "On behalf of my brother, I'd like to express our gratitude and appreciation for the excellent raw and factual write-up of his political career. I believe politics and a simple life are what he wants in life. He forfeited his US Green Card two or three times without regret. Serving the people of San Jose and the whole Occidental Mindoro is probably his mission in life."

Dr. Rudy and his wife Victoriana (nee Yason) now reside in Maricopa, Arizona. The former municipal health officer of San Jose reminisced further that, "[Erning's] extra-ordinary talent for public speaking and debate could be gleaned earlier in his student days in San Beda, as he was a member of the debating team of the college. I believe he is in the league of Perry Fajardo of Dalaguete, Cebu."

(Note: Perry Fajardo, now 73 years old, is a veteran columnist and a political think tank, and like Erning Jaravata, he also filed his candidacy for municipal councilor for the 2022 elections.- NAN) 

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(Photo courtesy of Boy Ilustre)

 

The Governor and His Bicycle

True to his promise, Gov. Eduardo B. Gadiano of Occidental Mindoro rode his bike in the morning of July 22, 2020 from the newly-inaugurated extension office of the provincial government in Barangay Magbay to Barangay Caminawit in San Jose town to have an ocular inspection on the situation of roads in that particular span or route and mingle with his constituents along the way.

Since he became governor, Gadiano utilizes a bicycle roving around the capital town of Mamburao in reaching his constituents and rub elbows with them and know the situation of each community. Instead of riding a motorized vehicle in going to those places, he starts his first active hour in the morning on the wheels. Biking almost became part of the governor’s everyday life since he was elected in May last year.

Governance and physical wellness or fitness can be maximized in one particular period of the day. Biking is a natural and commonsensical choice for shorter trips. In such an early morning routine, the governor enable to promote cycling to be seen as an activity for all, rather than a ‘niche’ activity for some.

Though the governor is not directly promoting biking.

In a speech, Akhilesh Yadav, an Indian political leader, explained the power of the bicycle symbol: “The bicycle moves after you strike a balance, of pushing the pedal and holding the handle, and I feel that somehow the bicycle teaches us something. If we move with as much balance as we do while riding a bicycle, we will be successful in life.” This can be a political mantra not only for cyclists and bikers in the province but for all of us.

But with his newly-found hobby, the slipper-wearing Governor Ed places biking as an essential part of his governance. Under his watch, cycling becomes apparently established a symbolical meaning for the province, in one way or another.

Good governance truly empowers the people.  True enough, politics, decisiveness and service are indispensable to each other.

 Just like the pedal and the wheel to a bicycle.

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 Photo: Junjun Alastre, PGO-Occidental Mindoro

 https://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2019/04/19/the-bicycle-politics-throughout-the-history/#:~:text=Party%20leaders%20often%20cycle%20during,out%20bikes%20to%20their%20supporters.&text=The%20bike%20is%20such%20an,the%20Samajwadi%20Party%20for%20years.

 

 

The Jeepney Operators of Old San Jose

The jeepney is progressively nearing the dead end here in my home province.

These remodeled jeeps from World War-II era was the main public transportation in San Jose as far as I can remember. Without doubt, this inexpensive mass transportation was part of the Philippine culture. Philippines is the only country that has jeepneys for such a purpose.

Sarao Motors, owned by Leonardo Sarao, was one of the first companies to take old US army vehicles left behind after World War II and customize them for mass transport. This is the same brand of jeepneys plying from the Pandurucan town proper to its nearby barrios, like Bubog, Central, Camburay and Murtha and vice-versa. Since the 50s, the jeepneys have been integral to the lives of the town’s residents together with its operators and drivers.

The most prominent jeepney operator in this southern part of Occidental Mindoro is Guillermo P. Mangahas. He is a native of Norzagaray, Bulacan but transferred to San Jose in 1954. He started to venture with one passenger jeepney with a route from San Jose town proper to Barrio Central and vice-versa. Mangahas’ transport trade grew and he managed to acquire additional 5 jeepney units serving the people of far-away Aguas, Pitogo and Manoot (then still part of San Jose). Guillermo was aided by his three sons namely, Naring (Apolinario), Pepe (Jose), and Val/Tino (Valentino) in his transport business. His daughter Teofila was later known as Neneng Vergel who owns a meat stall in old San Jose Public Market and mother to former local radio personality Lerma Vergel Mansilungan.

Amado Tan is the fourth child of Tan Bun Chuan, one of the place’s earliest Chinese settler. They family owned a famous restaurant (now the site of the Development Bank of the Philippines along Rizal St. near the plaza) then. In 1951, Amado Tan moved to Central and stayed there for good and finally met his wife, Elsie Blancia of Culasi, Antique. Amado’s sister Purification loaned him money to buy a jeepney and since then, it became his main source of living. As a driver, he managed to know many people, gained popularity and been so helpful in their concerns. In 1989, Amado Tan, the son of a Chinese restaurateur and later jeepney operator of Central, was elected barangay captain of this historic place. Amado is the father of Armando “Bong” Tan who also works as a driver at Provincial Governor’s Office (PGO) in San Jose.

Magno Corpus is a forerunner in jeepney operation business in Barrio Bubog where I grew up. He had 2 jeepneys named Perla 1 and 2, (name of his only child). Later when his brother Gavino came to the place in the early 70s from Nueva Ecija, took his own jeepney and served the residents especially the students (that includes me) in going to school and back. The Corpus brothers, too, became barangay officials. Magno served as barangay captain and Gavino became kagawad for many years.

In our place, not only the US army jeeps were converted into public utility vehicles. The Dodge Weapons Carrier from WW-II were also transformed for mass transportation especially in far-flung areas with the toughest terrain. In Barrio Pitogo, Mrs. Perla Lansangan, a known businesswoman in their place then operates a weapons carrier serving her barrio mates.

Maybe it is true that traditional jeepneys are already obsolete in today's transport system and we need to have something better in terms of mass transportation in our province. In this time of the UV vans and the air-conditioned local buses.

But more than the machines, let us remember today, with full pressure on the gas pedal, the drivers who operate them.

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(Photos: C! Magazine/Pintrest)

Reference: Rodolfo M. Acebes, Story of 100 Families, 2010)

San Jose's Acrostic Man

Manunulat siya pero sa pader nga lang o kahit saang makinis na surface sa mga pampublikong lugar.

Sa San Jose town proper, dito sa amin sa Occidental Mindoro ay makikita mo ang kanyang mga obra, pentel pen at pintura ang gamit niya. Tadtad lalo nito ang kanilang bahay na matatagpuan bago ka sumapit sa tulay ng Marsan galing ng Bonifacio Street. Laman siya ng kalye, kadalasang naka-tsaleko, maraming borloloy sa katawan at pusturang hippie dati pero kalbo na lang ngayon at ubanin na. Malimit siya sa Plaza, sa Municipal Compound. Basta, kahit saan sa tabi-tabi, sa downtown at palengke, name it.

Ang tawag sa kanyang literatura (kung literature man iyong matuturing at hindi plain vandalism) ay mga acrostic piece to be exact. Sabi, ang acrostics daw ay anumang komposisyon na kung saan ang mga certain letters form a word or words.

May protesta sa kanyang mga akda. Nagbabanggit siya ng mga tauhan sa pulitika, mga lokal na personalidad at mga pangyayari noon sa lipunan na may mga acronym ng kung anu-anong magkakalahok-lahok na tanggapan ng pamahalaan. Walang sumiseryoso sa kanyang mga isinulat, pero marami naman ang nagmamalasakit sa kanya bilang tao.

Okay na siguro yun.

Somebody told me who is a former bosom buddy of Mr. Acrostics that he was once a good basketball player. He played for years in various ball clubs in the old San Jose Summer Basketball League in the mid-60s as a teenager. He was a member of WAROF Guys, a fraternity or gang of sort composed of 5 friends. It's actually an Acronoym for William (him), Antonio (Gomez), Rolando (Padilla), Oscar (Novio) and Fernando, Jr (Mabalot). He was the star player for the team called Wanderers then.

I was also informed by my source that the man was an avid fan of the Beatles and a member of the Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan (SDK). It is another national-democratic organization whose memberships comes from young students, farmers, workers, intellectuals and professionals.

Going back, kagaya ng statesmanship na ngayon ay endangered na ‘ata among politicians, ang acrostics noong unang panahon, sa iba’t-ibang antas at panahon sa kasaysayan ay itinuring na isang panulat na may mataas na literary value. Which is kadalasan ay sa anyo ng tula.

Si Edgar Allan Poe nga may tula pang pinamagatan niyang “An Acrostic,” na alay niya sa isang tagahanga na ang pangalan ay Elizabeth. Sino ang makakalimot sa “Prometheus Unbound" ni Pete Lacaba na tungkol sa Martial Law?

Ngayon sabi nga, ngayon daw ay wala ng literary prestige ang acrostics hindi kagaya noong unang panahon. Instead, acrostics are now often considered to be childish, if not totally nutty.

Para sa ating acrostic man: Every reachable smooth and flat surface is your democracy wall, your press freedom and expression in the taciturnity to your feelings.

Try lang ito:

Behold, your pen cannot win wars, mind or hearts

Over your prose are screams from your past

Yet, even the meanest of men are afraid to know their meaning

Silent are your verses, cannot be articulated neither spoken

In your thoughts, the best literature is an acrostic unpoetic graffiti

Eternally for you, you are Zeus in your own Olympus so kingly.

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(Photo: Kenneth Pangilinan)

Josephites of the World, Unite (against COVID)!

The working class before Jesus was born is composed farmers, fishermen, shepherds, domestic workers, among others. There are more than two dozen other trades mentioned in Scripture, but there is not enough space here to describe them all in detail.

Let us turn our lenses to St. Joseph the Worker, the earthly father of Jesus. Joseph was craftsman or a builder generally speaking. Actually, Isaiah earlier describes this work: The carpenter stretches a line, he marks it out with a pencil; he fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he shapes it … He cuts down cedars; or he chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it (Isaiah 44:13-15). Joseph and Jesus, indeed, belong to the working class of his time.

Lest we forget that May 1 marks the international celebration of Labor Day and at the same time the whole Catholic world honors the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, the Patron of all Workers and Patron Saint of our hometown San Jose in Occidental Mindoro.

In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted May 1 to be the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. This feast, which perhaps intentionally coincided with “May Day” and “International Workers Day,” seeks to remind us of the spiritual dimension of man’s daily work. In holding Saint Joseph as the patron saint of workers, and in establishing this feast day, the Church reminds the world of the sacredness of man’s labors, and of his dignity in the workplace. But May 1 entails much more than just celebrating worker’s rights. In choosing St. Joseph as the patron saint of workers, the Church reminds the world of the sanctity of work.

There are also service workers during the time of Joseph and they probably lived under the “no work, no pay” scheme just like today. These are the people who earned their living doing services to others. They are the water carriers, barbers, hairdressers. There were also those known as fullers, who cleaned large quantities of clothing; they were somewhat similar to the dry cleaners of today. In larger towns, there were those who helped clean the streets, maintain the public baths, and repair infrastructure. Larger towns had butchers, salters of fish and meat, and bakers. Have you ever wondered what will be the scenario if a certain virus hit Galilee those times and there was a lockdown?

Fast forward to 2020. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), mentioning data from the agency’s regional offices, said around 2,073,362 workers have lost their jobs as of April 24. Of this number, around 1.4 million were displaced due to temporary closures of establishments, while over 600,000 personnel reported reduced incomes due to modified working arrangements (fewer workdays, rotation, forced leave, and telecommuting.) This is the one of the gloomy situations of labor this Labor Day in the time of COVID-19 in the country.

Work or labor, according to Catholic teachings is a wellspring of dignity. We are thought that there is no dignity in living a life full of pleasure. In working, creating or building, men and women participate in God’s own work. 

Work is a pathway to holiness, as what we Catholics believe, the doctrine of "no-work-no-pay" is a pathway to hunger and hunger breeds evil. Though hunger cannot be an excuse for lawlessness or terroristic acts, by his nature and instinct, a hungry man knows no law. The employers must grant quarantine subsidy to their workers and the government must order companies to provide such assistance. There is justice in it and justice is a condition to peace.

In April 27, 2020, Dr. Anna Monina R. Bracamonte, OIC-Chief of San Jose District Hospital (SJDH) announced that an asymptomatic health worker of the hospital was listed as the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19 in Occidental Mindoro. A very sad news indeed. But we have to learn a lot from this debacle. One must admit that this fight for survival requires safety and a healthy labor force. Therefore, we have to start to bankroll, which was neglected for decades, public investment in our health system ensuring its ability to test and do what is required to protect our workers and the citizens in general.

As a Josephite people, once we have heard God’s voice in the cries and screams of the “salts of the earth” the impoverished workers in our midst, we must rise from our deep slumber, get up an act, as what Joseph have taught us.

With prayers and hope, let us not forget that pandemics, from the 1918 Spanish flu to the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, do end. Sometimes with seemingly unbearable numbers of victims and casualties, but eventually they do end. Hope this will end sooner along with the capitalists’ “endo”.

But there will be a motorcade parading floats of images of Christ, Mary and Joseph adorned with fresh flowers instead of the usual procession. This will be like a lights and sounds show as announced by Mayor Muloy Festin and Cong. Nene Sato via "Para sa Bayan" program aired over DZYM last April 28 hosted by Daisy Leano and Helen De Guzman.

For the first time is history we will be celebrating fiesta this way. There shall still a prayerful, solemn and festive celebration of fiesta in the time of pandemic. And please light a candle for the guidance of our patron saint and total human development and liberation for our workers.

Happy fiesta to all San Jose-born people here and all over the world and let us pray for his intercession...

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Photo and references:

https://www.akseas.net/feast-of-st-joseph-the-worker-may-1st/

http://blog.adw.org/2017/03/workers-trades-jesus-time/

https://www.hprweb.com/2017/05/on-the-significance-of-the-feast-of-saint-joseph-the-worker/

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/26/2-million-workers-displaced-quarantine-COVID-19-pandemic.html

Engr. Leto Nicanor, COVID-19, Chess and Parenting

This bespectacled senior usually rides on his old-fashioned mountain bike donning a black short-brimmed cap and his colored polo meticulously tucked into his checkered walking shorts complete with black leather belt. There are also days when you see him playing chess under the talisay tree near the San Jose Water District Office adjacent to the town plaza.

But that was before COVID-19 contaminated the whole of humanity.

The coronavirus epidemic is not going to have its swansong any time soon. Just like everybody else, this grandpa stayed home either watching television, keeping himself busy with his smartphone, reading pocket books or solving crossword puzzles. He lives with his daughter Marites, granddaughter Thea, 8, and Mikmik, his adopted daughter, in a prominent subdivision in town.

“Mikmik” is Mae Ancheta Corpuz who is not in any way related to their blood line but he financed her schooling since her 2^nd year in high school and eventually took up her Caregiver Course at CINI, San Jose. The ole good fellow says, “I take pride in having extended her the assistance she needed with the end view of helping her family and siblings without expecting anything in return.” He stressed further that, “Mikmik’s being compassionate earned my respect and will hopefully continue to be of help to her to attain her aspirations in life.”

Our guy loves mental exercises since he was a boy. He believes that if you exercise your brain, you enhance connective tissue between the neurons in your brain to help them function better and faster.

“I started playing chess since my college days. I was the Third Board of MIT chess team joining inter-collegiate tournaments then,” says the old man in reminiscence. Nostalgically he told me too that in their varsity team, the top gun was Rolando Magno, a long- time friend who eventually went to the US upon graduation from Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) as a reward for topping the chess tournament sponsored by the Manila Times that time.

His childhood buddy, Medardo Tan Cardoso is the younger brother of Rodolfo Tan Cardoso. The elder Cardoso is the first Filipino and Asian to earn an International Master title in chess. Rodolfo is to be remembered as the only Filipino to have beaten American wizard Bobby Fischer, Leto’s all-time favorite, via 1957 chess face-off sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. Fischer was 14 then and Cardoso, 19. Cardoso won one game and drew two games against Fischer. Chess for our man of the hour is the ultimate mental exercise.

Retired engineer Leto E. Nicanor, now 81 years old, came to San Jose in February 25, 1965 barely a year after he finished his course at MIT and landed on the top three in the board examination for electrical engineers that year (1964). He worked for 14 years at the Salt Industry of the Philippines and moved as power plant superintendent for the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO), as facilities engineer at Filipinas Aquaculture Corporation and later joined the then newly-established Island Power Corporation (IPC) as plant manager. In 1996, he was hired by the AA Aqua Agri Corporation in Ormoc City as consultant.

Engineer Nicanor was born in Manila on December 13, 1939 and had his schooling thereat since his 4th grade in Mabini Elementary School in Quiapo and he has the pedigree of military officers. His father Pedro was an army major during World War-II while his uncle Antonino Nicanor was ranked lieutenant colonel also in the army.

Leto’s mother, the former Trinidad Evangelista- Español is niece of Lt. Col. Jose N. Evangelista, erstwhile superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and proprietor of the now-defunct Zig-Zag Hotel also in Baguio City.

Leto’s son, Col. Eric E. Nicanor, is with Philippine Marine Corps and member of PMA Class ‘91 now hopefully waiting to earn his star rank before his retirement at age 56. Engineer Nicanor’s youngest, Ms. Marites Nicanor-Francisco, is a teacher like her mother assigned in San Jose Pilot Elementary School (SJPES), the same school where her mother was formerly posted.

Leto wed a public school teacher named Milagros Espinas, daughter of Bindoy and Maric Espinas, on November 5, 1965. Milagros was then a classroom teacher at San Jose Pilot School. Mila (or Lagring) was born June 6, 1941. My Tito Caloy (Novio) and my Uncle Tito (Ernesto Zausa) were among his groomsmen when he exchanged vows with his young and beautiful bride, Lagring. She, who already a retired teacher then, succumbed to heart attack in July 25, 2010. “Nang pumanaw ang aking asawa ay nag-lie low ako sa paglalaro (ng chess) dahil sa pag-aalaga ko sa aking apo,” he told this blogger.

Thea, unlike many young girls of her age, must be so grateful and thankful having her brainy lolo near her in this anxious epoch of a fracas in a pandemonium…

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References:

Stories of 100 Families; Rodolfo M. Acebes; pp. 448-452; 2010

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=82158

Photo: From the Facebook account of Leto Nicanor showing him, Mikmik and Thea.

The Grand Master and His Foster Father

Wesley So made it to the semifinals of the World Fischer Random Chess Championship after defeating (6.5-1.5) Vladislav Fedoseev in the quarterfinals last October 6, 2019 to join Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and world champion Magnus Carlsen in the Final Four. The Bacoor-born chess prodigy will meet them this October 26 in Norway.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) runs the tournament. Fischer Random has different rules from the ordinary or classical chess we know. Just ask the experts to explain to you about it. Honestly, I can’t.

In an interview at Chess.Com by David Cox posted in April 10, 2019, Wesley So, the Philippine-born chess wonder and world’s top 10, recollects how he met former actress Lotis Key. So said, “I was staying with this Filipino guy during the tournament, and he put on a dinner party where I met Lotis and her family …. [T]hey gave me a place to stay, which was only supposed to be a short-term thing, six months to help me get my paperwork and everything sorted out. They’d always supported a lot of foster children through their local church. But then within 10 months of that Christmas, I was living with them full-time and they adopted me.” Lotis Key, erstwhile Dolphy’s leading lady, is married to Bambi Kabigting, a former basketeer who now lives in the US.

Wesley So’s surrogate father has ancestry in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. He is a first cousin from maternal side of my high school batch mate Francisco “King” Banta, a resident of San Roque and a basketball referee in town. King, by the way is the youngest of Lt. Col. Jose Banta and Pilar Trinidad. Pilar had a sister named Estrella (or Esther) who later tied knots with Ramon Kabigting. Ramon and Esther are the parents of Renato nicknamed “Bambi,” now foster father of Wesley So. Bambi is the subject of my conversation with his cousin King through private messenger at Facebook the other night.

Renato “Bambi” Kabigting is a former college basketball star who played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles and Crispa Redmanizers and from there moving on to several professional basketball teams including San Miguel (1982), Alaska and Great Taste (1986). He had a short stint in the PBA though. In 2014, Lotis and Bambi took Wesley into their family.

Bambi is a grandson of one of San Jose’s early settlers Vicente Trinidad and his wife Isidra. His grandparents from the Trinidad side owned a refreshment parlor at the mill site of the Sugar Central in San Jose during World War-II. Throughout the Japanese occupation, Vicente became aide and kitchen staff of guerilla leader and local hero Capt. Lawrence Cooper.  One of Bambi’s aunts, Esperanza (or Panching), even served as medic attending the wounded Filipino guerillas and American soldiers during the Japanese occupation before the historic Mindoro Landing of the US and Allied Forces on December 15, 1944.

Bambi Kabigting’s mother, Estrella Trinidad (or Esther), is the first ever beauty titlist of Pandurucan, San Jose’s name of yore. The first beauty contest ever held in that town was in 1950 and Esther bagged the title. Esther became flight stewardess at Philippine Airlines (PAL) until his retirement in the 70s. Her marriage to Ramon Kabigting yields 7 children: 4 boys and 3 girls, namely, Ramon Vicente, Renato (Bambi), Roel, Ruby Anna (Avecilla), Roselle, Rhodora and Raul.

Esther as a teenager studied at the South Mindoro Academy (SMA), the precursor of now Divine Word College of San Jose (DWCSJ). Before her time at PAL, Esther taught at San Jose Pilot Elementary School, according to my buddy King Banta.

Kabigting was in the line-up of the triumphant Blue Eagles in 1975 when Ateneo bagged its 13^th NCAA basketball crown. They repeated the feat in 1976. Five players on that team went on to play in the PBA: Steve Watson, Joy Carpio, Fritz Gaston, Padim Israel, and yes, Bambi Kabigting.

Grand Master and chess book writer Artur Yusupov of Russia thinks that Fischer Random is an alternative variant but it is hard to predict how it will develop then. Yusupov further stressed that, "Chess is very beautiful and difficult and will be played many years to come.”

Like family ties, chess and basketball dwell in the heart of the Filipinos to stay.  

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Photo from Wesley So’s Facebook page

References:

https://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/other-sports/241959-wesley-so-through-semis-world-fischer-random-chess-championship-2019

https://www.chess.com/article/view/wesley-so-interview-chess-was-a-way-out

“Mindoro sa Panahon ng Digmaan”, Rodolfo M. Acebes; 2008; National Commission on Culture and Arts; pp. 235-236.

http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2015/04/40-years-1975-year-of-blue-eagle.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/diffsetup.dir/fischerh.html

Baptism by Fire at the SP

My sympathy goes with Diana Apigo-Tayag and Eleonor Barrera-Fajardo, the two neophyte women provincial legislators of Second District of Occidental Mindoro for they, at first glance, may have been victims of the so-called tyranny of the majority. That is if what I’ve just heard from the grapevine is true. If they were amazons, it was their first exposure to combat.

Seemingly, each member of the Provincial Board will chair committee except for the two first-timer and minority SP members Tayag and Fajardo of San Jose and Magsaysay, respectively. Without a committee to chair in their own, their hands are handcuffed and their power and authority have been clipped therefore they cannot move as free as they like. They will just become a second-class citizen in the august body. H0w could change and unity be harmonized this way? With this, the “politics is just one day” rhetoric is just what it is - rhetoric. But one has to move on. 

The general criteria of what a committee for a legislator to chair are normally or usually given according to his or her capacity and advocacy. Unaware of the SP’s Internal Rules, I think the legislative body has a lot of explaining why Tayag and Fajardo, an accountant and a doctor of medicine respectively, did not get any chairmanship. Is “equity of the incumbent” becomes the rule of the thumb when they decided for such leadership in committees? Is there another newbie who got a chairmanship?  

Well, the phrase “tyranny of the majority” was first coined by French historian and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville and memorialized by John Stuart Mill. A tyranny of the majority occurs when a majority takes action to thoroughly subjugate the minority.

I expect that in their Internal Rule, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan emphasized the balance of majority rule and minority rights. True, the will of the majority must in all cases must prevail and for that will to be rightful must be reasonable and must possess equal rights that the law or rule must protect, as US President Thomas Jefferson expressed it in 1801 in his First Inaugural Address.

Majority rule must be limited in order to protect minority rights, because if it were unchecked it probably be used to oppress persons holding unpopular views. I expect that this tenet is part of the SP’s existing internal rule.

I think Tayag and Fajardo are now automatically members of major committees.  They are not after the perks relative to the chairmanship I am sure. What is important is they can still draft ordinances and resolutions, have salaries and budgets for their staffs  and can still render speeches and other functions as legislators, both oversight and otherwise. And the general fullfilment of their campaign promise.

One does not need a committee to perform well in the Sanggunian and come up with good resolutions and ordinances. Besides, such are one of the ugly faces of politicking. Time will come a Sangguniang Bayan is up through an election and become a part of the new majority and ultimately chairing a committee of his or her choice. In the next election, s/he may still be elected but will not have the number and stay in the minority, maliban na lang kung siya ay babaliktad.  

To be frank about it, at least to me, committee chairmanships are not a matter of life and death. Charge that to experience. Kung ayaw nila, wag nila. At any rate, Tayag and Fajardo could always chair the “committee” of genuine commitment and exemplary performance. They just showed what they are made of.

Baptisms, of water or by fire, always result to purification…

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(Photo: SP OCM)

Musmos pang maituturing ang Kanlurang Mindoro

Anaki’y sanggol pa lang tayong kilik-kilik ni Inang Bayan. Musmos pa ang Occidental Mindoro kung ihahambing sa ibang munisipalidad sa bansa na naitatag noong panahon pa ng Kastila at libong taon na mula nang opisyal na kilalanin. Sanggol pa lang tayo sa aspetong ito.

Noong magsimula hanggang matapos ang Ikalawaang Digmaang Pandaigdig, hindi pa tayo ganap na lalawigan. Sa taong ito, 68 anyos pa lang tayo at wala pa sa century mark, ‘ika nga. Ang taunang pagdiriwang upang gunitain ang ating pagkaka-tatag ay tinatawag na Arawatan Festival. Walo pa lang ang bayan noon sa lalawigan nang ito ay likhain sa pamamagitan ng R.A. No. 505 na isinulong ni Congressman Raul Leuterio noong 1950. Isandaan at apatnapu’t siyam na barangay na ang bumubuo dito sa kasalukuyan.

Wala pa noong Magsaysay, Rizal at Calintaan. Ang mga bayan pa lang noon ay Abra de Ilog, Looc, Lubang, Sta. Cruz, Mamburao, Paluan, San Jose at Sablayan. Batay ang nasabing Batas Republika sa Panukalang Batas Blg. 640 ni Congressman Raul Leuterio.

Bago ito, sa bisa ng Act No.  2964 noong Pebrero 20, 1921, itinalagang isang probinsya ang buong isla ng Mindoro kasama ang Lubang hiwalay sa lalawigan ng Balayan (Borbon) na pinagtibay ng Pamahalaang Espanya noong 1581, hanggang sa opisyal na inihiwalay ito sa dalawang lalawigan noon ngang Hunyo 13, 1950 at dito isinilang ang probinsiya ng Occidental at Oriental Mindoro. Nagkabisa ito noong Nobyembre 15 ng taon ding iyon.

Sampung araw na selebrasyon para sa paggunita ang magaganap ngayong taon. Simula Nobyembre 8 hanggang 18, 2018, hitik sa kabiserang bayan ang mga aktibidad dahil maliban sa ika-68 na taon nga ito ng pagkakatatag ng ating lalawigan, sa Mamburao din gaganapin ang 4^th MIMAROPA Festival na kakatampukan ng search para sa Ginoo at Binibining MIMAROPA 2018, MIMAROPA Tourism Unity Night, MIMAROPA Grand Street Dance, at kung anu-ano pa. Pinagsama, sa madaling sabi, ang Arawatan Festival at MIMAROPA Festival na magtatampok sa kultura, sining at kalakal ng iba pang mga lalawigan sa rehiyon. Magkasunod na masasaksihan ang dalawang higanteng okasyon.

Matapos opisyal na malikha na isang bagong lalawigan, itinalaga bilang una nitong gobernador si Damaso Abeleda ng Paluan noong 1950 at noong 1952 naman ay nahalal bilang kauna-unahang kongresista ng lalawigan si Jesus Abeleda.

Noong Marso 10, 1952, sa makasaysayang unang talumpati ni Congressman Jesus Abeleda, sinabi niya, “… (The) people (of Occidental Mindoro are only) 70,000 few, but determined band of pioneering, hardy and industrious men and women. They are carving homes… in the last frontiers of civilization… they are there to stay, including by degree their foothold upon a territory which is a wilderness today but will be towns and cities of tomorrow.” Ganyan ka-optimistiko ang ating mga naunang lider sa punto de vista ng progreso. Pero sa aspeto ng kamulatan bilang mga mamamayan, pasulong ba tayo o paurong? Na-differentiate na ba natin ang Politics of Patronage sa Politics of Service o hindi pa? Ang Politics of Vision sa Politics of Ambition?

Kung noon ay 70,000 pa lang ang bilang ng mga mamamayan natin, ngayon, ayon sa 2015 census, matapos ang lampas anim na dekada ay umaabot na tayo sa 487,414 katao na may density na 83 inhabitants per square kilometer or 210 inhabitants per square mile. Sa pinaka-bagong datos, ang ating lalawigan ay ang may highest magnitude of poor population sa buong MIMAROPA na may 208,435 katao. Sa buong MIMAROPA, ang Occidental Mindoro ay ang may pinaka-mataas na poverty incidence sa bilang sa 41.2%, kasunod ng Romblon na may 36.6%

Magkagayunman, malayo-layo na rin ang naabot ng lalawigan at hindi natin maipaparangal ang kasalukuyang pagbabago at progreso sa iba’t-ibang larangan (gaano man kabilis o ka-kupad ang mga ito) sa iisang pangkat lamang ng mga lokal na pulitiko. Sa mga pagbabagong ating natatamasa ngayon, mas higit ang papel ng mga ordinaryong mamamayan at pribadong sektor, kaysa sa mga halal na lider. Humantong tayo ngayon sa magpi-pitong dekada ng pag-iral at maliban sa mga panandaliang kasiyahan at palabas, sana ay maalala nating kilalanin ang mga tao na nagsumikap upang marating natin ang kinalalagyan natin ngayon, hindi lamang yaong mga kasalukuyang naka-upo sa pampulitikang poder.

Ang susunod na taon ay taon ng halalan, muli ay lilikha na naman tayo ng kasaysayan, maghahalal ng bagong tao at magbibigay ng bagong mandato sa mga nais umulit (o ng paulit-ulit!). Isang pagkakataong muli ito ng pinaka-marubdob na pagkilos para sa ating paghayon sa kasaysayan tungo sa isang maunlad na dako pa roon. Nagkakaiba-iba man tayo sa maraming importanteng bagay ay alalahanin natin na nagsasalo tayo sa iisang lalawigan, sa iisang pamayanan. Sama-sama nating sinisimsim ang mga biyayang mula sa kanyang kanlungan, hininga at sinapupunan na parang mga sanggol.

Sa diwa ng pagkaka-tatag ng lalawigan, sana ay maunawaan natin na ang serbisyo-publiko kagaya ng pulitika ay entablado ng paglilingkod kaya sa ibabaw ng entabladong ito, matatag tayong manindigan upang hindi tayo mahulog….

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Larawan kuha ni Arlo Macaraeg (+)

Mga Reperensya:

http://pcij.org/stories/stats-on-the-state-of-the-regions-hubs-of-wealth-ponds-of-poverty/

Source: House of Representatives, Congress of the Philippines, Congressional Record, 2nd Congress, 3rd Session (march 10, 1952), pp. 696-698.)

Occidental Mindoro: 67 years and counting

The grandest event in Mindoro Island’s history after World War-II was its disunion into two provinces. The division of the two coasts gave birth to both Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. That time, there were no transportation connecting east and west coasts therefore the political administration from Calapan, which is Mindoro Province’s capital then, was very hard, time-consuming and costly. This marked the birth of both Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.

The Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 505 officially dividing the island into two provinces and in inaugural ceremony held on November 15, 1950 in Calapan, the formal transfer of all official functions materialized. RA 505 was approved on June 13, 1950 by President Elpidio Quirino and was finally penned into law on November 15 on that same year. This is the fruition of HB No. 640 sponsored by the then lone province’s representative Cong. Raul T. Leuterio.

But according to Volker Schult in p. 116 of his book “Mindoro : A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century” published by the Divine Word Publications 1991, “He (Leuterio) paid back the political loyalty the Abeledas had been giving him since the pre-war period. Leuterio supported the Abeledas to gain political domination in the province of Occidental Mindoro.” During those days, political power is exclusive to certain elites in society or political factions, not unlike today.

Expectedly, Damaso Abeleda was appointed governor from November 15, 1950 to December 31, 1951. But our first elected governor was Federico Castillo (1952-1955), while Jesus T. Abeleda (1951-1953) became the first congressman of Occidental Mindoro. Occidental Mindoro will be celebrating its 67^th founding anniversary this Wednesday.

As I have mentioned, there was a ceremony held in Calapan and in the following day, a similar ceremony was held in San Jose. The latter, in case you do not know, was the first capital town of Occidental Mindoro until a group of influential citizens and families started a campaign pushing for Mamburao as the new capital. With their political influence and clouts, the move succeeded. Since January 1, 1951 up to present, Mamburao has been the capital of our province where the stronghold of said elites can be found. Mamburao, the capital town, by the way, was not included in 5 Occidental Mindoro municipalities vested with the prestigious Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award by DILG. For 7 years now since it was launched as Seal of Good Housekeeping in 2010, SGLG has been a vehicle that drives the LGUs to aspire for better programs and policies. 

Truth to tell, debt of gratitude in politics is part of our province’s infantile period in history as attested by the events prior to the separation of Occidental Mindoro from its western-side twin. Those days of political exclusivity, where the elite politicians take the centre stage and the “nameless” and “unknown” public servants are left without any chance in terms of governance.

The provincial political leadership in the province been dominated by two camps of political titans for nearly 3 decades now. The occasion's theme is, "Reaching Progress in 2017". 

God gave us 67 years to correct those but  gerrymandering of old haunts us still to this very day.

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(Photo grabbed from Jasmine Marcelo's Facebook account)