PECO's 'humility'; my advice to Bacolod aldermen

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility."
--Saint Augustine

By Alex P. Vidal

THE humility shown by the Panay Electric Company (PECO) when it settled its real property tax arrears amounting to more than P134 million with the Iloilo City government on December 9, has eclipsed all the negative stories appended to the power firm's name by its detractors these past months.
It also stunned PECO's enemies who have been composing its obituary these past 11 months.
No less than PECO Public Engagement and Government Affairs office boss Marcelo Cacho personally delivered a check for P134,927,522.63 to the City Hall received by Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo "Jerry" Treñas and City Treasurer Jinny Hermano.
Cacho's classic move beat to the draw the threat of the city government to auction the multi-million worth of PECO properties included in the tax arrears.
The payment covered the value of PECO properties covered by two tax assessments.

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PECO showed to all and sundry it's not yet a dead horse or a Zeppelin Hindenburg that is about to burst into flames contrary to what its critics have been portraying PECO.
No giant company under threat of extinction can hammer out such brilliant move just when everyone thought it was ready to be nailed in the coffin.
How can the City Hall now adopt an indifferent attitude toward a productive and "responsible" tax payer?
City Hall can't kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
It would be estoppel if the city government will cease to transact business with PECO now that it has wiped out all its outstanding tax liabilities.
PECO's latest action can certainly help boost its case against MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), which has been granted a franchise to operate as power distributor in Iloilo City when PECO's 24-year franchise expired in January 2019.

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The Bacolod City Council will look and sound ridiculous if it goes on with its threat to declare Manil-based broadcaster Ben Tulfo as "persona non grata" or an unacceptable or unwelcome person.
The city aldermen's beef against Tulfo came from the broadcaster's criticism and "embarrassing" attack against Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia "and (for) putting the city of Bacolod in a bad light in his YouTube program without first verifying the claims of a certain Norma."
“Norma” supposedly sought Tulfo's help alleging she was not paid for a basketball tournament she organized in Bacolod City last October during the Masskara Festival.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and city councilors sympathetic to Leonardia claimed the Masskara Festival had nothing to do with "Norma's" basketball event.
They vouched for the city mayor who claimed innocence on the issue and who himself begrudged Tulfo's tirades.
What will the Bacolod City Council or the Bacolod City government in general get if Tulfo has been declared as persona non grata? Nothing except a waste of time and a waste of tax payers' money.
Tulfo is "only" a broadcast journalist and will remain as such even if all the city councils in the Philippines will declare him as persona non grata. He has no supernatural power; he isn't the court and doesn't have any legal personality.
His job is to bark at inept and corrupt public officials and men in uniform and make them angry. When they are mad, that's when the likes of Tulfo become successful.
Making people in government and military men blow their top is mission accomplished for crusading journalists.

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The persona non grata tag won't stop Tulfo from his role as watchdog and "fiscalizer" of the government's three branches: executive, legislative, judiciary.
Tulfo, or any journalist for that matter, doesn't fear such threat from any legislative branch of the government. It will even embolden Tulfo to further scrutinize and lambast corrupt and inept public officials.
My advice to the Bacolod City Council is this: Belie Tulfo's accusations and unmask Norma in the same platform: public forum or the bar of public opinion; and call a press conference and/or issue a press statement airing Leonardia's side.
The people aren't stupid not to distinguish who's telling the truth. 

That's how democracy works.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

A laudable city ordinance

“We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.”
--Deepak Chopra

By Alex P. Vidal

SOMETHING good came out from the Iloilo City Council before the end of 2019.
This was the unanimous passage of an ordinance amending Ordinance 2017-053 which honors Iloilo City-based Centenarians, granting them additional cash incentives of P10,000 upon reaching the age of 80 and P20,000 upon reaching the age of 90 years old and P50,000 cash incentives for elderly who reach 100 years old.
We laud Councilor Irene Ong, proponent of the ordinance, who confirmed in a report that an Ilonggo elderly will receive a total of P80,000 worth of cash incentives from the city government at the age of 100 years old.
Senior citizens in Iloilo City will have something to expect once they reach 80, 90, and even 100 because of the ordinance filed by Councilor Ong.
The amount may not be too big given the current economic reality in the Philippines, but the gesture of the city government will certainly enliven the hearts of many Ilonggos who have parents and grandparents qualified to avail of the cash incentives.
Because of this really impressive ordinance, Ilonggo households with elderly members will never forget Councilor Ong especially if he will run for a higher office in the future.
Ilonggos know how remember and even pay back “utang nga kabalaslan” or debt of gratitude.

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Many people laughed when Kingdom of Jesus Christ boss Pastor Apollo Quiboloy boasted “he stopped” the recent earthquake in Mindanao.
They also “hoped” Quiboloy would stop typhoon “Tisoy” and laughed once more when he “did not.”
We all know that his allegations were hogwash yet many Filipinos believed in what he has been saying hook, line, and sinker.
If Quiboloy were a candidate for senator, he would surely win.
This is the kind of personality that Filipinos actually want and need nowadays.
We don’t take seriously our defective electoral process; we continued to elect into office personalities who should be either in jail, in the elementary schools, in mental institutions, or in the fiesta and public plaza circus.
The reason is simple: many Filipinos are tired of serious and intelligent candidates with sterling academic and professional background who will only impoverish our country.
Based on the kind of public officials we have electing (especially in the Lower and Upper House of Congress) these past years, we won’t be surprised in the future if most of our senators and congressmen will act, speak and think like Pastor Quiboloy so we will have more reason to laugh.

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Will we die if we run out of sweat?
We are now on the verge of winter season here in the East Coast and we are no longer experiencing any sweat even if we are active physically.
The whole point of sweat is to keep the body cool.
This is pretty vital, according to Popular Science: if our core temperature goes above 104 F (40 C), our body begins to overheat to the point where its proteins denature.
When this happens, “membranes of the tissues lose their integrity, and things leak out,” said Lawrence Spriet. 

The intestines can discharge bacteria into the bloodstream, and the body goes into shock.
By then we would probably be unconscious, possibly even in a coma.
But while people do in fact die of overheating, it’s reportedly very unlike to be due to a sweat shortage.
As pointed out by Lawrence Armstrong, even in extreme cases it’s impossible to sweat out all the water in our bodies.
“People don’t shrivel up until they are dead,” he said.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

It's not yet over 'til the fat lady sings

“True, it's not over till it's over. And even when it's over, it just begins again.”
― Kate McGahan

By Alex P. Vidal

THE final hymn wasn't played yet.
But it looks like MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) will close the year 2019 with a major edge over its rival, Panay Electric Company (PECO), with its recent victory in the Supreme Court that halted the implementation of the ruling of the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court (RTC) declaring two sections of MORE Power’s franchise law void and unconstitutional.
Ilonggos saw MORE Power and PECO spend the 2019 in bloody legal skirmishes.
PECO, for sure, still have several aces up its sleeves and isn't in the mood yet of throwing in the white towel.
After this latest major setback in the SC, PECO is expected to go back to the drawing board and prepare for the next showdown with the MORE Power when they start the 2020 next month.
The more PECO is wounded, the more it is emboldened to assemble a larger army for a bigger battle.
After having seized the superior position, MORE Power won't sleep on its victory; instead, it is expected to tighten up its grip in the pivotal SC en banc decision and sustain the juggernaut.
The suspense and thriller movie of the year the Ilonggo electric consumers have started watching in 2019 will have a more intense and complicated continuation in 2020.

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POLICE Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) Spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Joem Malong called as "fake news" the report that several school kids in Western Visayas were recently abducted by a group of men from Manila.
A "wrong information" is different from "fake news."
Since the abduction story was false, it's a wrong story or wrong information.
It can only be called as "fake news" if it was announced in the public in the form of a legitimate news item in the media: newspaper, TV, radio, Internet.
But if it came from unreliable and unverified sources and spread only in the coffee shops, barber shops, in casual conversations with no factual basis and not even a raw data, it's a plain and simple "wrong information."
Since the story about the abduction of school children was never processed as a news item (meaning it never met the basic news ingredients of who, what, why, when, and how) it could not be qualified to be in the category of a legitimate news; therefore it shouldn't be called as "fake news."
It maybe called only as a "kotso-kotso" (gossip) or "himu-himu estorya" (fabricated story).

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The splendid performances of our athletes in the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) being hosted by the Philippines and the pomp and glorious display of excellence by the host country during the opening ceremonies is a different story.
We should be proud of it as Filipinos; we must proclaim it all over the world. No problem with that.
But the alleged corruption in massive scale of the country's sports officials and the accountability of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano as head of the Philippine Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) is another story.
We shouldn't be too overwhelmed by the success of our athletes and the splendor of the opening programs and parades that we will become deaf, mute, and blind to the major concern: some P6 billion of taxpayers money should be accounted for--only when all the athletes have gone home to their respective countries and the games were over.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Proud Ilonggos

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."
--Abraham Lincoln

By Alex P. Vidal

ASIDE from the excellent performances of Iloilo athletes now competing in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) hosted by the Philippines, there is another reason why Ilonggos are so proud and should be prouder nowadays.
Iloilo City has been adjudged as the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Clean Tourist City Awardee.
The announcement of Iloilo City's winning of the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award came a week before Ilonggo athletes helped the host country amass gold, silver, and bronze medals in the biennial meet to lead in the medal tally.
There are more positive stories about Iloilo and the Ilonggos in sports, entertainment, art, cooking, economy, which make up for the toxic politics and bad weather condition that every now and then threaten to sabotage the happiness and peace of mind of Ilonggos who are mostly proud of their heritage, culture, talents, and achievements.

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It was reported that after being evaluated as one of the cleanest urban centers and top tourist destinations not just in the Philippines, but also in the Southeast Asian Region, the "City of Love" recently bagged the highly touted ASEAN Award.
Iloilo City has gone a long way from being slandered as "the most shabulized city in the Philippines" to being recognized for its initiative in the improvement and beautification of public areas and urban spaces, its conservation for the environment and natural attractions, and maintaining the cleanliness and sanitation.
The evaluating team reportedly gave Iloilo City a successful grade after having complied with the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard’s seven indicators namely: 1. Environmental management, 2. Cleanliness, 3. Waste Management, 4. Awareness-Building about Environmental Protection and Cleanliness, 5. Green Spaces, 6. Health Safety, Urban Safety, and Security; and 7. Tourism Infrastructure and Facilities.
Reports said the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award is a recognition to encourage ASEAN nation-members to be competitive in their tourism and marketing sectors to create jobs and push economic growth, granted Iloilo City with a badge of excellence with a validity of three years, from 2020 to 2022.

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WHILE the Iloilo City Hall wallowed in the darkeness after the "switch-off" or power black out on November 28, the Iloilo Provincial Capitol glimmered after an official switch-on of colorful LED lights to officially kick off the Christmas season on December 2.
In any modern Christian world, Yuletide season is the season with the most demand for more lights used for Christmas trees, decorations, plazas, arks to welcome visitors and other public places.
If the City Hall doesn't have a problem with the Panay Electric Company (PECO), it may request the power firm for a special assistance to help them keep their steady or uninterrupted electric supply in this important season.
Setting aside a special fund to defray the expenses that may be incurred in maintaining colorful and state-of-the-art lights should be tolerated by any local government unit (LGU) at least only for the spirit of Christmas which will last only until first week of January.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

City Hall blackout

"In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity, or you can pick yourself up and say, 'Listen, I have to be responsible for myself.'"
--Howard Schultz

By Alex P. Vidal

ILONGGOS waited on tenterhooks whether City Hall would pin the blame of the blackout to the Panay Electric Company (PECO) noontime on Thursday (November 28) that rendered all services inutile in the seven-storey building.
'Tis the season for PECO bashing, thus even if the Christmas lights in a barangay hall will conk out, many critics will immediately cast a malicious look at the controversial power company.
The power outage, by the way, prompted Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo "Jerry" Treñas to call it a night for City Hall workers starting at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Operations in the city government rested two hours before five o'clock in the afternoon,
In his Facebook page, the city mayor announced: “To all the employees, grab this opportunity to rest and be prepared for tomorrow. We have decided to dismiss you for today’s duty because you can’t work efficiently without electric access for your computers and air conditions."
It was the first major power interruption since Treñas regained the City Hall after the May 2019 elections.
And it jolted the city government.

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So far, PECO "wasn't the culprit" since there was no announcement or official explanation that followed when employees started to pack up and went home.
PECO's enemies are only waiting to see the power firm slip on the banana peel so it can pulverize PECO in another propaganda joust.
The blackout would have been nipped in the bud if the standby generators were in good condition.
The new City Hall, a state-of-art building, was only fully utilized during the time of former Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, but has been giving officials and employees nightmares.
If the blackout was caused by PECO, two things would have entered the people's imagination: either it was done to send a curt message to City Hall, which chided PECO for the obstructing poles and spaghetti wires in the streets and gave the power company until December 31 to remove them, or to remind City Hall of its purported unpaid bills.

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INSTEAD of blaming the media for the 30th SEA Games hosting catastrophe, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) led by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, should be thankful that many of PHISGOC's shortcomings and apparent mismanagement have been reported so that they will be able to identify the areas where they need to work double time and fast track other minor delays before the official opening ceremony on November 30, 2019.
With or without the media, the alleged anomalies and mismanagement will not be swept under the rug.
Sooner or later, there will be questions; and from these questions will surface the itch from interested parties to call for an inquiry or investigation.
Again, this is how democracy works. We can curtail the press; we can't hide things that demand public accountability especially how the taxpayers' funds were handled and spent.
Media did not create the scandal. Media is there only to report what is going on and bring the event to the people.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Iloilo teacher loses job without Tulfo

"If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."
--Confucius

By Alex P. Vidal

HE didn't wait for a Raffy Tulfo to make him to choose between facing a criminal rap or resign as teacher.
The controversial teacher in Pili National High School in Ajuy, Iloilo, who reportedly showed a porno video to his Grade 10 students in a Science class, has resigned, Iloilo Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Roel F. Bermejo confirmed in a report on Nov. 27.
When confronted earlier by Ajuy councilor Angel Briones, the teacher reportedly panicked and did not immediately face the Sanggunigan Bayan (SB) member, who went to the school to check the report after he had been tipped off by some parents.
Did the teacher fear a backlash and disciplinary action from school authorities, or he was intimidated by Briones' involvement in the brouhaha?
It wasn't immediately known whether he resigned for fear of being investigated by the Department of Education (DepEd-6), or someone from the school, municipal government, or DepEd forced him to give up his job.
He remained anonymous though and might no longer face any case for violation of Child Protection, or any law that protects the welfare of children.

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The Ilonggo teacher's resignation came in the heels of a controversy involving Manila-based anchorman Raffy Tulfo and a female teacher.
She was forced to give up her profession after being threatened with a criminal case by the hard-hitting broadcaster, whose help was sought by the guardians of a high school student.
Tulfo discussed the complaint of a grandmother during a TV episode of his program about a teacher who "mistreated" her grandson after the student allegedly failed to submit his report card.
A video footage shows the 55-year-old female teacher sending the student out of the classroom to sit on a chair at the corridor.
The broadcaster gave the teacher two choices: resign from her job face criminal charges.
When the teacher decided to resign, the case became a national sensation and caused an uproar. Thousands of fellow teachers threw their support behind the female teacher in a petition and denounced Tulfo.
The netizens also reacted adversely against Tulfo, who was forced to defend his action saying he only got carried by his emotion as a human being.

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AS I had warned earlier, the dirty department might retaliate against Senate minority floor leader Franklin Drilon after his series of expose on corruption and incompetence involving the minions of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Amid Drilon's tiff against organizers of the 30th Southeast Asian Games led by Philippines Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) chief and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, a partlist representative sympathetic to Cayetano, et al, blasted the Iloilo senator in a privilege speech for allegedly cutting P2.5 million from the SEA Games budget allocated for the country's hosting, and increasing the budget of Drilon's infrastructure projects in Iloilo with P2.5 million.
Drilon described the partylist solon who attacked him as a "blabbermouth" and belied all the accuser's allegations.
So far, Drilon can handle the apparent retaliatory move from the druggles and grutnols who don't want to be interrupted while they are making a pile at the taxpayers' expense, and committing monumental blunders due to dishonesty and incompetence.
Ilonggos should brace for more attacks against their vigilant son and brother, Senator Drilon.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Proposed airport needs a godfather

"I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did, and I get the sweats, I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going."
--Frank Gehry

By Alex P. Vidal

UNLESS Iloilo leaders will step on the gas and aggressively support and endorse the proposal of Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares to build an airport in Iloilo's component city, it will remain a proposal and will just be a voice in the wilderness.
An infra project of such magnitude needs a political godfather, someone with a Stentorian voice and an earthshaking impact and influence in the national leadership.
Colossal projects are dream projects of every Tom, Dick, and Harry in public office, but the bottom line is always funds, the moolahs, where to get and how to mobilize them once their sources have been identified.
We are aware of the pesky bureaucratic red tape and maze the project will be going through once it will be taken seriously by the stakeholders and the implementing agencies.
We are also aware of the changing political climate which can serve as a game-changer and can ruin its implementation.

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We heard the mayor is mulling a private-public partnership so that a feasibility study can romp off. Nice idea and it should be pursued to the hilt.
Palmares has already reportedly forwarded the proposal to the Regional Development Council (RDC) headed by Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr., but we have yet to hear more Ilonggo leaders getting head over heels on the proposed domestic airport for it to hit the ground running.
Filipino politicians are known to be jealous and don't want to be left behind when it comes to grabbing a credit and getting a publicity over certain grandiose projects and undertakings.
Let's hope Ilonggo leaders are not among them. Let's hope they will rally behind the proposed project and ensure that it will be given due attention by the national government after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has done its sight inspection in Santo Thomas village, site of the proposed airport.

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ILONGGOS should rally behind Senator Franklin Drilon now that he has become a "pain in the ass", so to speak, among the minions of the Duterte administration embroiled in scandals and anomalies.
For sure, Drilon, the legislative body's lone ranger in the war against corruption and incompetence in the executive branch, is now in the radar of the dirty department owing to his high profile sparring sessions with neophyte senators Francis Tolentino, Bong Go, and Emmanuel Pacquiao.
It was fun to watch how the Iloilo senator made a mincemeat of these characters, who are among the staunch allies of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in the floor debates seen "live" by millions of people.
Drilon may have angered the demigods in the darkness furthermore when he recently blasted the administration's ambitious "build, build, build" program for its "failure" and delays.
And the latest to taste Drilon's fusillade was House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, his incredible P55 million SEA Games "kaldero" and all the fiasco related to the country's hosting of the biennial regional multi-sport event.
For the scoundrels and the mediocre, Drilon has become an obstacle and a thorn.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)