THIS reaction to an issue we treated in our column less than a week before the election is rather late. But since it was sent us through our e-mail we feel we are obligated to respond as well and set the record straight.
We are referring to an e-mail sent us by Councilor Joselle Villafuerte of the third district. She was reacting to our column dealing on talks circulating in the third district that certain sector from the local administration ticket in the district wanted some three aspirants to be excluded in the voting during the May 9 elections.
In the same column we mentioned that our source told us the purpose of such move was to ensure that a favored candidate would end up landing on the top of the winning eight. We also wrote in the same item that the ones pushing for the move were expecting two other candidates to benefit from such political maneuver. And our source told us the “beneficiaries” were aspirants Melba Principe and Enzo Villafuerte, son of the late Councilor Louie Villafuerte (a close friend of ours from way back in our Davao Light days) and outgoing councilor Joselle.
Nowhere in that treatise did we mention who was or were behind the exclusion or “laglagan” move. Neither did we insinuate that it was Councilor Joselle or the Enzo group. All we said that our source who was privy to the plan, had first-hand knowledge who the group pushing for the move wanted to be included by third district voters.
From the tenor of the outgoing local lawmaker Dr. Joselle’s reaction she was some kind of confirming that there really was such a move to exclude some from the line-up. She even told this columnist in her letter that her son Enzo was reported to be a target of the exclusion strategy. In fact according to her she had to approach some top Hugpong leaders in the district to convince them she or her group is not behind the “laglagan” scheme and to plea for Enzo’s retention in the line-up earlier pushed.
We have no idea how the lady councilor interpreted our piece, or who interpreted it for her. The message was very clear. Anyhow, her plea with the top leadership of the administration party in the third district, specifically in Calinan, for the non-exclusion of her son actually paid off. Enzo is now councilor and was proclaimed last Wednesday afternoon. Mother Joselle has nothing more to be afraid of. All that she shall be worrying about is if her son will not meet the third district electorate’s expectations. That will be a problem for her and her son Enzo.
But if he makes good then she and her son Enzo will be reaping the rewards for a period of time.
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Our friend former Sta. Cruz mayor Joel Lopez unfortunately did not make it in his comeback bid for the mayoralty post. He and the incumbent lost in the contest.
The winner though is a “kumpare” of ours Nelson “Tata” Sala although we are not expecting him to remember the occasion when we acted as “ninongs” together in a wedding of a daughter of a common friend.
Even as we commiserate with our friend lawyer Joel Lopez we are also extending our congratulations to Tata Sala for his meteoric rise in politics in a place far from his original beginnings in the gold rush area of Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Davao de Oro. Imagine from the north Tata ending up becoming the mayor of this very progressive Southern Davao town!
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It’s been a month since we commemorated the Holy Week where we remember the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ who was nailed on the cross after He was made to carry it from Pilate’s court yard up to the mountain of Golgota.
The actual crucifixion happened more than two thousand years ago. But somehow, that scene remains replicated in the fate of the Filipino people. Today the Filipinos still remain the personification of the Christ being continuously crucified.
Of late the Filipinos are among those hit very adversely by the CoViD 19 pandemic forcing the majority to be on their knees as the country’s economy literally stagnated. Millions have become jobless for almost three years now and feeding their families became extremely difficult. Then the flagellation continues. The Filipinos have for long been the whipping boys of the various economic deprivations like the exorbitant rising of prices of basic products and other things needed to move the country’s economy nd in the process, the people’s lives.
Now came only days ago the latest nails to be driven in the Filipino’s crucifixion process. The prices of oil products in the country had again increased quite high. And it was automatically implemented by the oil industry sector with the government apparently helpless about it. And what are the consequences of the oil products price hike? It means everything that is traded will have its prices adjusted upwards.
Then we heard of the power industry sector abuzz with talks of following the trend. That would be more and much bigger nails to be driven on the crucified Filipinos. The Metro Manila power distributor has in fact already made its upward adjustment. We are hoping the others will still hold their horses.
We wonder if the new administration will be decisive enough to implement a regulated regime in the movement of prices of certain critically needed products in the country like those of oil, power and even transportation fares.
For comments and/or reactions we can be reached through our e-mail address at victorino.sumalinog@yahoo.com; Mobile No 09392980435; and :Landline at 2372169.
