Western Visayans eye Iloilo City events

Western Visayas’ eyes were focused on Iloilo City the entire week. The two events of keen interest – the government takeover of the cargo handling operation at the Iloilo River Wharf and the troubling influx of Badjaos.

There were complaints from motorists and public transport workers about the Badjaos, especially children, flitting in and out of traffic and asking for alms. Early Christmas shoppers, particularly in downtown Iloilo, also have been griping they get blocked on the streets by Badjao mothers and their children asking for help.

The sea gypsies from the Sulu area had earlier been shipped back to Zamboanga in May. But they returned recently in droves. "Apparently, they find the Ilonggos generous," was the quip from Mayor Jerry Trenas.

But Trenas who has been obsessed in easing traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, assured Ilonggos on television that he intends to ship back the Badjaos from Iloilo, especially since the Indigenous Cultural Minorities Commission claimed they have insufficient funds to cope with serving the Badjaos.

It’s a tough decision to make. The sea folk claim they had fled their traditional area – Sulu – because they have been harassed by bandits and the Abu Sayyaf and don’t want to be to be caught in the continuing battle between government forces and several outlaw groups operating in the area, ranging from the Sulu Archipelago to Basilan and part of the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The Badjaos, however, are not an isolated Iloilo phenomenon. They had invaded even Metro Manila. So with several other cities in the Visayas and Mindanao. In Surigao City, for example, I had seen them settled on houses on the water beside the seashore. They have also parked themselves below the Mandaue Bridge linking Mactan to the Cebu mainland. Recently, Bacolod shipped a big group back to Zamboanga.

In a way, Trenas may be right – the return of the Badjaos to Iloilo City may actually have been because they had found the Ilonggos sympathetic and helpful. But extending basic services to them is another matter. They have occupied an abandoned building and their temporary abode lacks the basic hygienic facilities.

But the Badjaos, however, are the least troublesome of Trenas’ challenges. The one that has the potentials of a prolonged tension was the Philippine Ports Authority takeover of the cargo-handling operations from the Iloilo Integrated Arrastre Services Corp. (Iliasco), a firm controlled by members of the Espinosa clan.

Lawyer Christian Santillan disclosed that the takeover was effected last Tuesday morning following the expiration of the one-year holdover of the service contract of Iliasco.

Promptly Tuesday afternoon, lawyers of Benn Espinosa filed a two-page motion with Branch 29 of the Iloilo Regional Trial Court dubbing the takeover as a violation of a previous agreement by the PPA that there would be no such move until a civil case filed by the Espinosa clan shall have been resolved.

Concidentally, or otherwise, there was also the activation of the Waterfront Task Force, a composite unit of police, military and PPA personnel for deployment to the notoriously troublesome area which includes Barangays Zamora, Sta. Monica, Veterans Vilage, Concepcion and St. Rosario.

Police Supt. Felix Michada said the task force will include elements of the 6th Regional Mobile Group from Negros Occidental, the Iloilo Provincial Mobile Group and elements from the AFP.

During the inauguration of the Port Operations Coordinating Council Tuesday, Western Visayas PNP chief Marcelo Navarro Jr. accepted that the waterfront had witnessed a slowdown in development. There has also been a rise in criminality, upsurge in illegal drugs and many killings in the area have remained unsolved.

Iloilo Port manager lawyer Christian Santillan, on the other hand admitted that many Iloilo business executives have been complaining about the cargo-handling activities. He, however, attributed the drop in revenues partly to the activation of the Bacolod Real Estate Corp.’s (BREDCO) port in Bacolod City. Whereas big cargo shipments were transshipped through Iloilo Port to Bacolod, now these bypass Iloilo.

But a big time dealer plus Vice Mayor Victor Facultad recently confirmed to me the complaints from several Iloilo businessmen that the handing charges were considerably higher than in other ports but they also had to pay for "royalty.’

Asked to explain what the "royalty fee" consists of, they only gave broad hints that it amounted to protection money.

But it may be a rocky time ahead for the POCC, the umbrella organization of various agencies that will address issues and problems of the takeover and the port operations.

In his complaints with the RTC Branch 29, Espinosa of VS General Services claimed the takeover will paralyze or disrupt operations in the Iloilo River Wharf and threaten the security of tenure of some 300 dock workers.

Santillan, however, when interviewed on television assured that some of them will be retained.

All eyes are focused on the Iloilo Port tension. It is evident that despite the fielding of another fast craft to the Iloilo-Bacolod route, there are occasions when commuters find themselves startled for lack of seats aboard the luxury ferries.

Per se, an indication that despite complaints about the economic slowdown, people in the region remain mobile. Surprisingly, even local mediamen from Bacolod admit having seen a lot of Negrenses shopping in Iloilo’s malls because they find prices there lower than in Bacolod.

And the traffic is expected to increase by the second half of the month when people engage in last-minute Christmas shopping.

Hinobaan major trouble

Mayor Francisco Bilbao of Hinobaan, Negros Occidental’s southernmost town, may be in real trouble. He has been asked by Governor Joseph Maranon to explain with 10 days his alleged ownership of 2,797 board feet of lumber, 90 percent of them narra, discovered by Task Force Ilahas 20 meters from his cockfarm. The raiders found chicken dung on the lumber, casting suspicions that they had been hastily transferred from the gamefowl farm.

But that was not enough. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has also invited Bilbao to a hearing into the reported illegal logging activities in Hinobaan. The environment committee, headed by Board member Reynaldo Depasucat, will handle the hearing.

But the most worrisome development for Mayor Bilbao was the claim by his nephew, Joaquin Jr. that he has witnesses to prove that the confiscated lumber, owned by his uncle had been taken out the night before the Tuesday raid and dumped in the area where they were subsequently found buried under a pile of leaves.

Joaquin, son of Mayor Bilbao’s older brother, former Mayor Joaquin, also expanded his claims against his uncle by alleging the use of the town’s firetruck to water his cornfields and dump trucks for hauling "hot lumber."

Bilbao vociferously disclaimed ownership of the premium lumber, although he produced documents admitting that he had bought several pieces of round timber from coastal scavengers.

The Hinobaan incident was the second discovered widespread tree-cutting operation in Negros Occidental with its dwindling forest reserved. The first was the more serious one involving 60 hectares of the Northern Forest Reserve in Don Salvador Benedicto.

MAYOR Cynthia dela Cruz, husband former Mayor Nehemias, a town councilor, a barangay captain and several others had been the subjects of complaints filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources before a special prosecution team of the justice department.

ADDENDA. Apo Island barangay captain Mario Pascobello last week announced that five local fisherman will be trained to monitor the activities of scuba divers. It is not that scuba divers visiting the 74-hectare protected area are not distracted, but some are fovices and cannot control their movements sometimes resulting in an damage top corals... Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arlos of Kabarkalxx City last week ordered the Commission on Higher Education to implement the 60-days suspension on Negros Occidental Agriculture College Superintendent Marcelino Dechavez ordered by the court of alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act. The original June 5 order by Judge Arlos was addressed to the Department of Education, but Deped Region 6 director Victorino Tirol, Jr. said his department has not jurisdiction over NOAC which is under CHED. That prompted Arlos to channel his order to CHED for Dechavez’s suspension after denying the superintendent’s motion for reconsideration.