SEAG grabs attention in Negros Occidental

The signs are unmistakable. All over Bacolod, there are advertisements proclaiming the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). Preparations for the major sports events have been ongoing feverishly. Workers are also doing the finishing touches of the rehabilitation of the Paglaum Sports Complex.

In short, preparations for SEAG have reached a frenetic pace.

Some stores have adopted the cultural symbols of ASEAN countries and even the music for the games will include the music of participating countries.

But there are also signs of restlessness. The usual complaints have surfaced with a vengeance such as the awful traffic in the city and the piles of uncollected garbage.

These are things that could embarrass the city government when the games take place soon and there is more to the complaints than meets the eye.

The city government has announced that it will soon release the P6-million share of the barangays’ Solid Waste Management budget, which willbe distributed to 61 urban and rural barangays of the city.

Yesterday, the city also held the blessing of five new dump trucks that will augment the existing facilities of the Department of Public Services with Mayor Evelio Leonardia spearheading the rites.

Never too late. Residents of Capitol Hieghts vigorously complained earlier that their garbage receptacles were not cleaned for almost six weeks. Residents of Doña Juliana Subdivision, one of the posh city residential areas here, have the same complaint. My brother Bert Espina, a balikbayan, said he could not understand how a first-class subdivision has not been attended to by the DPS for weeks.

Mrs. Kim Iledan, sister-in-law of Councilor Dr. Reynaldo Iledan, pointed out the obvious. Complaints lodged with the DPS secretariat are greeted with the same routine reply: "We shall attend to that " or, the more impertinent "Your complaints were received yesterday and already noted."

In short, no action was taken.

The same complaints were received and printed in local dailies. Garbage piles in front of Manokan Country, a favorite destination of Bacolod visitors, and other places in Bacolod, including parts of the Bacolod Reclamation Area and neighboring coastal barangays.

No word has been received so far from the DPS. However, with the arrival of five new dump trucks, they may finally have the manpower to be deployed to critical areas.

But the more strident complaints were about the state of Bacolod traffic. It seems that despite the appointment of police chief Pedro Merced as implementor of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, the actual functions have yet to be clearly defined.

A certain Pastor Agtoto remains the head of BTAO. Merced has only been named by Leonardia as action officer.

Most of the complaints that hit Merced were about the proliferation of tricycles and trisikads even in the downtown area where they are expressly prohibited by a local ordinance. And most of these unregulated and unruly trisikads are driven by minors, aged 10 to 14. Some of the tricycles are even manned by emaciated septuagenarians, according to the Negros Daily Bulletin.

The uproar may best be summed up by a text message in the Negros Daily Bulletin: "Please stop trisikads and tricycles from entering one-way streets and plying all over the major streets of Bacolod."

And yes, traffic enforcers are also being blamed for being lenient with traffic violators.

It’s not only locals who are complaining. Most visitors to Bacolod comment that the traffic aides hardly arrest violators. In short, as pointed out by my son-in-law recently, "you have the most undisciplined drivers in the Philippines here."

This explains his reluctance to take over the wheels of my car. Even my daughter, Malou, who is a veteran Manila driver, refuses to drive here in Bacolod. "Jeepneys just stop in the middle of the road and either take on or discharge passengers," she said.

Of course, the most recent visitors — officials of some of the participating countries in the SEAG — expressed their satisfaction over the reception and the enthusiastic response of the crowd.

However, an official reception does not expose officials to the reality on the ground.

We hope that all these complaints can still be remedied before the start of the SEAG. Otherwise, all hell can break lose.

The bloodless revolution

Cinco de Noviembre (Nov. 5) is reportedly the only bloodless struggle for independence by the Filipinos during the Spanish era. As such, it is something that Negrenses celebrate every year.

But it’s impact is los t on the consciousness of Negrenses because the three or four major localities here celebrate their own local revolutionaries without the climax.

This is what seems to be wrong here. The Negros Occidental Historical Committee head earlier urged a single and unified observance of that historic event. In short, Silay, Talisay and Bago celeberations be celebrated as one event in Bacolod City, where the revolution reached its climax — the surrender of documents signed by Spanish authorities at the bishop’s residence in front of the Bacolod plaza.

The local authorities of Silay, Talisay and Bago cities, however, simply go on with their own commemoration of the historic event. Bago paid tribute to Southern Command chief Gen. Juan Araneta. Silay and Talisay had their on tribute to Gen. Aniceto Lacson, the head of the Northern forces.

This is a pity because Negrenses should be one in highlighting the bloodless revolution and the so-called "grand bluff." Nothing could rival that episode — Spanish forces confronted by an army of glistening rifles and brand new artillery. So they surrendered.

It was only later that the Spanish forces discovered that the brand new rifles were actually carved coconut palms painted to look like brand new Japanese rifles. The artillery were actually rolled sawali. These, too, were painted black and mounted on carabao carts to simulate drawn cannons.

It was only when rebels marched in front of the Spaniards that they learned of the grand deception. By that time, it was too late. And the revolutionary forces had won the war.

This historic event deserves to be commemorated not only on the local level but at the national level as well.Unfortunately, Negros revolutionaries did subscribe to the Malolos Republic.

ADDENDUM. The big story from Dumaguete City is that two suspected members of a terrorist organization believed operating in Mindanao were apprehended aboard the Superferry 2 from Cebu to Dumaguete. The two were arrested for allegedly bringing on board bomb components and highly poisonous chemicals. The two suspects were Editho Rojas Bubita, 39, and his brother, Daniel. Both are from Cabasalan, Zamboanga del Sur but were reportedly using multiple addresses in Caloocan City and Bulacan. Both denied having brought with them the highly suspicious powder, which include ammonium nitrate, rusty nails and poisonous chemicals. They are now in the custody of authorities and undergoing tactical interrogation. Senior Superintendent Juan Mabugat of the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center said he has ordered the investigation of prison guards Samuel Sollesta, Rodolfo Pecarda, Rodolfo Abordo, Herbert Piola and Noel Villavicencio, who were also placed on preventive suspension after the escape of 22-year-old murder suspect Joemarie Desilao. He was arrested while trying to scale the fence behind the provincial jail.