SEA Games: The slips are showing

It was too good to be true. Although paeans were lavished on the opening rites of the Southeast Asian Games here during the soft opening last Sunday, gradually the mistakes and oversights have started to surface. Worse was the threat by volunteers to quit their assigned chores.

The focus of the complaint – lack of food promised the volunteers and the "double-tire jeepneys" used in transporting athletes in coat and tie.

Well, secretary general Eric Loretizo pointed out to the Philippine Southeast Asian Games national committee the failure to send the needed logistics to the Bacolod group (Basoc). But since the problems have been known since last week, many of the businessmen were wondering why Basoc has not issued any call for their help.

The National Youth Commission also shared part of the blame for assuring the volunteers during their organizational meeting that they would be given food allowances and two sets of uniforms.

There were initial overtures last week to car rental agencies in Bacolod to hire air-conditioned vehicles to ferry the athletes to and from their hotels to the various venues of the games. But that didn’t push through for lack of funds.

Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod City) reportedly refused to comment on the issues brought to his attention by the Visayan Daily Star. Instead, he referred the daily and other local mediamen to Loretizo, Basoc secretary-general.

The latter, however, claimed that Basoc is trying to solve the problems with its local sources.

Loretizo claimed during a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon that the Philsoc had committed to provide air-conditioned buses, but withheld the $10 savings from the hotel accommodations, which was reduced to only $30 per day because of lower rates here.

Even the public reacted negatively to the sight of foreign athletes aboard the "double-tire" vehicles.

Football players from Thailand, for example, were wearing coat and tie upon disembarkation at the Bacolod airport and were fetched only by the "double tires."

The problem reached a boil when 12 civilian volunteers resigned, citing lack of food allowances.

There was the other problem of cultural dancers from Barangay Alijis who claimed that they were given the runaround after asking for their P200 talent fee which the Philsoc reportedly promised them.

The real shocker was the message from Pg Anak Md. Sofian Pg. Anak Hj. Ibrahim that said Brunei won’t participate in the Bacolod games anymore.

The problem of the 12 volunteers, however, was considered by Loretizo as not serious. He said it was only minimal and that Basoc could easily look for their replacements.

The Basoc official said the problem is beyond Basoc. It is reportedly under Philsoc.

Loretizo also said that he is contacting Philsoc minute-by-minute about the security budget even while Senior Superintendent Pedro Merced asked the cops to wait a bit while he arranged for the PNP to handle the problem on their meal allowance.

Merced said that if the Philsoc cannot release the security budget, then he will just find ways to reimburse their daily expenses.

The problem of the Aoijis Masskara dancers is that they were allegedly promised a P200 talent fee each by somebody named "Ricardo" from the SEA Games organizing committee. He is reportedly the assistant of Rudy Reveche for the cultural presentation.

Anyway, those form just the tip of the iceberg. There is something more problematic. A columnist/news writer of the Negros Daily Bulletin called the attention of the Basoc to the inadequate facilities at the media centers in both the Paglaum Stadium and the Business Inn. Now these are deficiencies that should be addressed immediately before the arrival of an avalanche of national and foreign mediamen. That could blow up in our faces.

But even with all the slips showing, Negrenses were readying to go out in droves to the Panaad Park and Stadium to root for the Philippine football squad who will tackle the Thais to qualify for the finals.

A plea for peace from Church leader

sgr. Victorino Rivasd, vicar general of the Bacolod Diocese, issued yesterday a call to government leaders and rebel forces to return to the negotiating table to resolve their differences instead of escalating the violence that could lead to all-out war.

Rivas, speaking on the experience of Negros Occidental with the problems posed by an insurgency war, said, "Let us not burden the people already faced with their problems with a war that lead to more sufferings of the innocent civilians."

Rivas issued the call following the Saturday ambush by the NPA in Calinog, Iloilo that killed at least nine soldiers and wounded 20 others. Incidentally, the military said the death toll has reached 12.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon, on the other hand, said he agrees with the need for the military to go on an offensive against the rebels. When the need for the military or the police to defend themselves arises, they should do it.

In Iloilo, however, barangay officials appealed to the military not to blame them and the civilians of Barangays Datagan and Mambiranan for the successful explosion of the land mines that blew up a military Elf truck and led to the subsequent ambush.

What alarmed the barangay officials and residents was the statement of Col. Gregorio Fajardo, commander of the Army’s Task Force Panay, that the ambush succeeded because no resident reported the presence of the rebels and the landmines last Saturday.

Fajardo, in an interview, earlier asked the questions – Who were the rebels’ contacts? Why was there no report?

Lt. Col. Mariano Antonio Perez, chief of the Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion, also pointed out that "there was no report to us from the barangay council regarding the presence of NPAs in the area that night."

Perez claimed that he earlier had confronted Mambiranan barangay captain Renato Casinao about a report that the rebels had visited the area and even asked for agricultural products from the residents.

Casinao, Perez told Iloilo mediamen, even denied the report.

Casinao pointed out that the soldiers had conducted operations in the area a week before the ambush but did not also detect the rebels.

"We saw no rebels. When they pass by our village, we always inform the military," Casinao said.

Casinao and Mambiranan barangay captain Nestor Planas met with Iloilo board member Angel Briones, president of the League of Barangay Captains, to refute allegations that village officials and residents were involved with the ambushers.

"If they had lapses, it is not our fault. Officials like us report only what we see or what our people report to us," said Casinao.

Briones, for his part, said the military should be specific and file the appropriate charges in court if they have sufficient evidence against any of the local barangay officials or residents.

Julilan Paisano, spokesman of the NPA’s Coronacion "Waling-waling" Chiva Command, said the ambush was in response to the continued military operations in the hinterland villages and their destruction of the livelihood of the people.

He also accused the 47th IB and members of the First Scout Rangers Battalion of human rights abuses. He also appealed to the soldiers to leave the military service and not to follow illegal and immoral orders from their superiors.

ADDENDA. Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada claimed that the report quoting the Iloilo Securities and Exchange Commission as saying that the two foundations that received an estimated P100 million in pork barrel from former second district Congressman Augusto Syjuco and his wife, incumbent Rep. Judy Jalbuena Syjuco, have been delinquent with reporting requirements as provided for by law, only reinforces the perception that the funds were spent improperly. Mejorada had been wailing at Syjuco, now TESDA secretary, his former boss during the latter’s first term as congressman. That was considered by the Iloilo media community as the opening salvo of Mejorada reportedly questing to run as second district congressman… A 25-year-old Bacoleña complained in the Bacolod City Women and Children’s Desk last Monday that she was raped by her Puerto Rican-American chatmate in a local hotel recently. The Puerto Rican-American was identified as a certain George Seminario of New Jersey. He reportedly arrived in Bacolod last Friday to propose marriage to her. The suspect has reportedly left Bacolod. This prompted Superintendent Pedro Merced to warn the public, especially women, not to trust strangers whom they have just met to avoid possible losses or harm.