Iloilo folk hail Ilonggo doctor-lawmakers

Two lawmakers who performed outstanding assistance to the victims of the House blast raised the pride of Ilonggos. And they also gloried in the fact that the House paid tribute to the yeoman efforts of Rep. Janet Garin (first district, Iloilo) and Dr. Ferj Biron of Iloilo’s fourth district.

The two were caught by the TV camera braving the possibility of another bomb hidden that could explode. Instead, they simply waded into the confusion and helped the bloodied victims.

Garin, incidentally, is an OB-GYNE specialist. But that did not deter her from doing what a physician knows what to do — help out victims in next ordinary fashion.

I just would like to point out that Rep. Garin is from Samar. The daughter-in-law of Philippine Coconut Authority chairman Oscar Garin, Janet has impressed her constituents by taking up to Karay-a which she now speaks fluently. But more important, together with Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar Perez, both have been in the forefront of efforts to rekindle interest in Karay-a and its literature.

Biron, on the other hand, was the champion of the bill which seeks to authorize the Philippine government to import cheap medicine from such countries as India and Pakistan and the establishment of Botica sa Barangays.

To the two Ilongo lawmakers, our salute.

‘Imminent danger’ resolution

Acting on the request of Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, the Sangguniang Panlunsod passed on Thursday a resolution declaring an “imminent danger” of calamity in the city because of the series of floods that have inundated vast portions of the city recently and the prospects of more in the days to come.

This, after the dramatic motorcade by members of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Association. The group then served notice to members of the council that they were no longer interested in promises but demanded action on their plight.

Mayor Leonardia said the P10 million appropriated by the SP last March 2 is not enough considering the additional projects to control floods to be undertaken by the city.

Leonardia asked for an additional P2.5 million for the flood control projects.

The anti-flood coalition, composed not only of the rich and the powerful families of Bacolod, presented city officials with the problem of credibility. Their brushing off of presentations by the SP members and the explanations by Mayor Leonardia in his letter to them was an articulation of their frustrations and profound chagrin over the failure of city officials to take drastic action to address the problem.

What caught my attention was the statement by Anges Jalandoni, one of the leaders of the Anti-BAHA group, that Mrs. Emilio Lizares, wife of the former Talisay City mayor, had given her a big pile of letters addressed to Leonardia way back in 1996 when he was then also mayor of Bacolod.

The communications reportedly zeroed in on the flooding problems of Bata, Mandalagan, and Villa Valderrama.

“She is my aunt. Now, her niece has taken up the cudgels for the homeowners of the areas afflicted by the floods,” stressed Jalandoni.

In short, the problem was presented to city officials 10 years ago. And nothing was done about it, was how Mrs. Jalandoni put it.

She added that a group of city officials started crowding along the Banago River Thursday for “picture-taking.” And that, pointed out Mrs. Jean Trebol, only reinforced the homeowners’ frustration more.

But there was also a ray of light. Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod) pinned his hopes on the comprehensive master plan for a city flood control system on cooperation between his office and city hall as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways.

He presented mediamen with a letter from DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane declaring that the latter’s office will undertake the feasibility study of the flood control master plan under its fiscal year 2008 budget. Which means that it will take some three to four months to complete. After that, the study will be submitted to the NEDA for decision on the application for foreign funding – possibly either by South Korea or a Japanese bank, the solon claimed.

But, in fairness to Councilor Bobby Rojas, chairman of the super flood control council which Mayor Leonardia created, personally supervised Thursday the clearing of the Purok Riverside  in Barangay Banago. The operation cleared the river of tons of debris, plastic and cans.

Mayor Leonardia briefly visited the clearing operation site. And the city is ready to evict some 35 houses from the banks of the river which had been declared by the city council as “nuisance per se.” This gives the mayor the authority to have them removed and resettled elsewhere, possibly in the Abada-Escay area.

Early this week, with another torrential downpour, large areas of Bacolod City again went under water. In most instances, it was not only clogged drainage and overloaded canals that were the culprits, but also waterways which were dammed up by owners of commercial buildings.

Well, for the moment, the Anti-BAHA coalition will have to carefully monitor what the city is doing to solve the problem of flooding. And, considering the fighting mood of the woman leaders, city officials cannot take their threats lying down.

As the women call it – it is now payback time.