Iloilo’s Busina sa Katutuhan

I had earlier noted that Iloilo City, the seat of the Jaro Archdiocese appeared to have distanced itself from protest action in connection with the ZTE-NBN broadband Senate probe.

Well, Negrenses were surprised to learn that on Friday, Ilonggos did state their known Busina sa Katutuhan. This included not only blowing of car horns, but the ringing of church bells and a lot of other activities that contributed to the 15-minute noise barrage.

Bacolodnons expected yesterday Ilonggos would try to outmatch the expected massive turnout in the projected rally yesterday by students of Catholic schools and the various non-government organizations and the Catholic laity. With parish priests and members of the clergy at the helm of the marches, thousands were expected yesterday to participate in the protest.

Friday, more than 10,000 joined the simultaneous Masses for truth and accountability. Around 100 vehicles joined the motorcade from the provincial capitol lagoon to the Bacolod City plaza. A noise barrage in the afternoon capped the Friday activities.

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra has called on the faithful to participate in the search for truth in the ZTE-NBN broadband Senate probe.

The Bacolod prelate, however, stressed that the protesters were not demanding for the resignation of President Gloria Maca­pagal-Arroyo, although some of the participating demonstrators who belong to militant groups maintained their call for GMA’s resignation.

Majority of the Negrenses lawyers yesterday unanimously aired their opinions about the determined effort by some government agencies to suppress the truth.

Former councilor Archie Baribar, lawyer Andy Hagad, and several others joined the TV interview which deplored the tendency by some government bureaucrats to indict the whistleblower, Rodolfo Lozada Jr.

But, in contrast to the more emotional pitches by other quarters, the legal luminaries, including former vice mayor Renecito Novero, dissected the problem with dispassion.

Local government officials, on the other hand, disputed the claim by Bacolod Bishop Navarra that the official statement of support for President Arroyo does not mean “we condone corruption.”

That was the statement by Manapla Mayor Manuel Escalante, president of the Negros Occidental Association of Chief Executives.

The United Negrenses yearning for truth called on the national and local officials to defend the people’s interest and stop mouthing the Malacañang line on the ZTE-NBN broadband project.

Navarra also said the act of Negros officials was a sort of a coverup and a defense mechanism amid the revelations of dishonesty and lies at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.

Escalante pointed out that we “are not condoning corruption, we are not saying that they are not guilty.”

Iloilo’s shooting

But the bigger story that caught the attention of Ilonggos and Negrenses was the gunslaying of a grandson of Iloilo former vice mayor Guillermo dela Llana. One of them, Cris Vincent, 27, succumbed to gunshot wounds on the chest and back. Reynaldo Belanio, 25, was also wounded. Cris Vincent died after hours at the intensive care unit of the Savior International Hospital.

Inspector Danilo delos Santos, Molo police station chief, said investigators had recovered a black Honda Civic which the two armed suspects had used when they sprayed bullets on the Dela Llana grandsons.

The car was left inside the Savannah Glen Subdivision in Mandurriao. The car was reportedly driven by a certain Michael Dumdum, per the subdivisions logbook. But the car was far from Dumdum’s house which is at Savannah Trail.

The car had reportedly been sold to Benedict P. Jalandoni of La Paz District last year.

What made the shooting incident tragic was that only a month, another Dela Llana grandson, Mark Harlson Azucena, was also fatally stabbed along Gen. Luna Street.

The Iloilo police are under intense pressure to solve the gunslaying of Dela Llana’s grandson and the wounding of the other.

Meanwhile, the remains of Edgar Nicor, the RPA-ABB man who gunned down Labor Arbiter Phibun Pura last week reportedly yielded negative when examined for chemical residues.

Nicor, who was killed later by Pura’s brother-in-law, Kenneth Tirthdas, remained in his safehouse. He had wanted to cooperate with the police but seems to be afraid of his life and his family members.

Victorni Sumulong, RPA-ABB spokesman, however, publicly assuming that the group was not out to avenge the death of Nicor. He pointed out that the death of Pura had not been sanctioned by the group but was apparently a private affair by Nicor.