Bread prices go up, but there’s no panic in Negros and WV

When local bakers raised the prices of bread and pastries early this week, there was no howl among Negrenses. Neither did it create a major stir in Iloilo City or elsewhere in the region.

Other than the frenzied attempts by local and national governments to craft a distribution scheme for National Food Authority rice, there were still no signs that Negrenses had reacted with anxiety over the “proclaimed” rice shortage. There are still available commercial rice in the market, albeit, of course, more expensive than the NFA rice.

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, however, released a statement yesterday that it is not overpopulation that should blamed for the present rice shortage, but inequality in the distribution of wealth because of the misuse of government funds and corruption.

In short, Navarra was defending more the Church’s efforts to control population growth through natural means.

Corruption, he added, will come out in the end, no matter how hidden. The day will come when the devil will step on his own tail, he added.

Monkeys invade barangay

For a short while yesterday, Negrenses found themselves regaled by tales of a tribe of monkeys that attacked a farming community in Sipalay City in Negros Occidental last Sunday.

The monkeys grabbed bananas and dug up rootcrops, pineapple and jackfruits.

David Castro of the Negros Forest and Environment Foundation said the long-tailed macaques apparently have lost their forest habitat, thus, whereas they used to come to the village in twos, now they came as a group.

There were reports that they even entered houses in search of food. Villagers captured four of the monkeys. There were those that tried to defend their fellow monkeys from the humans, according to the villagers’ report.

Ombudsman probes gov’t center

It is now 88 percent complete. Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol ordered Mayor Evelio Leonardia and 17 other officials to file their counter-affidavits and other controverting evidence to the complaint filed by retired police officer Victor Eduardo. But even then, the Visayas Ombudsman will probe the criminal and administrative liabilities of Bacolod City officials and the private contractor of the P394-million government center.

On behalf of Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca Santiago, Apostol said there is enough basis to proceed with the criminal and administrative investigation into the case.

Included in the complaint are the president of Hilmarcs Construction Corp. and an executive of the Philippine National Bank.

Eduardo reportedly filed two new complaints last January for violations of Republic Act 3019 and Presidential Decree 1445, Sections 85, 86 and 87 as well as for dishonesty, grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and acts prejudicial to public service.

Other than Leonardia, the respondents included Vice Mayor Judge Thaddeus Sayson, the 10 incumbent councilors, two former councilors, two department heads, Enfren Canlas of Hilmarcs and PNB senior vice president Victorino Sison.

The second complaint included Leonardia, city treasurer Annabele Padayos, accountant Ed Ravena, OIC Maso Ricardo Dahildahil, and Hilmarcs’ Canlas.

Well, the city officials still have 10 days to file their answer to Eduardo’s complaints. City legal officer Allan Zamora said yesterday that he has asked for an extension to 20 days within which to submit the officials’ reply.

Hinalwood taping stalled

Two top officials of the Save our Languages through Federalism (Solfed) had rushed to Tapaz, Capiz to try to record master chanter Federico Caballero, a Tumandok, in reciting the epic Hinalwood.

Dr. Joey Dacudao, Solfed president, said they discovered that Caballero had signed an agreement with the National Commission on Culture and Arts that a request for the taping must first be secured from the NCCA.

Thus, many Solfed members and other scholars of anthropology and Panay culture must have to wait for the NCCA’s go-signal for the story to be chanted in full. Only Caballero, whom the NCCA had declared a national treasure, knows the entire epic by heart.

Actually, Dr. F. Landa Jocano and Dr. Alicia Maas, both anthropologists, had already studied in depth the Hinalwood and the Sulod culture of the aborigines of Central Panay.

Dr. Magos calls them Panay Bukidnon, but the people refer to themselves only as Tumandok.

Only Federico Caballero can now chant the epic in its entirety. His brothers and other family members can recite only parts of the epic.

Thus, the Solfed team of Dr. Dacudao and Willie Andrew Branum immediately wrote a letter to the NCCA board, one through Dr. Ricardo Nolasco, asking permission to record Caballero reciting the entire epic. Dr. Dacudao pointed out that Caballero is suffering from diabetes and has high blood pressure. It is imperative to record his recitation of the epic before something happens to the 70-year-old national treasure.