No kid’s-glove treatment for Tonyboy

Gov. Loreto Leo Ocampos is putting his province on the world map with his initiation of the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park in the barangay of Sinacaban, about 25 minutes away from Oroquieta, the provincial capital. The 60-hectare park serves three major objectives – aquaculture production, conservation, and eco-tourism.

The park, which is drawing significant numbers of local and foreign tourists, operates three hectares of fishpond area used for fish culture of fresh and marine species. Among the species of fish cultured are bangus, grouper, tilapia, carp, African hito, and freshwater giant shrimps and sugpo. There are fish hatcheries where fry/fingerlings of different species of fish and crustaceans are produced and distributed and sold at very low prices to fish farmers and seeded to the province’s marine and freshwater areas.

A mangrove area is fenced and stocked with mud crabs which are left to spawn naturally, and sea ranching of clams and shells, as well as mangrove reforestation, have successfully addressed MOAP’s rehabilitation efforts.

To fulfill the eco-tourism objective, nice wooden cottages and dormitories and function halls have been built over the mangrove areas. Visitors hie off to a two-hectare mini zoo, a fishworld corner featuring exotic and endemic fishes in aquariums, and the Dolphin Island, for scuba divers and snorkellers, and floating restaurants.

As if the MOAP is not enough, Governor Ocampos has also established the Misamis Occidental Enterprise Development and Research Center where researches on agriculture crops and livestock are conducted. The center is well laid-out, and provides a good setting for twice-a-week weddings.

The governor took up law and business administration at the Misamis University, and holds master’s degrees in business administration and industrial management engineering. He taught those subjects at MI for more than 20 years, until politics beckoned to him, first as provincial board member, and, in 2001, the governorship of Misamis Occidental. The job of governor, he told us, is "thankless, but what is fulfilling is seeing the fruits of our labor make a difference in the lives of people.

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My trip to Oroquieta was made possible by an invitation to observe the second board meeting of the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) that was hosted by Mis. Occ. Gov. Ocampos. SPDA Administrator Zamzamin Ampatuan presided over the meeting attended by Directors Saeed A. Daof and Hadja Bainon Karon, and Governor Ocampos, who is also chair of the Regional Development Council in Mindanao, and an SPDA director, and representatives of mayors of Samal, Butuan and Koronadal.

Oroquieta City Mayor Jorge Almonte, who is seeking reelection as mayor, ticked off projects completed, and about to be launched, for his constituents – two major bridges, improvement of the seaport, launching of a P38-million irrigation project, and the installation of a coconut processing center under the Phil-American Community Assistance Program. He proudly said that Oroquieta has been judged outstanding peace and order council for the years 2002, 2003, and 2004.

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There is a mounting clamor for businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco to return the billions of pesos in dividends earned by the government-sequestered shares of the Philippine Telecommunication Investment Corp. (PTIC), and people are watching what move the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) will take to meet that clamor.

The PTIC shares, held by Cojuangco and his family for 20 years, formed part of the illegal wealth of the Marcoses. It is believed that the PCGG has the duty to recover for the government the billions of pesos of dividends that have accrued to the shares which had been invested in the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

People are positive that PCGG Commissioner for Legal Affairs Narciso Nario will dispel the notion that PCGG may take two more decades to finish all Marcos-related cases. Justice Nario is quoted to have said, in reference to 901 cases being handled by the PCGG, "We will not have to wait for another 231 years for all (the cases) to be resolved because the PCGG is moving forward. We are asking the courts to expedite all our motions and petitions."

PCGG, though, may have to file a new case to recover from Cojuangco the dividends as soon as possible while they are still recoverable from the businessman by way of his assets. Cojuangco owns TV station ABC-5 and satellite TV provider Dream, among other companies that also include a bank.

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Incumbent Mayor Josie Sy Limkaichong of La Libertad, Negros Oriental, has been providing her constituents with a multi-purpose Barangay ID card. The laminated card carries the name and picture of the ID holder, his/her fingerprints, blood type, Voter’s ID, Philhealth No., TIN, Drivers License, and SSS or GSIS No. I met Mayor Limkaichong in the house of Speaker Joe de Venecia who shared my enthusiasm over the card which tells vital information about the holder. The card is paid for by the La Libertad government. Josie, by the way, is a daughter of good friend Julio Sy and Aning Sy of Dumaguete. Julio is a member of the Silliman University Board of Trustees.

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