Charting Negros Occidental’s future

Josy Sy Limkaichong is a woman of many firsts. She’s the first woman to run for governor of the province of Negros Oriental, the first woman elected as Representative of the first district of the province in the 14th and 15th Congress, the first lady of the mayor of La Libertad, a municipality in the province, and then, the first woman mayor of La Libertad.

Her election two times as House Representative had been challenging on account of her gender in a male-dominated political arena, plus the questioning of her citizenship (her father having been originally of Chinese parentage). Her campaign for the governorship this time is met with opposition not so much due to the gender issue as over the principle of charting women’s lives based on conscience.

Invited as resource person at last week’s Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel, Josy talked about the disinformation campaign launched against her by priests beginning at the Misa de Gallo last Christmas. In Dumaguete a contra-pastoral letter was read via the pulpit and distributed in the diocese, and church representatives did the rounds of barangays with the warning not to vote for her because of her support of the Reproductive Health law.

For example, a woman said she was told that according to the RH law, the government will allow only four children and will take away the fifth and sixth children. Some were told that the law is for abortion and contraceptives are abortifacients.

Josy, 59, takes these falsehoods in stride. She stays cool under pressure. Instead of getting angry, “I just tell people the truth. At this time, instead of being divisive, we should be all for unity. After all, the law has been signed.” Many of the parishioners, I was told by friends from Dumaguete, listen to Josy. Some walked out when a priest started lambasting the “lady legislator who is for the RH bill.”

Despite the likelihood that she will win in a third reelection bid for a seat in the 16th Congress, P-Noy asked her to run for governor under the banner of the Liberal Party. Prior to that, she was appointed vice president for Visayas of the party.

She has played an active role in Congress — as chair of the powerful appropriations committee, vice chair of agriculture and food, and a member of various committees. She voted for the RH bill and the sin tax, priority measures of her boss, P-Noy.  She authored and co-authored several bills, among them the cheaper and quality medicines law, the law on magna carta for women, and the general appropriations act.

Josy played a supportive role when her husband Lawrence, was mayor of La Libertad, a municipality about one-and-a-half hour’s drive from Dumaguete. Her campaign slogan is HEART of JOSY, which stands for health, education, agriculture, roads, trade and tourism. Among her projects as mayor was the skills development of women, who produce, until today, finely hand-crafted bags, mats and carpets from the local pandan plant. The products are sold at Tesoro’s in Makati and other outlets catering to tourists.

Josy finished high school at Silliman University and her bachelor’s in commerce at De la Salle University, and being Dumaguete-born (to parents business tycoon Julio Ong Sy Sr. and Anesia Uyguangco Dy), she knows the assets and needs of the province. Negros Oriental, with a population of 1.1 million, has rich natural assets, but due to underperformance of previous local governments, has lagged behind Cebu and Bohol in trade and tourism.

For this reason, the province’s vision, she says, “aims to close the gap between the present development challenges of the province vis-à-vis the aspired future for dramatic improvement in the sectoral areas of health, higher education, environment, agribusiness, rural development, and tourism by 2021.”

Josy’s running mate, Dr. Mark Macias, shares her vision for a better province. An orthopedic surgeon practicing at high-end hospital facilities in Metro Manila, he is now living “a simple life” with his family in Dumaguete.

Mark’s father, the late Dr. Emilio Macias, was well-loved in the southern city made famous by the presence of Silliman University. Mark said he was very appreciative of his father’s popularity and his health programs.

His plan is to make medical services available to people living in far-flung sitios. He used to wonder why simple cases like appendectomy or high fever were brought by ambulance to the general hospital in the city. His dream is to set up small district clinics accessible to the “small folks,” and hold medical missions.

Mark said health services should include access to water and electricity — two essential elements lacking in some areas in the province.

Dr. Jay Pernes, an obstetrician based in Siquijor whom Josy and Mark met at the Manila domestic airport on their way to Bulong Pulungan, and invited to join them, talked about the social and medical conditions in the island province. Jay, who is running for the 16th Congress as a candidate of the Liberal Party, said it’s unfortunate that 40 percent of the inhabitants of Siquijor, which is a tourist destination, live below the poverty line. When elected, he will make potable water supply a must-project; he was shocked to find out there is no water supply in some sitios. He is entertaining the idea of setting up a nursing home for Scandinavian elderly citizens — a project that will bring much-needed revenue for the island.

Oh, by the way, people who associate Siquijor with “mambabarang” or “aswang” will not find them in the island, said the doctor. A friend of his complained that he paid a self-proclaimed witch P35,000 to cast a spell on his wife’s paramour. But nothing happened, the paramour is still alive and well.

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There will be lots of fun and games at the UP Diliman campus on March 24, Palm Sunday, when the University of the Philippines Alumni Association celebrates its 100th anniversary with the theme “Bagong Siglo, Bagong Sigla.” A fun run kicks off the day’s activities, starting at 5:30 a.m. for runners of all ages in three groups — 3K, 6K, and 12K.

This will be followed at 9 a.m. by fiesta games, like palo sebo, buko sebo, pabitin, scrabble, dama, sipa, tug-of-war, arm-wrestling and others, which UP alumni and family members can join and win prizes. There will be marching bands and fiesta booths offering food and beverages and souvenir items.

From 1:30 to 5 p.m., a “Bagong Siglo Bingo” social will be held at Ang Bahay ng Alumni with P150,000 in cash prizes. Tickets for five regular games are just P300 each.

Pre-registration for the Bagong Sigla Fun Run (P400, P500 and P700) are accepted at UPAA, UP Diliman; Office of Alumni Affairs, UP Manila; Alumni Center, UP Los Baños; Chris Sports (SM Fairview, SM North Annex, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall); Fitness and Athletics, Bonifacio Global City).

For more information, call UPAA at (02) 9206868 (Jenny) or e-mail upalumn@yahoo.com; and WithoutLimits at (02) 3837658 (Marjan or Vayne) or e-mail secretariat@withoutlimits.ph.

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E-mail: dominitorrevillas@gmail.com