Pet Melliza

  Iloilo City  June 20, 2015 (The last time I met "Kayo" Pete was at the forum at Iloilo National High School June 8, convened to discuss the reasons why celebrating Philippine Independence every June 12 was deceptive. The forum also campaigned to scrap the "La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo" tag of Iloilo City, a "badge of shame" on the role of  the Ilonggo elite in stifling the nascent Philippine nationalism that led to the 1896 Revolution against Spanish colonialism.The next day, June 9, Louis A. Posa announced on FB of the passing away of Pete.) Pedro "Pete" Escosia untiringly dedicated his adult life organizing the masses of workers and public sector employees. We addressed ourselves "Tokayo" for our smiliar sounding nicknames (although our first names are miles apart). Martial law declared on Sept. 21, 1972 neither silenced nor scared him. He went on organizing sugar workers particularly those of Central Azucarera de...

June 13, 2015 Iloilo City Aw, come on, stop calling it a “gift”; it's a bane to both Guimaras and Iloilo residents. The resource persons of today's episode of Kape kag Isyu admit that they charged Iloilo City officials for entering into a PPP contract with a private company to establish a GIFT. PPP stands for “private-public partnership” euphemism for privatization which has become a notorious term for the sad experiences it brought to consumers the past years. The private company referred to here is Double Dragon, Inc. while GIFT does not mean "gift" but “Guimaras – Iloilo Ferry Terminal” that the supposed partnership will establish at the city-owned property at the Fort San Pedro area. Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog contracted Double Dragon to invest  P125M to erect the GIFT on the 1.7 ha. Prime property of the city government in 2011, in a PPP that has been shrouded in secrecy, untransparent even to the National Economic Development Authority...

UPV Prof. Tomasito Talledo, beside him are Atty. Rene Estocapio (NUPL), Hope Hervilla (BAYAN Panay) and Fr. Canon Franz Foerster (IFI) Statement on the 117 th Anniersary of Philippine Independence Siegrred Deduro (former member of Lower House - Bayan Muna) asks Iloilo City officials and tourism office to drop the "La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad" in promoting Iloilo “LA MUY LEAL Y NOBLE CIUDAD” TAG OF ILOILO CITY, BADGE OF BETRAYAL AGAINST FILIPINO NATIONHOOD – NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF “On the occasion of the 117 th celebration of Philippine Independence, it is timely to review the wisdom of promoting Iloilo City as “La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad.” This label was once part of the official seal of the City and is included in some tourism promotion of the local government “The book written by Augustinian Father Policarpio Hernandez titled “Iloilo, The Most Noble City: History and Development 1566-1898” narrates the circumstances of how Iloilo City won fo...

L-R: Peter Jimenea and Manuel "Boy" Mejorada Iloilo City June 6, 2015 The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Office of the Ombudsman are a big let down in the fight for clean, responsive and transparent governance, bewails seasoned journalist Manuel “Boy” Mejorada. In brief, they are inutile in the fight against corruption. “I am disappointed” says Mejorada, resource person of Kape kag Isyu cable TV talk show. “They want to bury the monumental and flagrant thievery of the public treasury.” Mejorada is referring to the way the two office handled, to be more precise, mishandled the construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) that could be completed by P200 M but ballooned to P750 M. “It is programmed to be a white elephant and eventually handed over on a silver platter to Megaworld,” he adds. Mejorada shows the contract between Megaworld realty developer and the government through the Tourism Industry Enterprize Zone Authority (TIEZA) where the ...