Pet Melliza

Some public officials of Bugasong, Antique are unhappy, not because super-typhoon Yoland reduced the town to the proverbial howling wilderness last November 8, 2013. Some public officials are diconcerted, not because Yolanda totally destroyed 826 homes and partially damaged 3,813 others in that forsaken northern Antique town. Some public officials of Bugasong are embarrassed, not because of government incompetence and criminal negligence in responding to the emergencies in the wake of the super-howler. Some public officials are unhappy, disconcerted and embarrassed because the people of Bugasong, the victims of Yolanda are taking matters into their hands, are raising their hackles and fists and demanding accountability of government. The Yolanda victims of Bugasong are staging "Occupy Bugasong" May 18 a protest action right at the town center against government callousness, negligence and corruption. For almost a week now, some public officials have been fanning bar...

ILOILO CITY May 11, 2015 To show that Aklan Province is prosperous and peaceful, the Aquino government flooded it with soldiers and police instead of simply letting Akeanons go about their daily grind. The northwestern Panay Province now crawls with at least 6,000 Armed Forces members and police personnel, particularly the capital Kalibo, New Washington and Malay, the town having jurisdiction of Caticlan port and Boracay Island resort. The Caticlan jetty port links mainland Panay with Boracay. That militarized atmosphere will last until May 24 when the ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) held in Boracay Island ends. George Calaor, chair of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) – Aklan, bewails that economic activities in Aklan and Boracay have been disrupted affecting thousands of entrepreneurs, small businesses, laborers and farmers. Among his report: * Over 1,000 sustenance fishers kicked out of their fishing ground, af...

Victims of super-typhoon Yolanda in Bugasong town are staging “occupy Bugasong” May 18, a mass action against government inaction and callousness. Since Yolanda lashed northern Panay November 8, 2013 relief came in trickles to the victims and these came mainly from private donors and NGOs. Photo credit: Hot FM Bugasong Losses records in Bugasong alone show 826 houses totally estroyeod and 3,813 partially damaged. Government promised to grant P30,000 for each totally destroyed house and P10,000 to the partially damaged. After the victims complied with rigid paper works, where is the promise grant for emergency housing assistance (ESA)? “Occupy Bugasong” is a protest organized by the people themselves, says Jose Allan Sanchez Bartolo, anchor and manager of Hot FM Bugasong, a community FM radio channel. Will it be like the “occupy” movements in the US where protesters stage continuous pickets, not just one shot street demonstration? Power to the people...

When she says enough, even the most powerful public official of her town has no choice but yield. For 16 years, her life was spent on a stage, made to play the role as the “faithful one” of the script writer and director who forgot to propose marriage to her but almost always, loved to parade her around as the girlfriend, the steady and the future wife, like a walking exhibit to prove himself a legitimate member of the straight community and never the general-secretary of the LGBT that many suspected him to be. The incident near the church months back had people wagging their tongues that he could be an exception to the gossip: he publicly pleaded to the woman to reconsider her decision ditching him. He demanded her back. The woman just got tired looking at herself at the mirror and seeing wrinkles spreading on her face as days, weeks and months flew by, the looks that was once flawless 16 years ago when she was still a fresh medical graduate being sued by many a young...

Kun sin-o pa ang ordinary citizen, amo pa ang law abiding. Kun sin-o pa law enforcer, amo pa dungol. The pictures here show one motorbike illegally parked and obstructing traffic flow at a busy junction in Iloilo City,  afternoon of April 30. It is owned by a traffic enforcer. The bikes on the footwalk, the designated area for motorbikes belong to law abiding citizens: they are civilians, some of them victims of harassment by the blue-clad traffic enforcers.

Barotac Viejo, Iloilo  April 27, 2015 While at a cafe waiting for the start of the hearing at the RTC, our attention was caught by kids frolicking on exercising gears that adults work-out indoor. The scene here is outdoor and part of the children's playground. The Barotac Viejo municipal government, my first guess goes, wants its kids to develop this early, stamina and strength for competition up to their adult years. Or, goes another speculation, Mayor Bing Tupas and company, indeed, intend to attract adults to try this outdoor facility for free and get rewarded with good health and longevity. Both guesses are correct: a town employee informs us that this open air gymn is built for adults who want to rediscover the child within them, and, also, for children who want to enjoy them for fun's sake and nothing else. Anyway, it's stil the children who beat their adult kins in availing of this soon-to-be-completed facility, in...

Iloilo City April 22, 2015 Government streamer: motherhood statement for the environment. Government also celebrates Earth Day by hanging tarpaulin streamers reminding people to protect the environment, holding poster making contest, and the like activities that hardly calls for self-examination to determine its pivotal role in environmental destruction. Government's other hand of course, continues to grant or approve applications of giant corporations to erect heavy pollutant power plants particularly coal-fired, shear mountains of whatever is left of their vegetation, scrape vast lands of their surface cover to extract minerals, or reclaim wetlands and marshes. Message of protest from Bayan-Panay At the Iloilo Capitol, this city, one government streamer hangs at the steel fence and near it flutter the banners of protesters denouncing government for its complicity with destructive activities like erecting a mega-dam on a small Island of Panay. The rallyist...