July 21, 2009
Bukidnon, Controversial, Government, Mindanaoan Update, News, Personalities, Politics
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is set to be in the Province of Bukidnon today, July 21, 2009. This trip, reportedly her 7th in Mindanao so far this year, could be, in my opinion, quite a controversial one. First of all, she’s supposed to hold a cabinet meeting in Malaybalay City, the capital of Bukidnon. Why Bukidnon of all places, you ask? Exactly.
Bukidnon is the “political home” of the Zubiris. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri served as congressman in the third district for 9 years. Incumbent Bukidnon governor Jose Ma. Zubiri, Jr. is on his last term. Bukidnon 3rd District Congressman Joey Zubiri is Migs’ brother and eldest son of the governor. Malaybalay City Vice Mayor Ignacio “Inaki” Zubiri, nephew of the governor and cousin of the senator, is said to be eyeing the mayoralty post in next year’s elections after incumbent Mayor Florencio Flores, Jr. steps down. Flores is on his last term as the city’s chief executive.
Bukidnon is also home to several controversies including the fact that the governor, who’s said to still be under the LAKAS CMD party, has endorsed different personalities as his next presidential bet. In 2008, he endorsed former Senate President Manny Villar. A few months later, he signified support for Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Then during the Kaamulan Festival 2009 celebration, he called Senator Loren Legarda as “Madame President.” And then just a few weeks ago, during Teodoro’s “carnival-themed” birthday party, Zubiri declared support for Gibo. Yes, it’s THAT confusing so I cannot blame you if you’d blurt out, “ano ba talaga kuya?!” You could just imagine the confusion of Zubiri’s allies in the province as well. If your leader changes his mind as often as he changes his clothes, what will you think, right?
And so there have been talks that many of Zubiri’s political allies in the province are slowly “leaving” his fold. Observers say that not a few mayors, councilors and provincial board members are already keeping their distance.
Is this why the cabinet meeting has to be held in Bukidnon? For the Zubiris to show everyone that they’re still near and dear to the President’s heart?
I can’t help but wonder how PGMA will treat the governor. Will she smile at him? Hug him? Endorse him? A LOT of eyes will be on them today, after all.
To be fair, reports did say that PGMA is also supposed to lead the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Provincial Road Management Project in Barangay Kalabugao, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. The said project is funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Still, one can’t help but wonder why a cabinet meeting has to be called in Malaybalay City.
My only hope is that somehow during the course of the meeting, something can be done about the ongoing Mangima Road repair and rehabilitation project which has caused (and still is causing!) so much inconvenience for the riding public.
The cabinet meeting will reportedly be held at the Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (NOMIARC) in Barangay Dalwangan, Malaybalay City.
This is one instance when I want to be a fly on the wall!
LikeThe 2010 presidential elections are just around the corner and I’m interested to know – after former Bukidnon Third District Congressman Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri, will Mindanao again produce new senators? Will there be two (or more) Mindanaoan senators soon?
This early, I’ve heard a lot of buzz about three Mindanaoans who will allegedly gun for a senatorial seat this 2010 Philippine elections. These are former Bukidnon First District Congressman JR Nereus “Neric” Acosta, United Opposition spokesperson Adel Abass Tamano and current Bukidnon Second District Congressman Teofisto “TG” Guingona III.
On Neric Acosta – He served as a congressman for Bukidnon’s first district for three consecutive terms. The principal author of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Management Act, and the Biodiversity Protection Act, Neric is a young and dynamic academician. Currently the Secretary General of the Liberal Party, Neric is considered as one of the “possible senatorial bets” who might run under Mar Roxas‘ ticket. He ran for governor in Bukidnon opposite Migs Zubiri’s father, incumbent Gov. Jose Zubiri, Jr., in 2007 but lost.
On Adel Tamano – Currently the President of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Adel is the first Filipino Muslim to graduate from Harvard Law School.
On TG Guingona – TG, son of the former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr., is a member of the Nacionalista Party (otherwise known as Manuel Villar’s party). He’s currently serving his second term as congressman of Bukidnon’s second district.
What do you think? Does any of these three Mindanao politicians (or perhaps all three of them for that matter) have a chance of landing a seat in the Philippine Senate?
So how much did you receive as Christmas bonus this year? If you think your ten or twenty thousand pesos is already a big amount, think again. Government employees in Bukidnon received fifty thousand pesos for their bonus this December. Yes, Provincial Government of Bukidnon (PGB) employees received P50,000.00 each (more than a thousand US dollars) this year.
Don’t be too surprised, though, because the said amount is actually LESSER than what the regular Bukidnon provincial government employees received last year. The year 2007 saw each and every regular provincial government of Bukidnon employee receiving a staggering eighty thousand pesos (P80,000.00)
Interestingly, some of my friends working in the PGB said that the P50,000.00 still wasn’t enough. They said that they still have to pay a lot of IOUs.
“Daghan pa gihapon mi utang nga pagabayran (We still have a lot of debts to pay off). Nag-hope gyud ko nga more than eighty thousand ang bonus but kini ra man (I really hoped that the bonus would be more than eighty thousand but this is all we got),” one of my female friends said. She recently got hitched and has a baby boy. Still, my friend admitted that the fifty thousand bonus was a big help for her and her family. She admitted it was definitely a far cry from the usual five thousand bonus most private employees in Bukidnon received this year.
Which brings me to ask…how come a province like Bukidnon can afford to give this much as bonus to its government employees?
The Province of Bukidnon is set to host the 8th Mindanao Island Conference of the The Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines. The event, themed “One Island, One Mindanao, Give Peace a Chance,” will be held at the Kaamulan Open Theater, Malaybalay City from November 12 to 14, 2008.
Bukidnon 2nd District Board Member Atty. Nemesio Beltran, Jr. said that the conference will see the attendance of hundreds of provincial legislators from all over Mindanao. Beltran also said that Bukidnon’s very own, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, is expected to attend the event. Zubiri, who previously served as Bukidnon 3rd District Congressman, is set to deliver the keynote speech.
Bukidnon Board Member Ben Pancrudo will act as lead convener.
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