Lighter side, but this time only

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- Time flies and fast, but since January I noticed that all this space had to offer were items about the proposed expansion of SM over a strip of forest adjacent to Gov. Pack Rd. I still have plenty of old and new information about the “murder of trees” by SM and its supporters, and the cutting of Benguet Pine and Japanese Alnus in the City of Pines in an attempt to convert it into a city of concrete from its previous status as the City of Pines via the issuance of thousands of tree-cutting permits by DENR.

                But as a respite from what has been in the past weeks, allow me talk about things I saw and heard during the few trips I had between January and last week, and relate a couple of jokes, but for this time only. It will not mean that I am putting down the gloves against the fight for the trees at SM. We will come back to our fighting stance the same way we were, if not stronger.

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            I noticed that during the Philippine Military Academy commencement rites a few months ago, Pnoy’s name was mistakenly and consistently mis-announced as Benigno S. Aquino III. His Excelency’s name should be Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III. Notice the “C” which is his true middle initial which stands for Cojuanco, as against the “S” for Simeon which is part of his first name.

                Even Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, the alter-ego of the President made this mistake. I have noticed this as a common mistake in several stage backdrops and streamers where Pnoy was welcomed as guest speaker. No one from the President’s entourage is trying to correct this, not even lifting an eyebrow. The same mistake recently appeared on Pnoy’s stage when he spoke before people in Mindanao regarding the electricity crisis.

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            Citing his initiatives together with LGU executives on the provincial and municipal levels in improving the road network and other infrastructure for the use of farmers in the province, Benguet Congressman Ronald M. Cosalan told members of the Cooperative Bank of Benguet headed by Chairman Miguel P. Luma-ang during their 20th Annual Regular Shareholders General Assembly that as government workers, they have assumed a supportive role to the small private enterprises and small cooperatives that are truly the “backbone of the economy” of the province. “

                It is the livelihood associations, small enterprises and small coops that I want to support,” he said. In a span of 20 years, the co-op bank of Benguet that has members from farmers’ groups, smaller cooperatives, livelihood associations and private businessmen has reached assets amounting to P700 million.

                Indeed, in one of my conversations with Engr. Daway of Benguet District 2, we talked about public works contractors who fight and destroy each other just to grab multi-million public works projects funded through the initiative of the congressman or governor or mayor as the case may be. In so doing, the name of the congressman, governor or mayor is dragged in the fight. In comparison to socio-economic livelihood projects funded in smaller amounts, all the members of the association, their families and the whole community share the benefits, and they do not have to fight each other.

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                Mountain mud is the latest Philippine export. The Governor’s Night with the Media on the second floor of the historic Mt. Province Provincial Capitol on April 7, 2012, eve of the Lang-ay cultural parade, was quite revealing. During a very informal “inumterbyu,” Gov. Leonard Mayaen said he favors small-scale mining because this has supported families ever since and has been the source of livelihood for several communities. But then, he said that small-scale mining in the province is not small anymore. “Small-scale mining has now become large-scale because of the use of machines such as trucks, bulldozers and loaders,” he said.

                Apparently funded by foreigners believed to be Bangladeshi, Korean and Chinese, ores from mining operations in Mainit, Fidelisan, Alab and Besao are loaded on Elf trucks and transferred to bigger trucks along the Halsema highway. These are brought to Zambales and exported to outside countries for milling. The foreign private investors initially are interested to buy copper, but in the course of milling, gold and other minerals are extracted.

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            Last week, I tagged along with my partner, my sisters and brothers in law to Suyoc, Mankayan, where they buried their uncle Calapio Milo. There, I met former Benguet Gov. Jaime Paul Panganiban, there very close relative, who told me brief descriptions of the place. Suyoc was where the first wave of Chinese in Benguet settled, inter-married with the local natives there before spreading to other parts of the province. Gov. Panganiban said,Suyoc is where the Chinese ascendants of the Ngao-si (Ng Sy) family came from. Indeed, the faces of people who attended the burial rites seemed to confirme what he was telling. The faces of the people around us were Chinese-looking.

            Suyoc, Panganiban said, is an old mining settlement that is even older than Lepanto. Just like Mainit in Mt. Province and the mining camps in Itogon, Benguet; mining in Suyoc supported families since time immemorial, even before the arrival of Queen Victoria’s Spanish miners in Mankayan. On mountain slopes above the gold in the Suyocriver, I saw cut-flowers and vegetables on rich black soil side by side with sayote, fruit trees of mango, avocado and langka; coffee, and gabi. Above, the mountains were still covered with green vegetation and Benguet Pine. Suyoc is near the boundary of Bakun, hence, Royalco mining exploration has drilled a couple of holes just across the river along Ili at SitioByangdan. Suyoc is highly recommended for hiking photographers.

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                Joke time. Kumare One: I bet your new hubby does not like the gift you gave him. Kumare Two: You’re right! It’s been seven months now and he has not even used it. Kumare One: By the way, what did you give him? Kumare Two: Memorial plan! (hehe).

Customer: Anya met ngatutpikdytoy, nagbiitmatukkol! Waiter: Amum sir, adu nag-usardytanngemsikalangtinakatukkol!

                Judge to swindler: Ikaw nanaman! Sampung taon ka na humaharap sa korte ko! Swindler: Your honor please, di ko kasalanan kung hindi kayo napro-promote! –marchfianza777@yahoo.com