Ex-Baguio mayor Bugnosen passes on / Sen. Sotto’s ‘joke’
>> Monday, May 22, 2017
BEHIND THE
SCENES
Alfred P.
Dizon
BAGUIO CITY – This summer capital lost one of its gentle
and compassionate mayors last week.
Former city mayor
Jaime Roldan Bugnosen passed on May 9 after celebrating his 91st birthday at
the hospital the preceding Saturday.
A report by Julie
Fianza of the city information office said Bugnosen was born in Tadian, Mt.
Province May 6, 1926 to Isidro Cat-eg Bugnosen and Flora Roldan. Bugnosen was
the eldest of five siblings: Andres, Mauricio, Floro and Mercedes.
He graduated from
Lucban Elementary School in 1938, after transferring from Mankayan, Benguet.
His high school days at the Baguio City High School were cut short due to World
War II, but he finished later at the Kalinga Academy in Kalinga.
He graduated with the
degree Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Baguio (UB) and
passed the board examinations for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1957.
He served as a
dedicated public servant being elected and re-elected as city councilor in 1963
and 1967, as vice-mayor and later as mayor of the city, in 1988 to 1992. He
bowed out of public service after 18 years, and was often sought as lecturer
and active socio-civic leader.
While in the city
council, he was instrumental in establishment of Baguio City High School
annexes, Special Education (SpEd) school and other public works.
Awarded as an
outstanding citizen during the 102th Baguio Charter day celebration, he
continued to share his visions to the younger generation through education and
socio-civic work, clubs and federations, some of which he pioneered.
Married to Onesima
Elizalde Manipon of San Juan, La Union, Tagudin and Santiago, Ilocos Sur; they
have six children; Isiand, Cynthia, Marichu, Jaime Jr., Eileen Mae and Marlowe.
The late mayor was
seen as a gentle person, often inculcating values through kindness in words and
deeds. According to one of his sons, he taught them to be sensitive to other people’s
feelings and predicaments.
His remains lie in
state at his Sta. Scholastica home and will be brought to city hall on Tuesday,
May 16, for services. On Wednesday his remains will be transferred to the
United Church of Christ Philippines (UCCP), Baguio before burial.
Our condolences to the
Bugnosen family, particularly to Sonny (Jaime Jr.), a fellow musician of the
jazz genre, who like his father, is a
humble man. Sonny was asked by the Pomar family to play piano at the opening of
Crossroads Bar along Naguillian Road on Friday but he begged off, saying his
father died.
***
It took a “joke” from
Sen. Tito Sotto for the plight of solo parents, particularly mothers to be put
in the limelight.
According to Sotto, it
is a sign of moving on from the issue that raised public ire when he cracked a
joke about single parents at the confirmation hearing of Welfare Secretary Judy
Taguiwalo.
Sotto said she was “na
ganun” to imply she did the sexual act, being a solo parent which raised a howl
among the populace particularly feminists. The senator could simply have
forgotten that he was not hosting “Eat Bulaga,” the television show where a
word, action or object could be given a sexual connotation by its overly
imaginative hosts.
“It was blown out of
proportion, but it is a blessing in disguise because there is more attention to
it. We can rally Congress,” Sotto said. “We can rally the Senate to seriously
look at the amendments that they are proposing which if think are very laudable
and important.”
A group of solo
parents met with the Office of the Majority Floor Leader Sen. Tito Sotto to ask
for support about the amendment of Republic Act 8972 or the Solo Parents
Welfare Act.
According to DSWD
Central Office Solo Parents Organization president Carina Javier, the
organization wants single parents to have more benefits under this law. It
includes discounts on products such as milk, vitamins, supplements and
medicine, hospitalization bills, laboratory fees, school supplies and others.
“We want to have law,
RA 8972, amended within the year if possible, this amendment will grant
additional benefits and privileges to solo parents and our children. And we all
know that majority of solo parents are women, poor, unemployed, uneducated,”
Javier said.
Senator Sotto assured
that he will push for the appeal of the Solo Parents’ Organization at the
senate.
Sen. Sotto said he
will immediately create a draft bill that may be consolidated with other
proposed amendments on the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act.
“We will seriously
look into their plight, their plight, and work on it and ask for the support of
other members of Congress,” Sotto added.
The issue maybe far
from over as Sotto’s ad lib is still
getting statements from individuals and groups who are lambasting him over his
“joke.”
***
Here is one sent to us
by Kate Lappin, regional coordinator of
Asia Pacific Forum On
Women Law And Development (APWLD).
“The recent misogynist
attacks on Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and Secretary Gina Lopez by the Philippine
Commission of Appointments are alarming signs of institutional sexism.
“The Committee’s
questioning of Secretary Taguiwalo’s marital status implies that unmarried
mothers have no right to participate in public life. It is insulting to an
individual who has dedicated her life to advancing the rights of women,
prioritized ending corruption and consistently acted in the interest of
marginalized communities.
“The Committee’s
failure to confirm Secretary Lopez to the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources after raising 'controversial policies, and alleged incompetence and
being weird or eccentric' is at complete odds with Secretary Lopez’s
distinguished career as an environmental activist who has confronted powerful
extractive industries, in a country where women are suffering from the
environmental devastation caused by mining industry.
“These malicious and
sexist attacks serve the purpose of protecting the interests of powerful
corporations over local communities, and are indicative of political systems
designed to advance the interests of a few powerful men and the ruling elite.
“There are only
18 percent women in political leadership positions across the region and
it is quite rare for them to represent the interests of people, particularly
women. Secretaries Taguiwalo and Lopez are the leaders we deserve and need, but
attacks like these create an atmosphere that deter them from leadership
positions.”
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