Author Topic: One-on-One with Atty. Luna Piezas  (Read 1852 times)

pioneer

  • To God be the glory alone
  • FOUNDER
  • GURU
  • *****
  • Posts: 18911
  • stay at home
    • View Profile
    • spiritual preparation
One-on-One with Atty. Luna Piezas
« on: October 24, 2007, 05:59:44 PM »
Written By Loy Palapos
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

The Municipality of Tubigon is lucky (and privileged) to have as Chief Executives, for the past 20 years, achievers whose mission-vision focus is a reflection of the town's needs, potentials, and resources. Starting off with Engr. Eufracio Mascariñas, who devoted almost four terms as Mayor, and three terms as Provincial Board Member, to make his hometown at-par with the best in the country; and followed by nine years by Mr. Paul Lasco; the reins of governance is now on the shoulders of Atty. Luna Piezas.

This neophyte Mayor is never a beginner in governance, considering his more than 40 years in government service, concluded by his being at the helm of the Department of Labor and Employment at the National Capital Region (NCR), where competence is a must and mediocrity is a curse, neither could he be accused of alienation from the pulse of his compatriots for, even while he was a dominant figure in Metro Manila, he was always abreast with the local beat. He left a lucrative private practice after retirement, which included among his clients several gigantic companies and corporations, to come to Bohol and be a part of the mainstream for development. Highly successful personally and family-wise, he can now fulfill a dream of fast-tracking the progress of Tubigon.

We rushed to Tubigon for an ambush interview, only to find out upon arrival in at ten-thirty in the morning, that Mayor Piezas was presiding over a congregation at the town's Cultural Center, and could not be disturbed. At one in the afternoon, my two companions and I went to his office. It was proper timing; he just finished his lunch, and he does not succumb to the habit of a siesta-break. Over a cup of coffee, this interview progressed with no interruption.

LMP: What motivated you to seek an elective position, like becoming a Mayor of Tubigon?
LP: My aim is to serve the people of Tubigon after having a stint in Manila as a successful law practitioner.

LMP: So your family is in Manila?
LP: All my children are working there, right after their college graduation.

LMP: Is your mission accomplished?
LP: Mission accomplished, as far as my family is concerned. My mission is more on community involvement now.

LMP: There were some instances naglisod ang nakadaug nga mga Mayor tungod kay ang legislative body gikan sa laing partido. Do you have the same problem?
LP: No, I don't have. Half of the councilors are in my party, and I am convinced the other half is development-oriented.

LMP: So you have Councilors who belong to the other party? How did you handle them?
LP: Maybe they look up to me as somebody whom they could share and get some ideas, so that's why we have a teamwork.

LMP: Wala na gyoy matawag nato nga ilang pagduda sa imong intensiyon?
LP: No, they don't have any doubt about my intention. We are one because I always tell them that we have the same objectives.

LMP: Pila na ka months ang imong pagka-Mayor?
LP: I am entering the fourth month.

LMP: Within these four months, what are your accomplishments?
LP: There are not big-time accomplishments, but we are on the right direction.

LMP: That is very important.
LP: I report to office very early and the employees do the same. I always lead by example, just like what I did when I was in Manila. I made some follow-ups on some important projects which I would like to implement because of some budgetary constraints that come from taxation.

LMP: Talking about projects from the previous administration, which will you also push through?
LP: The previous administration built a tourism office, which is halfway. Because of the trust of the government towards promoting eco-cultural tourism, I have to make a follow-up of the budget for the release of the balance of P1.2 M. Rest assured that money will be coming and I am hopeful that this will be completed for the good of Tubigon tourism.

LMP: You have already designated a staff for this tourism office?
LP: I haven't but we have already created a Municipal Tourism Council.

LMP: What is the composition?
LP: It is the Vice-Mayor as the Chairman and members come from the different sectors of the community.

LMP: What are the tourism spots in your municipality? How do you plan to address some needs?
LP: I receive recently a directive from the Governor where he cited that we should create a Municipal Tourism Council, and we should come up with the town's Municipal Master Plan. We are now on the process of formulating this Master Plan.

We are also directed to identify the tourism spots in Tubigon so that this will be included in the entire package to attract visitors. As far as the figure is concerned, I am proud to tell you that we have already identified at least ten tourist spots. One of these is the port of Tubigon.

LMP: That has been renovated?
LP: Yes. The port of Tubigon is a tourist spot itself because no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on her State of the Nation Address last July 2nd made mention of Tubigon as part of the RORO (Roll On Roll Off) nautical highway to provide transportation for goods and people. People coming from Central Visayas can make their entry point in Tubigon in going around Bohol. No less than the President advocated that; not to mention that Tubigon has the longest port in Bohol.

LMP: What else?
LP: Number two. Tourists from Europe and America, when they come here to Tubigon, would always like to go island-hopping. Nowhere in Bohol can you find a cluster of nine islands. Of these nine islands, six are inhabited while the three are being resided by different people. Inanuran and Hayaan Islands, for example. The Inanuran by a French national, and Mocaboc by the Sagrados. There are two which are not gifted with vast vegetation, and apart from what I said, these islands are by themselves called tourist spots for purposes of island-hopping. Of these nine islands, there are those which are considered tourist spots by themselves, and a fish sanctuary at the same time, for the reason that during summer, wild ducks from Siberia migrate to Luzon, Ilocos Sur, Candaba, and Cabilao and they are also coming to these two islands. Some hunters have found that what they hunted were wild birds from Siberia. These islands, namely Kagan and Budlan are uninhabited. They have fish sanctuaries.

LMP: Maghisgot ta about fish sanctuaries, how do you manage them?
LP: We have a Coastal Road Resource Management group.

LMP: Wala nay dynamite fishing?
LP: Of course there is, but have tried our best to stop it. Another tourist spot is the Ilihan Norte.

LMP: What is that?
LP: What is something unique about this is, unlike the Chocolate Hills and Sagbayan Peak, it is a solid rock, not made of clay. It is called 'plug' in geological term which is composed of magnesium. In fact it is a molten lava thrown out of the crater of a volcano that existed 30 million years ago.

LMP: So there was a volcano here?
LP: Oo, sa una, according to the lady geologist who came here; she will come here next month. The plan is to construct a huge image of Jesus Christ above the rock.

LMP: The next project?
LP: The fourth one is a building that is ongoing now, which is funded by Bea Zobel Ayala, to house all the indigenous products for tourism purposes.

LMP: Dili pod na matawag ug museum?
LP: Dili museum, gi-house tanan indigenous products such as loom weaving. Diba kasagarang mga tourist mao man na ganahan tan-awon nila? Unya ang uniqueness of that building is that it also provides enough space for workers to demonstrate to the foreigners. They do not only like to buy but they also request for a demonstration on how to make such products.

LMP: So unsa may tawag ana?
LP: Ang tawag namo ana is One Stop Shop Center. Di ba tourist attraction na?

LMP: The fifth tourism project?
LP: Ang ikalima, nowhere in the Philippines nga dunay project which is jointly undertaken by a French national and an American National. Sa French, ang ngan sa ilang kompanya is "Echo Ocean" ug sa America is "Coral Reef Check". We avail of their technical know-how. Ganahan sila ug ornamental fish kay daghan man ana diri. Kanang makita sa aquarium like goldfish. Ang mga ornamental fishes sa salt water, mao nay ibayad para sa ilang idea, their technology. Ang isda mabuhi pinaagi sa bihod.

LMP: Bihod, meaning itlog?
LP: Oo. According to the scientists, they want their technology to preserve another 5% or 10% aron daghan tang madakpang isda. Ilang higupon na sa ilahang instrumento. Dad-on ni nila sa coastal barangays, ibutang sa tangke. They will undergo segregation process. After three weeks, muguwa na tong klase-klaseng ornamental fishes. Then inig dako nila, which takes another three weeks, buhian ni sila sa dagat. Gamiton to nila inig export. Unya kadtong giingon nako in the process naa to sa Batasan. All over the world, it's only in Batasan where we can find the blooper fish and green mandarin. We are proud of the tarsier nga naa man gani tarsier sa Leyte, naa man gani pod sa Panay, naa pod sa Indonesia, Malaysia ug Thailand.

LMP: Pero this is a project nga nanginahanglan ug dakong kwarta? Ang sunod?
LP: Ang amo ang yuta, ang building. So, daku gyud. Ang ikaunom is ang Ilihan Sur Dam.

LMP: Ang akong huna-huna ug dam kay kana mang reservoir ug tubig.
LP: Mao ng gi-improve namo na aron di mamad-an ug tubig.

LMP: So i-impound ang tubig?
LP: Oo. Ikapito mao ang Magsaysay Drive.

LMP: Unsa man na?
LP: Ang Magsaysay Drive is the only place here where you can have a view of the entire town.

LMP: So elevated na siya?
LP: Oo. Makita nimo ang entire town, ang nine islands, ug ang Cebu.

LMP: Unya ang approach ana pagkakaron?
LP: Nangayo lage ko ug ayuda sa National Government. Ang ikawalo, kining banakon.

LMP: Di ba cobra man na?
LP: O, cobra. Manggukod ug tawo. Daghan na ang nangamatay tungod niini.

LMP: Unsa may color ana?
LP: Brownish or blackish. Kani ra ba kay pwerteng dakoa, muabot ug 2-3 meters. Summer ni sila tinggawas. Daghan gud mga bata ang mamatay basta summer. Ang ikasiyam, sa National Shrine nga mao ang opisina nga mudeklarar ug cultural heritage, ang among simbahan usa sa lima ka mga simbahan sa Bohol nga gihimong cultural heritage because of its mural painting.

LMP: Katsila maoy gahimo niana?
LP: Oo. Ang ikanapo, wa pa nako maadto, mao kining longest strip of sand. Tulo ra ni sila sa Bohol. Naa ni sa Balicasag, Cabilao ug kining Dumog sa Tubigon. Inig low tide, makita nimo ni siya, kinanindotan gyud ning lugara. Mao lage kay inig-hubas or low tide, moguwa kining strip of sands nga kon tan-awon muabot ug 11 kilometers. Unya inig taob, knee-deep. Kining akong gihisgotan projects sa tourism. Daghan pa kaming mga plano alang sa kalamboan sa Tubigon.

With his animated way of answering the questions I raised, interviewing the new Mayor of Tubigon was a pleasant experience. His gesticulations made more emphatic his desire to realize his eco-tourism and agricultural projects. He is firmly convinced both should develop side-by-side. Like other heads of local governments, he had to confront the reality of the problem on fund-sourcing. But he is optimistic the plans formulated by the Committee on Tourism he has created would materialize.

His optimism is planted on solid grounds. Tubigon is the nearest Bohol town to Cebu. There are more vessels plying the Tubigon-Cebu route than Tagbilaran City and any place else. Mayor Piezas sees the logic of President Arroyo's plan to increase sea traffic through the Strong Republic Nautical Highway Roro System.

The President herself was in Tubigon once and saw for herself that the town is the most convenient entry-point from Cebu. It was also in this interview when I learned that Tubigon presently has the longest wharf in Bohol.

Bright ideas come from minds exposed to life's varied nuances. In his new job, Mayor Luna Piezas has brought with him experiences of a lifetime that comes in handy in a new environment. He knows the challenges of his position, and he is more than prepared to welcome them, with the cooperation of an entire municipality which, in the near future, may become the second city of Bohol.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=5851.0
Romans 10:9
"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."
👇👇👇
Na-try mo na ba yung Tala app? Reliable sa unexpected expenses at laking tulong sa future! Use this code 9SO1TSL or visit www.tala.com to sign up!

unionbank online loan application low interest, credit card, easy and fast approval

Tags: