MikeLigalig.com

abalos just resigned, and he's suing joey d venecia for dafamation and neri, too, for perjury... who's lying now?

we hear you, miss priscilla

posted by: the constant critic

A news headline (well, among others, that’s for sure) in last Sunday’s (Sept. 9, 2007) Bohol Chronicle issue caught my critical eye: “US envoy impresses Boholanos”.

But why on earth would US Ambassador Kristie Kenney impress ‘Boholanos’?

read more...

no less

full story here

who needs forgiveness?

(i was at that peace and security assembly and it was crap. too many uniformed men. too many politicians.)

@bulak: you're speaking the ND-speak? are you?

@Happy: not UP-graduates. UP-undergrad's. They couldn't finish their studies because they've gone UG. and not just UP-studes, mind you. UB, USC, SWU, UC.

(p.s. mike: pls. include the link of the original story. and so with the original headline of the story. your post title could be misleading at times. tnx.)

or hepa...

the governor is playing god. and it's not funny.

this is a shocker, a tragic, tragic event...

They're competing for the regional eliminations this Aug. 17 in Cebu. Criteria for judging includes 40% for text votes.

To vote, please text:  VOTE KB72  to 2346.

For Globe and TM users only. Voting ends Aug. 17 5pm.

Happy texting!

Boom Boom's village loses road project after boxer's loss
By Jhunnex Napallacan
Visayas Bureau
Last updated 07:09pm (Mla time) 08/12/2007

CEBU CITY -- The shocking defeat of Rey "Boom-boom" Bautista of the Philippines by Mexico's Daniel Ponce de Leon did not only sadden his fellow Boholanos. It also cost his village a cemented road.

A dismayed Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado said that the plan to cement the provincial road going to Barangay Can-uling, Bautista's home village in the town of Candijay, would not push through -- for now.

Aumentado admitted that before the fight, he promised the young Boholano boxer that the road would be cemented but only if he won.

In fact, Aumentado said, he had ordered the provincial engineering office to draw up a work program for the project that would run for least a kilometer and would cost P7 million.

But since Bautista lost the fight, and was, in fact, the only loser among six Filipino boxers in the World Cup against Mexico, there would be no cemented road leading to Boom-boom's village.

For now, at least, the governor said.

He said he would push through with the cementing project if Bautista would become a champion in the future.

"If Boom-boom becomes a champion, I will fulfill my commitment that I will have the road passing through his barangay in Can-uling cemented. Right now, it's a no go," Aumentado said.

"Maybe later… Let's wait for the time when he becomes champion. And I am hopeful that he still has a bright future in boxing," the governor said in Cebuano in a telephone interview.

Aumentado, who watched the fight on television, said he was dismayed that Bautista did not even last the first round.

But he said he shared the view of many Boholanos and others that at 21 years old, Bautista still had many more opportunities to recover from this defeat and become a champion.

Aumentado said even ring icon Manny Pacquiao suffered defeats before he achieved fame.

He said Bautista’s lack of experience could be a factor in his defeat.

Still, Boholanos were happy because another Boholano, AJ "Bazooka" Banal, won, he said.

But Aumentado was miffed by the error of the boxing announcer who said that Banal came from "Cebu, Philippines" when he hailed from Corilla, Bohol.

Aumentado said Banal would receive a reward on his return. He said that Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim personally went to Sacramento in the United States to support the Boholano boxers.

In Iloilo City, Ilonggos glued to television and radio sets rejoiced at the near-sweep of Filipino boxers over their Mexican opponents.

"I was disappointed that Boom Boom lost ... but I'm still happy that we got the World Cup title," said Saldy Tabanda, 32, a layout artist.

Iloilo-based international boxing referee Alex Vidal said the 5-1 win of the Filipino boxers showed that "we should not focus all our attention on Manny Pacquiao."

"If all poor athletes are given the same opportunity, they can also give glory to the country," said Vidal.

"Because of boxing, we are being noticed worldwide despite all the bad news in the country. We can win our first Olympic gold medal if we focus on and pour our funds in boxing," he said.

Vidal said the Filipino boxers were considered underdogs before they went into the ring against their Mexican opponents.

"Gerry's win was really dramatic. Imagine, a 35-year-old becoming world champion again," said Vidal.

The fight for Peñalosa was his last shot at keeping up his career, added Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella.
With reports from Nestor Burgos Jr. and Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas

olintaha: thank you. i've heard of that sort of dugo-dugo you just described, particularly with the saging. and the way you describe it, sounds really delish! (god! i miss red meat! hehe) about the bloodletting, we used to have this event with my old org: padugo para sa bayan, basically a mass bloodletting activity and come to think of it, i think it would seem like fun to have a huge bloodletting activity, and i imagine the event to be really festive, there'd be music, bands, food, games, stuff (celebrities?). and i think it would sort of mainstream bloodletting, make it a really cool thing to do, not just for ROTC people or junkies who do it for the money. now, this'd all be just wishful thinking, is it not?

ditto to that sigbin 2. where in that cycle are we kaha?

It could happen, you know. Think, Murphy's Law. 

It is good to see this issue discussed. My true wish is that we (the stakeholders, basically, all Bol-anons) could all discuss this with the policy makers, public officials and the Sandugo Foundation where fruitful and tangible solutions could be made, at last. Sometimes, it's frustrating when all you could do is post about it in your blog or in a forum. 

(Note:Oops! I'm missing a few lines in my post. There should be: "Traditions started within the festival must not only be added, enhanced, innovated, not diminished. If the Miss Bohol Sandugo is already a" before "Sandugo fixture...". To read the full article with images, please visit boholrepublic.com)

It’s not August yet, is it? No! But what about the Sandugo? What!?! It’s done? The Sandugo happened without me noticing it? The Sandugo actually happened without me noticing it!

This is clearly a stretch. But very likely, considering this year’s Sandugo Festival which could have bannered the theme: Let’s all celebrate â€" NOT!

I know, we say this each year to most occasions: Christmas, New Year’s, fiestas. “Last year was better.” “It’s so boring this year.” And businessmen would rattle off: “Oh, we incurred much more profits last year.” “The economy’s bad this year.” (When really, the economy has been the same around here â€" really, really bad â€" since, forever?) And, ooh, ooh, what about the ear-splitting monologue of them older species? “Everything was better during our time.” Blah-blah-blah. “A sack of rice was only 1 cent.” Blah-blah-blah.

My histrionic is definitely in the running of being tagged along these shady presumptions, but when something sucks, it sucks. This year’s Sandugo, for instance.

The Sandugo Festival is supposedly rooted in Boholano tradition and history, as embodied by Datu Sikatuna’s blood compact and treaty of friendship with the Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi in March 16, 1565. (Its historical context is even debatable but to dwell on that would be a whole new doctorate dissertation altogether, and that’s excluding the National Historical Institute (NHI)-declared site of the supposed event. So let’s not.)

What’s certain is the continuing (and alarming) decline of the festival since its conception as a spectacular and vibrant celebration of the Boholano people. Well, it was also thought up as a marketing measure for the province’s then fledgling tourism industry which should give us all the more reason to up the ante with the Sandugo Festival if just to substantiate our claims that Bohol is (or is becoming) the country’s top tourism destination. (But really, who are we kidding? Boracay is still the most flocked-to island in the country.)

Streetdancing is staple to Philippine festivals as we know them. With Sandugo, it’s that and the blood compact re-enactment. But whereas other festivals like the Sinulog and Maskara have the Sto. Niño (hala bira, Viva Sto. Niño! chant and the signature Sinulog steps), and the colorful maskara’s, respectively, as icons already stamped into Philippine symbology, the Sandugo has â€" what? Not even the blood compact symbol conveys festive nor memorable enough. Which with the many years it’s been celebrated should’ve already registered something, anything, nothing.

Bohol is still represented by the ever adorable tarsier and the enduring Chocolate Hills. The Sandugo Festival has basically contributed little to our tourism industry. It has almost become a customary (month-long) holiday, something we have to do because we’re supposed to, not unlike those obscure historic holidays where scores of Philippine flags are raised for reasons no longer discussed at length than in the 15-minute recycled speeches of some (clueless, for sure) government official.

Sandugo streetdancing used to be this really huge event where people go out of their way in droves to watch the city’s main thoroughfare transform into a gushing stream of dazzling dancing, captivating music and a sincere air of small-town intimacy about it. Streetdancing competitions were stiff (which meant superior performances), parade floats (I remember dump trucks suited up as galleons) were imposing. This year’s streetdancing was a non-event really, barely rescued by the recycled Sandugo Oracles updated only with Cesar Montano and Cesar Montano? (Will we have a yearly Sandugo Oracles staging hereon? That idea is not exactly revolting but not exciting either.)

Other Sandugo Festival elements have, equally if not even more, retrogressed. The Miss Sandugo Pageant was again bypassed this year. Trade Fairs and Product Showcases have been deliberately split (in what seems to be) along social lines. And we know which class got the pier, made obvious by its growing number of ukay-ukay stalls.

This could go on forever, me, pointing out the failings of this year’s Sandugo and those before it. I must stop, then. And must now shift to discussing remedies to the degenerating Sandugo.

Confront the Sandugo site issue. NHI has declared the Loay site as the real location of the Sandugo blood compact. What’s been done about it? Nada. The issue has been largely ignored to Loay’s chagrin for their Sandugo celebration in March was mostly snubbed, too.

Free it from politics, allow more genuine civil society participation in all its stages.

Plan it ahead. Other festivals arranged theirs months ahead and distribute updated festival brochures as early as two months away from the scheduled event. And the planning for this year’s Sandugo was stalled even more, what with the midterm election hoopla.

Sandugo fixture, it should remain so. Not to be replaced with Miss Gay Sandugo, but may only be supplemented with it.

Sandugo is superior to the TBTK. The Sandugo may not be masked over each time there’s TBTK, but be even made more spectacular with the participation of the homecoming Boholanos.

Concentrate the Sandugo. Clearly we can not sustain a month-long Sandugo. The bulk of the gaiety still goes to the streetdancing weekend, where it should be. So why not just make it into a weekend festival, 3 days of non-stop party, or week-long max if need be. Most festivals are: Pahiyas, Sinulog, even, Woodstock (3 days of peace, love and music).

Create a festive Sandugo symbol already. Blood is good. Or something red, for blood. We could all walk around painted all over with red. Or have a huge puddle of red mud where we all dive to get red-stained (yah, as in Woodsstock). Invent a Sandugo dance step. A Sandugo mascot. Something, anything.

Let’s just make it bloody exciting please. An anemic Sandugo celebration is not what Sikatuna and Legaspi slashed their wrists for.

Why not?