Remembrances at Lepanto High School

Reminiscing those high school days is nostalgia indeed. All that is left are wishes and memories, yet a smile unquenchable remains at the corner of my lips to muse. I would sit with my classmates on the grassy slopes of the High school grounds and enjoy our lunch. Chatting merrily as we view the clean airstrip of the mining camp, we shouted at the top of our voice as if the people of Cervantes Ilocos Sur and Tadian Mountain Province can hear us over those horizons. Climbing trees that abound on the campus is fun but falling is certainly not, yes these are the gems of childhood. Unforgettable impressions glittering in my memory as years go by.
The single most powerful and compelling force that kept my interest in attending school is so called puppy love. I was infatuated with a pretty girl who is my classmate, revealing her can create repercussions arising from jealousy, is it obvious? Maybe not [laughter], just looking at her innocent face makes me happy and inspired. My infatuation was so intense that I dream of her many times, in my dreams we were holding hands going to school, sometimes my imaginations go wild and she is entangled with it. As I ponder those feelings of youth, how ridiculous they were, it’s really funny guys.
There is the Junior-seniors prom; it is one event that earmarks the transition of a kid’s emotion into an unchallenged stage. I attended the occasion with a borrowed necktie and oversized pants, at first it didn’t really matter. I thought it’s just like a Christmas party or an ordinary happening. But on the night it occurred, the girls literary became ladies, their makeup and attires made them so attractive! Every girl has a peculiar beauty to behold and dancing with her is bliss, an ecstasy. If only you can see my happiness as I danced with my crush, the dance floor, an ordinary pavement has magically transformed into soft clouds under our feet. Her smile so sweet and enticing, I can feel the soft touch of her delicate fingers on my shoulders and cold shivers run down my spine as I held her close to me. We danced to the envy of blinking eyes until the last tune of the inspiring music!
Then graduation usually illicit lots of mixed emotions I wished it never happened because being in high school means extraordinarily happy life. I am with my parents and I feel secured, fear of being alone in college is overwhelming. But life has to go on and the inevitable has to come. Leaving a memory of high school and shedding a part of experience filled with vivacity of life is not easy.
In my waking moments I can hear the echoes of laughter coming from the campus; my classmate’s faces are so alive and vibrant in our high school uniforms. These are very amusing moments I treasure in my life, memories, memories and more memories. Though I can’t remember all the names of my dear classmates, their faces never fade. Smiles they gave me seem to come alive every time I come across one of them in moments of inspiration.

Trapped for Corruption

I received a message from a reliable source who refused to be identified as he is not authorized to release a report, that a top provincial Bureau of Internal Revenue officer, a certain Mr. Josefino Ong was caught red handed extorting money from James Lingbanan a resident of Bauko Mountain Province Philippines. Police operatives from the local Philippine National Police under the leadership of P. Supt. Pedro Laganse Ganir from Ilocos Sur and his men conducted an entrapment operation after a complaint was filed to their office. It ultimately led to the arrest after the entrapment of the Provincial BIR chief of Mt. Province. Prior to his arrest, there were numerous complaints against him but no one reported them to the authorities. It took the courage of one individual to nail the culprit who had been victimizing tax payers for his own enrichment and others who are responsible for his assignment to this locality. Others are encouraged by this arrest to file affidavits to support the cause of the complainant.This is very positive on the part of the tax payers who are frustrated by corrupt people in the government. But sometimes I pity this guy who is forced to extort cash and goods since he is pressured by his superiors to make money for them yet they remain Scot free. He is doing these illegal activities to repay for the lucrative job given to him by these superiors. A BIR personnel I interviewed after he was reassigned to a lesser position told me that the reason for his relief from work was due to the fact that he is too honest. He cannot give gifts to his immediate superiors who expect something in return for his stay in a favored position. Hence, here in the Philippines we need trappers of corrupt people who are free from the recommendations of politicians. Appointments for government positions must be overhauled reflecting the merit system but free from the clutches of politicians.The reason is obvious, meddling hands should be prevented by law and must be applied squarely to all without bias and prejudice.

Justice Denied

Lawyers that I knew
Indeed a master of the law
Upholding justice sacredness
Standing in uprightness
To them I ran for help
When tongues of injustice slurp
They cradle me awhile
From evils snarling fangs
But there is the other side
Mask in hypocrisy
Looking so nice and clean
Upon the law they lean
To make the sharpest claws
Inflicting untold sorrows
Upon the widows and ignorant
Choosing neither young nor old
To satiate their own desires
And suck blood upon my sorrow
Hence no glimpse of tomorrow
A nation full of slithers
To whom shall we look upon?
Thus hope is all gone
As men who uphold the law
Use it to kill anew

Lying Regional Director

Last April 2008 the regional director of the Department of public works and highways of the Cordillera Administrative Region acknowledged before a leading television station the ABS-CBN, that 79.61 % of the phase 1 project cementing the Baguio Bontoc road in Mountain Province is accomplished while the Phase two of said project is 90.67 % accomplished.Today is June 2008 and looking at what the honorable regional director pointed out it would mean the whole stretch of the Mountain province dirt road is cemented and there are only a few kilometers more to patch. I happen to pass by the road in question this month of May and saw the works accomplished, it is a sorry sight since the project has a long way to go. An ordinary citizen can immediately detect that one third of the multimillion road work project is just barely accomplished. Yet we find the Regional Director telling the nation and the people of Mountain Province that the work is almost done. When ask about some doubts in his sweeping statements, he challenged those people at the ABS-CBN to accompany him to the sight. So I made a counter statement to the same TV station and challenged said regional director to invite local media in Mountain Province and non government organizations to inspect the site with him. Up to the writing of this comment the challenge remains because we believe that still only a third of the road work is done and millions are being drained and wasted. This is just another example of justifying liquidations of millions of pesos and denying the people the benefits of the taxes they paid.

A Consumer or a Producer Nation?

In Mountain Province Philippines,they are proud of the Lang-ay festival that is celebrated on april 7th every year.This is good in many respect because it showcases many cultural miliu of every tribe in the province.The festivities lasting for a week is one stop shop to those who would like to visit the tribes of Mountain province in one setting.The only problem is the lang-ay wine that the present administration claim as a success, it is beset with lack of raw materials to be processed,so that the wine makers are importing from other provinces the raw materials for their production. Why is there lack of raw materials? Partly to blame is the province whose geographical area is 80 percent ravines and the provincial government who uses their 20 prcent developement fund on projects such as purchasing luxury vehicle,spacious and beautiful confrence halls,gyms, waiting sheds even if not needed,other buildings and the enumeration goes ad infinitum. The support for agricultural production which is the real need to make the province a producing one is not a priority, that is the reason why there are no raw materials to process.
The scenario in the national level is parallel to the local government unit like the Province. Officials have neglected how to help the majority of the filipinos to be productive but concentrated on helping a few big industries and prolifirated the importation busines.The philosphy behind these mindset of many public officials by allowing the country to be a consumer republic rather than a producer one is simply because many Filipinos are abroad sending money back home for their families and relatives to spend on the goods and services owned by our very own politicians.

The Ugly Side of Baguio

It is ironic the government officials and employees of Baguio city hall are so confident that they are doing their work well , they keep on promoting the beauty of the city being the summer capital of the philippines. But alas! railings in their sorry state is a common sight, protruding rusty iron abounds on side walks specially at the city market and garbage along the roads with stinking odour fills the air. The city officials are mayopic they need an eye doctor.

Best Among the Best

Rafael Cachatar of Maligcong Mountain Province Philippines was given a citation by the Lepanto Consolidated Mining company for his exemplary performance in mine safety. He was my mentor in the Boy Scouting movement during the 1970's, he provided our group with readiness and capabilities as real Boy scouts. Being an employee [retired] of the gold mining firm he used his skills as a scout master to provide safety measures for the underground workers as well as those who are working at the surface. Admittedly, it was during his time as a safety inspector that accidents in the mining camp was very minimal thus earning his record as the best among the best when compared with other safety inspectors all over the country. Hopefully such good work of this man will be emulated by others not only his fellow safety inspectors but by the government workers as well, who must work out to be the best among the best of good deeds in their bureau.