Burden of Proof

A PERSON HELD liable by the court of public opinion of a crime that he could not have really done, but was incriminated because it appeared that he was the one who had enough motives to authorize the crime, has a harder task of clearing his name than the one who faces a formal charge in the court. The masses deliver their verdict based on the perception they develop from their observations and from the information that circulates in public, not from the conventional evidence sought by the court. To win in the court of public opinion, the battle must be fought and won in the hearts and minds of the people. Winning the battle is the business of PR specialists and not of lawyers. It’s a warfare waged through information or disinformation.

When Dong Batul was slain last May 22, Mayor Edward Hagedorn became the easy suspect of the public who had followed their long running political quarrel. Being the staple menu in Batul’s commentaries since the broadcaster started his glorious career, Hagedorn had expected that the blame would be passed on to him. However, many of Batul’s media colleagues do not believe that the mayor was behind the murder. Besides, the mayor’s behavior in the face of terrible controversies in the past, weathering them without resorting to violence, made him the last suspect in the crime.

But this opinion is now fading fast due to the recent actions attributed to the mayor’s lackeys, who may have unwittingly raised clouds of suspicion on the mayor’s supposed innocence with regard to Batul’s murder. Surveillance of people close to Batul, harassment of uncompromising journalists by mercenary media practitioners, and other desperate moves to redeem the administration from adverse public opinion are actually doing more harm than good. The mayor’s inept local PR machinery has compounded things further. As we all know, radio station DYER (its former name DYEH carried Hagedorn’s initials) is under the control of the mayor’s family and therefore, it is just a natural conclusion that its employees are getting orders from the mayor.

For a month now, Louie Larrosa has been challenging Bandillo ng Palawan to produce proof that he implicated us in the Free Palawan Media website. Why, if he has been consuming enough amount of iodized salt, he could have easily proven to the public that Bandillo ng Palawan is wrong just by playing his recorded discussion on said website! That is, if his illegitimate station is operating in the manner of the stations licensed with the National Telecommunications Commission, and if he will play a tampered tape. The burden of proof rests with DYER, not with Bandillo ng Palawan; they should be the one justifying themselves to the public, not us. We said they are harassing us and we have proven that with the tapes of their broadcasts; they said we are lying and have asked us to prove that we are not lying. Whew! More iodized salt, please! Mayor Hagedorn has to be aware now that Louie Larrosa is actually a liability; his incompetence in handling the issues detrimental to him is making him more unpopular.

Suing a journalist for libel for publishing a “white paper” that in truth is just a summary of the theories on Batul’s murder circulating all over the city, and the personalities suspected by the public, will not help either. The mayor may succeed in putting that journalist behind bars, but out in the open, thousands of people harbor opinions similar to what was published by that journalist. Will the crippling of the messenger—the journalist-- revoke the impact spread by the message he published? Will it dispel the suspicion harbored by a great number of people towards him as the possible mastermind of the murder? The harm is not caused by the messenger but by the message; therefore, the mayor’s job should be the debunking of the message and not of the messenger, if he really wants to save his reputation.

The best way he can do this is to stop behaving as if he is guilty of Batul’s murder.

Editorial published in the July 10-16, 2006 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan

Ano ang Telephone Brigade?

Ni Lourdes Escaros-Paet

ISA SA mga hinangad ni Fernando “Bastonero” Batul nang nabubuhay pa ito ay ang malinis ang lokal na industriya ng brodkast sa mga tiwaling brodkaster na ibinebenta ang kanilang serbisyo sa mga pulitiko. Sa krusada niyang ito, hayagan niyang binanggit sa ere ang pangalan ng tatlong brodkaster na napatunayan niyang tumatanggap ng suhol mula sa mga pulitiko.

Bagaman namatay siya na humahawak pa rin ng mikropono ang tatlong brodkaster, malaki ang nagawa ng kanyang pagbubulgar ng mga katiwalian sa midya para maging mapanuri ang mga tagpakinig sa mga impormasyong hinahatid ng midya. Isa ito sa naging batayan ng Simbahang Katoliko para gawaran siya ng natatanging parangal.

Ang telephone brigade, na isa sa mga “racket” ng mga tiwaling brodkaster, ay isa sa mga isiniwalat ni Bastonero sa publiko sa kanyang programa. Malalim ang kanyang naging pagsusuri sa operasyon nito at kung ano ang nagagawa nito para sa interes ng mga pulitiko.

Ang telephone brigade ay isang organisadong grupo na pinopondohan ng isang pulitiko para pagandahin ang kanyang imahen at siraan ang mga kalaban nito. Binubuo ito ng mga tiwaling brodkaster at mga callers na nagpapanggap na mga concerned citizens at nagbibigay ng mga scripted na reaksyon.

Ang telephone brigade na pinatakbo ng isang tiwaling brodkaster ang naging dahilan ng kanyang pagkakasibak sa isang himpilan, ayon sa Bastonero.

Para hindi mahalata, may middleman na ginagamit ang pulitiko na siyang nagbibigay ng pondo sa grupo. Ang brodkaster na siyang pinakapuno ng grupo ang tumatanggap ng pondo. Siya rin ang naghahanap ng isyu laban sa mga katunggali ng kanyang panginoong pulitiko, at kanya itong palalakihin sa kanyang programa.

May kakutsaba din siyang isa pang brodkaster na siyang bahala sa operasyon sa labas ng himpilan, tulad ng pag-interbyu sa mga kapanalig na mga sources. Kung minsan, siya na rin ang kumukuha ng pera para sa grupo.

May kaibigan ang tiwaling brodkaster na pumayag na sa kanyang bahay ikabit ang teleponong ginamit ng grupo. Naging kakutsaba rin ng brodkaster ang technician ng himpilan, kung saan ito ang tumatanggap ng mga tawag sa telepono at tanging mga miyembro lang ng grupo ang kanyang pinapapasok.

Bubuksan ng brodkaster ang isyu sa kanyang programa at papalakihin ito ng mga callers na magbibigay ng halos iisang reaksyon. May code na ginagamit ang mga callers na ito kaya alam ng technician kung sino lang ang dapat niyang papasukin.

Dahil iisang posisyon lang ang hinahayag ng mga callers na ito, nakakalikha sila ng impresyon sa publiko na ang kanilang posisyon sa isyu ang damdamin ng nakakarami. Malaki ang nagiging impluwensya nito sa kaisipan ng mga tagapakinig, na ang paniwala sa mga impormasyong hinahayag sa radyo ay katotohanan lahat.

Nagawa ng naturang telephone brigade, na gumalaw noong termino nina Atty. Dennis Socarates at Dong Batul, na pagmukhain sa publiko na depektibo ang kanilang administrasyon. Ito ang isang naging dahilan ng pagkakaalis nila sa puwesto.

Sa ngayon, hindi malayong gumalaw muli ang telephone brigade dahil nasa radyo pa ang mga tiwaling brodkaster na hayagang pinangalanan ni Bastonero sa kanyang programa.

Magiging mas mabangis pa nga ito dahil sa pagkakaroon ng selfon ng halos lahat na ng tao. Text brigade na ang kikilos, o kumikilos na nga yata. Dapat mas maging mapanuri ang mga tagapakinig sa panahon ngayon dahil napakadaling magsinungaling sa text. Napakadali rin sa isang brodkaster na magbasa ng kunwari’y text message mula sa inimbentong numero.

Mga nandaya sa elementary football team ng Puerto Princesa, pinarusahan

Ni Amihan Sabillo

NAHAHARAP sa magkakaibang parusa ang mga taong sangkot sa pagpapalaro ng mga over-aged na atleta na gumamit ng ibang pangalan sa elementary football team ng lungsod noong nakaraang MIMAROPA-RAA Meet.

Ito ay matapos mapatunayan ng special task force na binuo ng DepEd Puerto Princesa para imbestigahan ang kontrobersya sa koponan ng lungsod na totoo ang napabalitang pandaraya.

Dahil sa dungis na nilikha ng anomalya sa pangalan ng lungsod, ipinag-utos ni Meyor Edward Hagedorn ang mass lay-off ng mga empleyado ng City Sports Division, na siyang may responsibilidad sa pagsasanay ng mga atleta ng Puerto Princesa.

Agad tinanggal sa City Sports Division si Antonio Tolosa, ang trainer ng koponan na itinuturo ng mga over-aged na atleta na siyang nag-engganyo sa kanila na maglaro gamit ang ibang pangalan. Si Tolosa ay mahigit sampung taon nang nagsasanay ng mga atleta ng lungsod bilang casual employee.

Pagbabawal namang makalahok sa anumang uri ng school sports sa lungsod ang naging rekomendasyon ni Dr. Servillano Arzaga, officer-in-charge ng City DepEd, sa coach ng koponan na si Gng. Nimfa Herrera, guro sa East Central School.

Sa pagharap ni Arzaga sa Sangguniang Panlungsod noong nakalipas na linggo, sinabi nito na sa lebel lang ng City-DepEd ang naturang desisyon at maaari pa itong bumigat pagdating sa lebel ng DepEd-Mimaropa na siyang may pinal na desisyon sa nasabing usapin.

Maaari umanong maharap sa kasong administratibo at sibil si Herrera kung sa pagtaya ng DepEd–Mimaropa ay mabigat ang kanyang naging kasalanan, ayon pa kay Arzaga.

Nasa pamahalaang panlungsod naman ang desisyon kung kakasuhan nito si Tolosa.

Dahil sa naging pagkukulang nito sa pagsubaybay sa kilos ng kanyang mga tauhan, inalis din sa tungkulin si Supervisor Leaf Miraflores sa pagiging general athletic manager ng koponan ng lungsod. Tulad ni Herrera, pansamantala muna siyang hindi palalahukin sa alinmang sports competition ng City DepEd.

General Matillano, Itinanggi ang Paratang Laban sa Kanya

Ni Lourdes Escaros-Paet

“ANG PAGPATAY kay Dong (Batul) ay insulto sa akin, insulto sa mga mamamayan ng lungsod at lalawigan ng Palawan!”

Ito ang mariing pahayag ni Ret. General Eduardo Matillano, dating hepe ng Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), sa pagsasalita nito sa unang pagkakataon para sagutin ang mga paratang na pinapakalat ng isang grupo na umano ay may kinalaman siya sa pagpaslang sa komentarista.

Si Matillano ay nauna nang nagpahayag sa publiko ng intensyon nitong tumakbo bilang alkalde ng lungsod sa 2007 na halalan. Ang pagpatay umano sa komentarista ay magiging paborable sa kanyang ambisyong pulitikal dahil ibibintang ito kay Mayor Edward Hagedorn na parating tinutuligsa ni Batul sa kanyang programa sa radyo.

Mariin namang itinanggi ni Matillano ang ganitong paratang na aniya ay pulitika ang dahilan. Dagdag pa niya, hindi niya ito magagawa dahil matalik niyang kaibigan si Batul kahit nang nasa serbisyo pa siya at wala pa sa DYPR si Batul.

“Inaamin kong marami na akong pinatay na tao. Pero ito ay tawag ng aking tungkulin bilang alagad ng batas. Hindi ako pumapatay ng mga inosenteng tao. Walang dahilan para patayin ko si Dong na aking matalik na kaibigan,” pahayag ng dating heneral.

Sinabi rin niya na ginagamit nito ang kanyang impluwensya bilang dating hepe ng CIDG para mapabilis ang paglutas ng kasong pagpatay kay Batul.

“Hindi ko pinababayaan ang kaso ni Dong. Nang tapunan siya ng granada, isa ako sa unang taong tumawag sa kanya at nag-offer ng tulong tulad ng baril at security. Tiwala lang talaga si Dong sa katahimikan ng lungsod. Hanggang ngayon ay may ginagawa ako sa Kamaynilaan na hindi ko na dapat sabihin pa para mabigyan ng katarungan ang sinapit ni Dong,” pahayag ni Matillano, na nasa Maynila nang makapanayam ng Bandillo.

Sinabi rin ni Matillano na hindi siya nasisiyahan sa nagiging takbo ng imbestigasyon. Aniya, “Walang mamamahayag na kasing tapang at kasing tapat ni Dong na magbulgar ng katotohanan at katiwalian sa pamahalaan dyan sa lungsod. Hindi ako masaya sa mabagal na takbo ng imbistigasyon sa kaso ni Dong Batul. Alam ‘yan ni Col. Elpidio de Asis dahil ako mismo ay nakikipag-usap sa kanya.”

Bukod sa pagpaslang kay Batul, si Matillano ay pinaparatangan din ng kanyang kalaban na nagpapakilos ng isang grupo ng midya sa Kamaynilaan para siraan ang alkalde ng lungsod na kanyang makakatunggali sa darating na halalan.

Pinabulaanan din ito ni Matillano. Aniya: “Hindi totoo ‘yan, wala akong pera para magbayad ng media o bumuo ng media group sa Kamaynilaan.”

Kilala na umano ni Matillano ang grupong gumagalaw para sirain ang kanyang pangalan ngunit tumanggi muna itong isapubliko. Inamin din nito na naghahanda na siya para sa darating na halalan.

Si Matillano, na isang taal na Palaweño, ay isa sa mga haligi ng Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), ang pwersang naging bahagi sa pagpapabagsak sa diktaduryang Marcos at nagtangka ring pabagsakin ang rehimeng Aquino. Humawak siya ng mahahalagang posisyon sa militar at pulisya bago nagretiro.

Making Things Work

By SERGIO A. PONTILLAS

In this era of rapidly decreasing biodiversity, conservation is the key word. In the late 1990s, ecosystems-wide approaches to conservation and management of resources have paved the way for the current practice of community-based resource management schemes. The chanting of this mantra among conservationists and local government units is so strong, it gave way to the sprouting of numerous locally-based, so called, conservation and management projects in almost every municipality in the province. For the sake of bureaucratic commitment, local government units have started their own forestry and mangrove management sites.

There is nothing wrong with this mantra chanting and boasting, of course. We need everything we could do to slow down the rapid decimation of our primary growth and mangrove forests.

The problem arises when we forget the effects that such management schemes may have on the poorest of the poor: those who lack assets and income, and the opportunities to engage in productive activities that can sustain livelihoods. They are excluded from decision-making processes and governance systems. Often, they have no legal recourse. They are vulnerable to man-made and natural disasters, and the diseases that often result from such incidents. They lack the capacity to promote and defend community interests. These people often live in the periphery of society where they try to scratch a living for themselves, most often in the margins of forested lands and mangrove forests. Internal displacement is not far when management schemes, although one would conclude from lip-serving names as “community-based,” are designed without the inclusion of all the local indigents who often do not have the avenue to express their concerns.

When this happens, misguided biodiversity conservation may prove to be the worst enemy of the poor.

This situation hampers conservation in two ways: (1) it defeats the purpose of conservation for those who should be the first to enjoy and benefit from its effects; and (2) it dis-empowers a sector of society which could play a key role in implementing local conservation and management practices in specific areas.

In executing plans, we must not forget the primary beneficiary of our conservation efforts. It is not the scientists or the bureaucrats. It is not the city dwelling consumer living 500 miles away from our forests and mangroves. It is the poor who directly utilize our limited resources that would immediately benefit from conservation and management efforts.

When resource management schemes fail, our scientists can always go somewhere else. Our local officials can declare new projects in new areas. But the local indigent does not have this option. Deprived of almost everything, our poor will keep on scratching the sparse earth in order to live, until energy runs out on them or nature finally turns brown and barren, whichever comes first.

Editorial published in the July 3-9, 2006 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan

Honda Bay declared free of red tide

By Eliseo Valendez

FINALLY, PUERTO Princesans can eat shellfish again from the bountiful waters of Honda Bay.

Contaminated by red tide toxins that caused paralytic shellfish poisoning for almost four years, Honda Bay is now officially free of the organisms, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a recent advisory.

This means that seafood caught in the bay are now safe for human consumption, according to the June 16 advisory.

The lifting of the red tide advisory for Honda Bay came after the latest analysis from the Department of Agriculture’s BFAR and the city government showed negative results for the toxin.

Selina Cabungcal, head of the Palawan Marine Bio-toxin Unit, told Bandillo ng Palawan said three consecutive samplings of the meat of shells taken from the area were tested for red tide toxin contamination, and all yielded negative results.

Red tide toxins have contaminated Honda Bay, one of the major fishing grounds in Puerto Princesa City, since August 2002, BFAR said.

Cabungcal said red tide refers to the bloom of dynoflagellates, a single-celled organism living in the sea. In Honda Bay, marine scientists said the species called pydormiobahamensis was the culprit.

This usually happens “when a long dry season is immediately followed by heavy rain,” Cabungcal said.

Excessive nutrients from water run-off into the sea causes the bloom of the organisms, which in turn lead to red tide poisoning, she explained.

Cabungcal added there were no reported cases of food poisoning while the area was banned for red tide.

The announcement was welcome news for residents in many fishing villages in the city who had suffered immensely when red tide plagued Honda bay.

Malampaya Sound in the northern municipality of Taytay continues to be red tide free, the advisory said.

Catholic Church Honors Slain Broadcaster

By Lourdes Escaros-Paet

CATHOLIC CHURCH officials have given a posthumous award to slain broadcast journalist and former City Vice Mayor Fernando Batul in recognition of his contributions to the local community in Palawan as a devout Catholic layman.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales personally handed the award to Conrada Batul, the mother of the slain broadcaster, during the commencement ceremony of the Golden Jubilee of the vicariate at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Puerto Princesa City last July 2.

Bishop Pedro Arigo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa Arigo personally endorsed Batul for the “Para sa Diyos at sa Bayan Award” because of his exemplary life as a broadcaster who passionately pursued the ideals of truth and justice for the public good.

“Hindi kayang tawaran ang mga nagawa niya lalo na sa pagbulgar ng mga bayarang mamamahayag,” said Arigo, referring to Batul’s crusade to clean the ranks of Palawan’s broadcast media of corrupt practitioners.

Batul, who was gunned down just two days before his 37th birthday, was actively involved in various ministries and organizations of the church such as the Singles for Christ.

As a broadcaster, his faith and zeal for spiritual matters often found their way into his commentaries, elevating his program to a more holistic level.

He was also affiliated with various civic organizations, including the Oil Jaycees, and was an active member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.


The Batul family expressed their gratitude to the Catholic Church for the prestigious award.

Meanwhile, for the second time, the court rescheduled the arraignment of murder suspect Aaron Golifardo, which had beed scheduled last June 22.

The defense counsels availed of the standard 15-day allowance to file a motion for reconsideration on their motion to quash the murder charges against their client, which the court junked for lack of merit.

As this developed, the eight-year old son of Golifardo appealed to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo for the release of his father, whom he said was innocent of the charges against him.
“Tulungan niyo po ako na kausapin ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas na palayain ang aking tatay. Sige na po, parang awa na ninyo. Wala pong kasalanan ang aking tatay,” Aaron Golifardo Jr. said in a letter to Arroyo written on a single sheet of elementary pad paper. He showed the letter to Bandillo ng Palawan before mailing ito to Mr. Arroyo.

He said he wrote the letter as a Father’s Day gift to the older Golifardo, who has been in jail since May 24. The boy said he knows his father, a policeman, did not kill Batul because they were together when the murder incident happened last May 22.

A pupil in a public elementary school, the young Golifardo appealed to the Task Force Dong Batul to release his father and find the real gunmen. He also relayed a message to his father, saying “Papa nalulungkot po ako sa ‘yo, alam kong wala kang kasalanan.”

Biosand Filter answers the need for safe water

A Single Drop reaches Palawan

By Eliseo H. Valendez

WATER IS not just the source of life. For Filipino-American Gemma Bulos, founder of ‘A Single Drop’ (ASD), a US-based non-government organization, water is a powerful force that can unite people around the world.

Bulos characterized water as an equalizer for life, owing from the fact that all living things, of any kind and status in life, need water in order to live. Thus, “with equality, there will be unity, with unity there is peace,” Bulos explained.

Her organization has reached many parts of the world through songs that touch on the theme of unity and sharing of ideas for safe and clean water. In Palawan, ASD found adherents through the “Project Implementers Workshop for the Biosand Filter.”

Held last June 20-23 and June 26-29 in Puerto Princesa City, the Palawan NGO Network, Inc. (PNNI) hosted the workshops, which was co-sponsored by the Women’s Global Green Action Network (WGGAN). The Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) provided the trainers.

The first workshop drew 18 participants from different towns in Palawan, while 27 participants joined the second set that was intended for NGO members from different provinces across the country.

The WGGAN sponsored the attendance of 10 women who are expected to re-echo the training workshop in their own localities.

The ASD promotes the use of Biosand water filter, which uses cheap materials such as gravel and sand to produce safe drinking water, making it more accessible to the poor. It works like traditional slow sand filters that are used in most commercial water purifying systems.

“It is simply a concrete container, with layers of sand and gravel inside it. The sand and gravel remove dirt, bacteria, viruses and parasites and other impurities from the water,” according to a brochure about the filter.

“The Biosand filter removes more than 90 per cent of fecal coliform, 100 pe rcent of protozoa and helmints, 50 to 90 per cent of organic and inorganic toxicants, and up to 67 per cent of iron and manganese,” it added. The device also removes most suspended sediment in the water.

The filter, which can “produce up to 60 liters of filtered water per hour,” could be used for many years, according to Bulos. It is “affordable, simple and sustainable,” she added.

The ASD has gained support from the Department of Health (DOH), Bulos said.

With the technology having passed through several scientific tests, Bulos is looking forward to the support of local government units, which she believes would help communities to easily accept the project.

The use of the filter could also help create a micro-business in local communities since it is easy to build, as proven by the participants in the workshop.

However, Bulos assured commercial water purifying businesses that it would pose no threat to them.

“We don’t believe that there will be a conflict with businessmen,” Bulos stressed. She added that the market for the technology she is promoting is the poor, or “those who wouldn’t buy bottled water.”

By introducing the project to poor communities, Bulos sees an opening of opportunities for those who do not have access to safe water. Promoting this technology also gives health workers an opportunity to “go and speak up to the household level to tackle about hygiene,” she said.

The ASD continues to forge partnerships with different organizations around the world, and Bulos is hoping to establish a partnership with the World Health Organization.

But she feels blessed with the partnership she has forged with Philippine NGOs, as her roots are in the Philippines.

Pampanga is her parents’ hometown, and doing something for the country means something to her, the teary-eyed Bulos said.

As A Single Drop continues to create waves that would reach different communities across the world, poor areas that still have no access to clean water can now hope for a better quality of life.

Palawan at Risk for FMD

By Lourdes Escaros-Paet

THE VAST, unguarded coastline of Palawan and the surreptitious shipping of livestock from Luzon by some traders could bring the dreaded foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the province’s soil, to the detriment of its flourishing livestock industry.

Despite the ban imposed on the shipping of livestock from FMD-infested areas like Luzon to FMD-free areas like Palawan, some traders were able to bring in livestock to the province. Two weeks ago, authorities in the municipality of Roxas intercepted a shipment of 14 goats from mainland Luzon, which were unloaded in the port of San Vicente by a boat from Manila.

The trader claimed that port authorities in Manila allowed the shipment, but local authorities found it had no proper papers. Quarantine personnel of the Bureau of Animal Industry and Provincial Veterinary Office destroyed the livestock in Roxas by burning them to prevent possible FMD contamination in Palawan.

Last June 21, another boat from Batangas tried to unload six goats in the pier of Roxas, but local authorities discovered the shipment before it could be unloaded. Municipal Agriculturist Edgar Padul ordered the captain of MV Our Lady of Manaoag to bring back the goats, which were owned by a certain Perlita Dadores from Roxas, to the port of origin.

Upon arrival in the port of Puerto Princesa City, the boat captain claimed that they threw the goats overboard. However, a concerned cattle raiser in Roxas immediately informed quarantine personnel in the city that four of the goats were found in Tumarbong, a coastal barangay of Roxas, while two others were found wandering in the town proper.

The quarantine team proceeded immediately to Roxas and destroyed the goats.

Padul blamed these incidents on the laxity of quarantine officers in the ports of Luzon who, despite the moratorium, allow traders to ship livestock to Palawan.

At present, only Mindanao Island, Masbate and Palawan remain FMD-free in the country, he said.

Published in the July 3-9, 2006 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan

Lust for Conquest

By Robert Bagalay

Certainly, nobody wants to lose if there is a sure way of winning. There is no glory in losing, and so, everyone wants to win even though they know that their victories could later turn into ignominies that would haunt them all their life. Those who cannot win the game in an honest way usually resort to cheating and lying to lay hold of the crown that belongs to someone else. They take the glory and honor they are not worthy of, hoping that the accolades that would be showered to them and the perks that goes with their fake victory would buy them some happiness that would fill the emptiness in their heart. But in such stolen victories, celebrations are only make-believe, for in the corner of their mind, a small voice keeps reminding them that they have actually lost.

When the people behind the elementary football team of Puerto Princesa decided to send to the Mimaropa Meet over-aged athletes using the birth certificates of younger pupils, they only had one thing in mind: to win. But it was a Faustian bargain; the medals were gained at the expense of the city’s dignity and the players’ morality. People involved in the anomaly claimed that what they did is not new in the school sporting meets and as a matter of fact, most delegations are engaged in the dirty business, implying that if a team would play honestly, it would never win. Such justification is not surprising anymore in this age of raging moral corruption and ethical perversion. Indeed, those who remain upright in these evil days find that the world is moving against them, pushing them back to forsaken, narrow corners for their final stand.

But with most of us still calling for moral order in our society, such an act of dishonesty is still far from being acceptable even it is already the “norm” in athletic competitions, especially when the culprits are the people who should be the role model of the youth. Teachers should be the last persons to cheat and lie; for if they would be the first, they would be raising an entire nation of cheaters and liars. Teachers who fly in rage after finding their students cheating during exams but authorize, or worse, carry out the cheating in the athletic competitions are worse than public officials who steal the public’s money. The public officials’ crimes result only to public projects that deteriorate months after their construction, but the teacher’s crime shatters the moral foundation of the students, perverts their values and corrupts their character—almost tantamount to waylaying them into moral pitfalls.

It is unfortunate that while DepEd officials and teachers showed great interest in the success of the city delegation in the regional meet (triggered perhaps by the cash incentives), they failed to realize that such dishonesty, done for the sake of the title and medals, incurred great cost beyond what they could imagine. It was a Pyrrhic victory, a conquest that entailed terrible costs on the victors—wounds that cut deep into the hearts of the offended pupils, stains that will stick forever to the names of the persons involved in the scandal, lost respect that cannot be restored again.

The kind of victory that education officials must endeavor to achieve is the victory over the temptation to match with the same fraudulent practices, the fraudulent practices of other delegations. It gathers no accolades and cash incentives, but surely, it brings peace of mind and a clear conscience.

It is the kind of victory that will make God smile and the angels blow their trumpets in jubilation.

Editorial published in the June 26-July2, 2006 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan

Si Mayor Hagedorn, si Louie Larrosa, at ang Free Palawan Media website

Ni Yasmin D. Arquiza

Nitong mga nakaraang lingo, naging usap-usapan sa Puerto Princesa ang pagdawit sa Bandillo ng Palawan ng dalawang personalidad sa isang kontrobersyal na website.

Tinutukoy natin dito ang tinatawag ng DYER na Free Palawan Media website, na tumatalakay sa pagpaslang ng brodkaster na si Dong Batul. Maraming araw din itong naging laman ng mga komentaryo ni Louie Larrosa, at paulit-ulit niyang idinawit ang Bandillo dito. Bagaman wala siyang binabanggit na pangalan, sinabi rin niya na may dalawang babae mula sa print media ng Palawan, na ang isa ay nagsusulat sa isang nasyunal na pahayagan, na may kinalaman umano sa website na ito. Mas matapang sa kanya si Mayor Edward Hagedorn, at hayagang binanggit ang pangalan ko sa isang panayam niya sa Radyo ng Bayan. Naging haka-haka ng maraming nakikinig na ang isa pang babaeng tinutukoy ni Louie ay si Jofelle Tesorio, isa sa mga patnugot namin sa Bandillo at correspondent ng Philippine Daily Inquirer sa Palawan.

Dahil sa paulit-ulit na pasaring sa radyo, maraming taga-Puerto ang nag-alala sa kaligtasan namin ni Jofelle. Nabahala nang husto ang mga kamag-anak ni Jofelle, kaya pagkatapos ng libing ni Dong Batul noong Hunyo 3 ay pinayuhan siyang umalis muna sa lungsod. Makalipas ang dalawang lingo ay napilitan na rin akong hindi bumalik sa Puerto Princesa matapos ang book launching ko sa Manila. Inosente kami ni Jofelle sa mga paratang ng DYER at ni meyor, ngunit nakakabahala ang kanilang mga sinasabi kaya minabuti naming umiwas na lang sa maaaring nakaumang na panganib sa siyudad.

(Siyanga pala, napag-alaman namin na ang pinakalat na balita sa Puerto Princesa ay umiiwas lang daw kami ni Jofelle sa mga warrant of arrest for libel kaya kami umalis. Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, nakapag-file na kami ng bail bond sa korte para sa Jewelmer na libel case, at ganon din si Jofelle sa kanyang libel case mula kay dating konggresista Vicente Sandoval. Ito ay sa kabutihang loob ng Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists na nagbigay sa amin ng pambayad. Ibig sabihin, walang katotohanan ang tsismis tungkol sa warrant of arrest na iyan.)

Bago ako umalis, nakakuha ang Bandillo ng kopya ng mga pahina ng website na binabanggit ni Louie. Nagmula ito sa isang ahensiya ng kapulisan, at dahil sinasabi ni Louie na sa kanya nagmula lahat ng kopya ng website sa lungsod, malamang ay sa kanya nanggaling ang kopya na nakuha namin. Bukod dito, nakakuha rin kami ng mga tape na nagpapatunay ng pagdawit nina meyor at Louie sa Bandillo sa naturang website. Nasa kamay na ng aming mga ka-partner na ahensya ng media sa Manila ang kopya ng mga tapes (mabuti na lang at may mp3 na) at kontrobersyal na website.

Sa puntong ito, maraming tanong ang bumabagabag sa amin sa Bandillo. Bagaman nagpalabas na kami ng statement tungkol dito, tila walang katapusan ang pagpapakalat ng maling paratang sa amin. Kung tutuusin, ang punong lungsod at si Louie Larrosa ang maraming dapat sagutin na tanong sa kontrobersyang ito.

Una, saan nakuha ni Louie ang kopya ng mga pahina ng website na ikinalat niya sa mga pulis, sa NBI, at sa ibang media?

Ipinagmalaki ni Louie sa kanyang programa noong Hunyo 14 na “ang nag-discuss lang po nito, eksklusibong binuksan po natin ito sa himpapawid, ay ang DYER lamang, at hindi po kasama, at walang alam ang ibang istasyon dito. Walang kopyang nakuha ang ibang istasyon, radyo, print man o broadcast media, dito sa lalawigan ng Palawan, maliban sa DYER.” Kung ganoon, siya lang ang makakapagbigay-liwanag kung saan at paano niya nakuha ang kopya ng website.

Pangalawa, paano nalaman ni Louie na binura kaagad ang website? Ang ibig bang sabihin ay kilala niya ang gumawa nito?

Muli, sa pagmamalaki niya na siya lang ang nakakuha ng kopya ng website, ibinulgar ni Louie sa kanyang programa na “Wala pong may kopya nito dahil 11 o’clock, binura na po ito.” Eksakto pa sa oras, kaya nakakabilib ang kaalaman ni Louie. Kung ganoon, tila siya na nga ang may susi sa misteryosong website.

Pangatlo, bakit halos magkapareho ang sinasabi nina Louie at Mayor Hagedorn tungkol sa pagdawit nila sa Bandillo sa website na ito? At bakit nasabi ni meyor na doon ako naglalagay ng mga sinulat ko?

Sa panayam ng DWRM-Radyo ng Bayan noong Hunyo 8, heto ang sinabi ni Mayor Hagedorn: “Alam natin, well ang sabi nga nila, may mga taga-rito raw na mga lady writers ang nagpasimuno niyan. Maaari, dahil meron diyang isang ever since e, negatibo na sa atin e.” Nang tanungin siya ng reporter kung paano niya na-identify ang gumawa ng website, ito ang sagot ni Meyor: “Nagtatanong-tanong tayo dun sa mga nagmo-monitor e, at alam nila yung klase ng sulat, na-identify nila doon sa isang grupo, plus sa dinami-dami ng lumabas daw doon na local newspapers dito sa atin, ang nai-connect doon sa Internet, yung Bandillo, yung litrato ng Bandillo nandoon. Eh, bakit, wala bang Palawan Times, Palawan Sun, wala bang, dami e, ang daming newspaper, pero don pinakita yon. Atsaka talagang doon nagpo-post si Yasmin, yung Bandillo, doon nagpo-post iyan ng mga Internet ano nila, opinions.”

Sa programa naman ni Louie kung saan sinagot niya ang statement ng Bandillo, tila nagbabasa lang sila mula sa isang script ni meyor. Heto ang sinabi ni Louie: “Nabanggit lang namin yung Bandillo ng Palawan dahil doon sa website na Free Palawan Media.tripod.com, aba ay nakalagay doon yung write-ups ng Bandillo ng Palawan, nung last week na labas ng Bandillo ay yun ang nakalagay doon sa, yung kanilang headlines, diyaryo nila ang nakalagay doon sa Free Palawan Media, doon sa website. Sa dinami-dami ng tabloid, yun lang ang nakalagay doon, ano po, kaya binanggit natin ang Bandillo ng Palawan.”

Para sa kaalaman ni meyor, sa bandillo.blogspot.com lang kami naglalagay ng mga lathalain. Sana ay nagkamali lang siya ng tinuran, at mali lang din ang naibigay sa kanya na impormasyon.

Pang-apat, ano ba talaga ang relasyon ni Mayor Hagedorn sa DYER?

Alam nating lahat na ito ang dating DYEH (ang huling dalawang letra ay initials ni meyor). Sa ikalawang buhay nito bilang environmental radio diumano (kaya naging DYER), may suporta bang ibinibigay si meyor dito? Ano ang totoong katayuan ng DYER pagdating sa lisensiya mula sa National Telecommunications Commission?

Isa sa mga binitiwang salita ni Louie sa kanyang programa ang nakatawag-pansin sa atin. Minamaliit niya kasi ang pagdulog ng Bandillo sa mga ka-partner nito na malalaking asosasyon ng media sa nasyunal na lebel. “Bakit dinadala nyo doon? Anong magagawa ng media agencies na ito? Kaya ba nila tayo? Hindi tayo under ng kung saan diyan, ano. Meron tayong sariling sinusunod dito,” ang tinuran ni Louie. Anong ibig niyang sabihin?

Dagdag pa ni Louie: “Hindi natin uurungan ito, kahit magtatawag pa kayo sa presidente ng Pilipinas, kahit sa mga presidente pa ng buong asosasyon ng buong journalists sa buong mundo, hindi natin uurungan yang mga tanong.” Sana nga ay masagot niya nang husto ang mga tanong na bumabagabag sa atin.

Panghuli at pinaka-importanteng tanong para sa amin, sino nga ba ang tinutukoy niyang dalawang babae na gumawa umano ng website?

Ayon kay Louie sa kanyang programa, “Wala kaming sinasabing ang Bandillo ng Palawan ang nagsulat sa website na iyon. Nailagay lang sila doon sa website hindi sa pananakot, hindi sa kung anupaman, kung hindi, sila ang nagsulat at unang mga nagbigay ng write-ups dito sa pagkamatay ng naturang brodkaster kaya sila nilagay sa website.”

Mabuti naman. Kung ganoon, at kung hindi pananakot ang ginagawa niya sa Bandillo, panahon na upang sabihin niya kung sino ang mga pinaghihinalaan na ito upang matigil na ang haka-haka ng maraming tao na kaming dalawa ni Jofelle ang tinutukoy niya.

Ang sabi pa ni Louie sa DYER: “Hindi namin aatrasan yung sinabi naming merong dalawang pinaghihinalaang babae from the print media. Sooner or later, lalabas po ang mga pangalang iyan.”

Sino nga ba ang mga ito, at bakit ganoon na lang ang pag-alipusta ni Louie sa mga diumano’y pinaghinalaan? Narito ang ilang ehemplo:

“Bastos ito e. Biro mo, bastusin ka harap-harapan sa ano, nagtatago sa Internet, tirahin, sirain ka doon, hindi lang bastos iyan, siraulo pa ng dalawang iyan.”

“Ang nilalaman po ng website na iyan, pinapatay at dinudurog ng website yung mga taong walang kinalaman at inaakusahan dun sa website. Yung andun na mga tao, may pamilya din yun e, may kamag-anak, may mga huwes doon na binabanggit. E kung babalikan sila nung pinagdudurog nila doon sa website, aba e, baka kung anong mangyari.”

“Free Palawan Media movement.tripod.com. Ang mga taong nilagay doon, sinalaula, pinatay, dinurog. Sino ang hindi masasaktan niyan? You are convicting them. Character assassination.”

“Mga akusasyon sa mga taong wala ring kinalaman sa kaso na dinurog-durog at kinatay-katay ang mga apelyido at pangalan sa Internet.”

Para sa ordinaryong nakikinig, madaling makapag-init ng damdamin ang mga salita ni Louie. Dahil dito, walang ibang dapat sisihin kundi ang DYER at si Mayor Hagedorn kung may mangyari na hindi kanais-nais sa mga manunulat ng Bandillo ng Palawan, dahil sa pag-ugnay nila sa amin sa kontrobersyal na website.

Panahon na upang linawin nina Mayor Hagedorn at Louie Larrosa ang misteryong bumabalot sa website na ito, upang mawala na ang panganib na nakaumang sa amin at makabalik na kami nang matiwasay ni Jofelle sa mga trabaho namin sa Puerto Princesa.

Bukas ang Bandillo ng Palawan sa mga sagot nina Mayor Hagedorn at Louie Larrosa sa mga tanong na ito.

Ang may-akda ay isa sa limang founding member ng Bandillo ng Palawan. Bagaman siya ay nagbitiw na bilang editorial staff ng diyaryong ito, patuloy siyang naglilingkod bilang mentor ng mga manunulat nito at tumutulong sa pinansyal na aspeto sa boluntaryong kapasidad. Kapag kinakailangan, nagbibigay din siya ng mga lathalain tungkol sa mahahalagang usapin sa Palawan.

Philippine mangrove loss alarming - DENR

By Sergio A. Pontillas

In a region that leads the world in terms of mangrove forest cover, the Philippines now ranks last in Southeast Asia, according to a ranking official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Honorato G. Palis, chief of the Mangrove Research Section of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the DENR raised the alarm during a seminar on mangrove management sponsored by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) on the occasion of its 14th founding anniversary last June 19 in Puerto Princesa City.

“It’s a pity that up to now, (our mangrove management program) consists only of planting trees,” Dr. Palis lamented.

Mangroves have been traditionally used for timber, firewood, medicine, food, and municipal fisheries. Other uses of mangroves are for settlements and salt production.

The December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean has proven that mangroves also serve as shoreline protection against destructive ocean waves, Palis said.

In recent years, mangrove forests have been cleared for the shrimp mariculture industry, which has an estimated annual farm gate value of nine billion dollars, he noted.

Since the 1970s, shrimp production from Asia has been steadily increasing from 26 million tons to 100,000 million tons in the 1980s, reaching a peak of 700,000 million tons in 1995, a DENR report said.

Alongside this increase in economic resource utilization is the steady loss of mangrove forests, estimated at a rate of 4,572 hectares per year. According to Palis, mangrove deforestation in the Philippines is 80 to 90 per cent, which is higher than the Asian deforestation rate of 60 to 70 per cent.

Other causes of mangrove loss, aside from aquaculture, are timber and charcoal production, human settlement, salt pond construction, industrialization, and pollution.

The case of Manila, whose ancient name “Maynilad” signifies the abundance of a mangrove species called “nilad” in its shores, is a perfect example of mangrove deforestation due to industrialization and pollution, Palis said. To date, no more species of “nilad” exists along Manila’s coastline.

Mismatched Policy on Mangroves

Across the country, the rapid decimation of mangroves due to fishpond conversion by virtue of the old Fisheries Code (PD 704) started in the 1970s during the Marcos Era.

Loan incentives provided by the Central Bank and Development Bank of the Philippines also contributed to the large-scale conversion of mangrove forests into fishponds, Palis said.

During the term of President Corazon Aquino from 1986 to 1992, numerous declarations were made for the protection of foreshore areas, and fishpond lease holders were required to plant mangroves.

The late 1980s also saw the widening of mangrove buffer zones, but contrary to the policy of mangrove forest protection, fishpond areas inside forestlands increased from 1,016 hectares in 1982 to 75,548 hectares in 1990.

A new trend in management policy was introduced during the financial crisis of the 1990s, when new regulatory mechanisms, access limitations and conversion initiatives in coastal management were strengthened.

Participation of civil society groups and local government units was seen as a vital component of mangrove forest protection.

New laws like the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan and the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act were designed to include mangrove forests in ecosystems-wide protection of biodiversity.

Integrated Coastal Management became a byword during the late 199’s, but it proved to be too unwieldy for conservationists and policy makers, Palis said.

By the turn of the century, the large-scale ecosystems approach to mangrove conservation was scaled down and a new strategy was adopted.

Community-Based Forest Management

The new trend in managing mangroves aims to turn over control of tenure on mangrove resources to stakeholders in local communities. This includes people’s organizations, non-government organizations, and local government officials at the barangay level.

According to Dr. Palis, ability to use the area for a variety of livelihood activities, to extract wood in limited quantities from mangroves planted in the area, and exemption from paying rent for use of the forested area are the projected benefits of the Community Based Forest Management system.

However, the approach has not helped curb mangrove depletion in Palawan.

“Our mangrove trees have stopped growing after three years,” observed the barangay chairman of Bgy. Mangingisda. He was referring to their mangrove reforestation in a coastal barangay in Puerto Princesa.

Palis replied that the possible problem could be in the proper selection of mangrove propagules, or seedlings, for the mangrove reforestation site of Bgy. Mangingisda.

“There could have been a mismatch,” Palis said.

He added that stakeholders would need to look at mangrove-related problems using an ecosystems approach.

“It is not just about everywhere along our coastlines where we should plant mangroves. Seagrass beds have been erased by some of our misguided mangrove reforestation efforts,” Palis said.