Rise of the Black Bord

Here's the latest installment of the Ilonggo-dubbed "300" made famous by Talibong1 which, by the way, has spawned so many imitators. It never fails to make me laugh.

Rise of the Black Bord



Benjo Sa Ulihi Nga Ginhawa (Part 1)




Benjo Sa Ulihi Nga Ginhawa (Part 2)

Ilonggo ko nga Tunay

Here's an authentic Ilonggo folk song titled "Ilonggo ko nga Tunay" captured on YouTube. Enjoy!

The State of English in the Philippines

While Leo San Miguel was busy "surprising" people in the Senate, another San Miguel was making waves at the recent Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant. Watch this video:



Now I have attended many small, barangay-level beauty pageants in my lifetime and I even had the honor of "judging" quite a few of these contests in Iloilo so I am no stranger to the "pang-beauty pageant english" of Miss San Miguel. It happens most of the time in the provinces and people always get a kick out of it. I can never understand why beauty contestants insist on answering questions in English when it is so plain to see that they are hard put to compose even one intelligible sentence in English. Janina San Miguel would have been better off if she spoke Tagalog. Instead she made a fool of herself and is the laughing stock of the country. I would have found her "english" cute and amusing if it was the "Search for Miss Lambunao" but this is the Binibining Pilipinas - supposedly the most prestigious beauty contest in the country. Winners will be representing our country abroad.

And the irony of it all was that the judges saw fit to make her win - as Bb. Pilipinas-World! I don't know what they were thinking!

The Redistricting of Iloilo City

Last week, Iloilo City Congressman Raul Gonzalez, Jr. filed House Bill No. 3672 which seeks to divide the current Lone District of Iloilo City into two congressional districts. Under the proposed bill, the First Congressional District will be comprised of all areas north of Iloilo River (i.e. Jaro, Mandurriao, Lapaz and Lapuz) while the Second Congressional District will be composed of Arevalo, Molo and City Proper located south of the river. Aside from adding another legislative district, the bill will also increase the number of City Councilors from twelve (12) to sixteen (16), to be elected by district.

Although it was already a thriving urban center during the Spanish period, it was only in 1936 that Iloilo City was formally declared a city by virtue of Commonwealth Act 57 (more commonly known as the "Charter of Iloilo City"). Visitors may have noted that each of Iloilo City’s sub-districts, namely Arevalo, Molo, City Proper, Jaro, Lapaz and Mandurriao, has its own church, plaza and even its own fiesta (a more perceptive person will even observe subtle but distinct peculiarities between the said areas). This is because during the Spanish period, Arevalo, Molo, Jaro, Lapaz and Mandurriao were all municipalities and Iloilo City then was only the area known today as “City Proper.” Commonwealth Act No. 57 “collapsed” the towns of Molo, Arevalo, Mandurriao and Lapaz and joined it with City Proper to constitute what is known as the City of Iloilo today.

Since its enactment in 1936, the Iloilo City Charter has been amended at least four times. In 1940, the municipality of Jaro was also "collapsed" and included as part of Iloilo City by virtue of Commonwealth Act 604 which some say was President Manuel Quezon's way of punishing Jaro Mayor Delfin Gonzalez (the father of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez) for not supporting the Nacionalista candidate for governor in Iloilo. Under the old Charter, the mayor, vice mayor and the department heads of Iloilo City were all appointed by the President of the Philippines. Congress later amended the Charter to make these positions elective. Rodolfo "Roding" Ganzon holds the distinction of being the city's first elected mayor.

According to Congressman Gonzalez, redistricting Iloilo City will allow our Representatives to be more responsive to the peculiarities and unique needs of their constituents. It would also mean additional PDAF which could be used for more infrastructure projects that would spur more economic development in the city. For example, Jaro, Mandurriao, Lapaz and Lapuz (which will comprise the First District) have different problems than Arevalo, Molo and City Proper (the Second District). Since the Second District is comprised of the city’s “old quarter,” he says that the congressman of that district should be concerned more with legislation concerning the preservation of Calle Real, restoration of Muelle Loney, how to revitalize commerce in that area, relocating the squatters and beautifying the area, etc. The representative of the First District on the other hand should be focused more on addressing the rapid economic growth in that part which is considered the city’s "new" quarter. Mandurriao, for example, is touted to be the next center of economic development after Megaworld purchased the old Iloilo Airport and announced plans to develop the area into another “Libis.” Also, most of the new housing developments are centered in the Mandurriao-Jaro-Lapaz area and traffic, garbage and flooding are among the perennial problems in that part of the city.

I believe that the addition of another district is not only necessary but long overdue. Other “Commonwealth-era” cities like Manila, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga already have multiple districts. Manila now has six (6), Cebu City presently has two (2), Davao City three (3) and Zamboanga City recently became two districts. Even “newer” or "younger" cities like Marikina and Antipolo now have two. It is about time the Iloilo City, which has long been acknowledged as the cultural, commercial, academic, religious and governmental center of Western Visayas, gets another district.

Iloilo City today is the most densely-populated city in Region 6. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines. Iloilo City is the seat of the Archdiocese of Jaro, one of the oldest and biggest archdioceses in the country. There are seven (7) major universities and dozen s of other reputable schools in Iloilo City make it the center of higher learning in the region. All the major shopping malls, banking institutions and other business establishments can be found in the city as well as the regional offices of national government agencies. In terms of income, population and land area, Iloilo City I believe is more than qualified to merit another legislative district.