My Personal Opinion

This is day one in my effort to write a blog daily. The goal of this blog is to improve my skill in writing because I am very much aware that it sucks. And the topic of my first daily blog is a bit political. I will be taking off from the statement of Congressman Arnie Teves during the Senate Hearing. He was accused of striking fear in the people of Negros Oriental, and he responded that it was false because of the thousands of followers he has on Facebook, there are countless people he helped, and citizens also treat him as a celebrity and have pictures with them. And from my understanding of his defense, he is not feared or creating fear because of the thousands of accounts where Congressman Arnie Teves considers himself approachable. Will the Senate accept his defense? That I do not know. But what we know for certain is, Congressman Arnie Teves, does give financial aid to his constituents when asked. I believe hundreds if not thousands can prove this claim. Because anyone from the 3...

Who Killed Roel Ragay Degamo ? That is probably the biggest question inside the mind of the residents of Negros Oriental .  On March 04, 2023, armed men stormed the house of the Governor, where he was shot and killed along with other innocent victims. The Governor's death became part of the growing statistics of death related to an alleged conflict of political interest. It was shocking that this type of crime happened inside the home of the Governor, and innocent civilians were caught in the crossfires of rivalry. The barbaric act of including civilians gained sympathy from the people of Negros Oriental, who wished for the perpetrators to be caught and brought to justice soon.  Most of the suspects are now under the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) custody. It was a quick response from the Police, compared to the previously unsolved killings in the Province . And it was indeed an applaudable effort that justice can be swift if the PNP will bring forth conviction in serving ...

It was nothing but madness.  The Dumaguete police was called to pacify the crowd after becoming too agitated and inpatient. And around 10-AM when the police left, the tension was still there. The security guard had to shout just to calm the people down. Thankfully, I was able to receive my 10-year validity drivers license today(November 04, 2022), after 8-months of waiting and three scheduled visits at the LTO. The employees can be seen working hard to process the renewals and applications. However, it’s very clear that LTO public service needs improvement. If given the chance to recommend, here are simple ways the LTO Dumaguete can improve their services to the people of Negros Oriental: Hire an actual receptionist. The LTO gave this task to the security guard. The LTO is unguarded most of the days since the guard is too busy entertaining applications. Though he is showing good effort, it is not his job. While there’s one personnel that looks like a receptionist inside, comfortabl...

A controversial Facebook post is now circulating online in Dumaguete City and the rest of Negros Oriental. It is a video with a voice recording of what sounds to be the now-seated Governor Roel Degamo. The 1:44 video sounds like the Governor is having a meeting with the staff of Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH). And in the meeting, the seated Governor bluntly expressed his disappointment to the people he was talking to, with some mixed Cebuano explicit words.  You can check the video here , and hopefully it is still up on Facebook by the time you are reading this. I believe that the members of NOPH did not deserve Degamo’s ranting. His anger is politically fueled after having a steep competition against the Teves on the election poles and in Social Media. The staff of NOPH deserves better treatment from the leaders they are working for. Here are my personal observations about the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital This observation was from a few years back, and I hope it...

  Dumaguete City | Buglasan 2022, The Grand Opening October 21, 2022, was the grand opening of the 2022 Buglasan Festival. Buglasan festival is a festival of festivals here in Negros Oriental, and is hosted by its capital city Dumaguete. Speculations were circulating around the province about whether the festivities will push through.  The doubt came after two governors were seated at the provincial capitol, Roel Degamo of Pamplona vs. Pryde Henry Teves of Bayawan.  And if you roam around the Buglasan booth area now, you can find two interesting observations. Firstly, the towns of Valencia and Bayawan did not participate. This is probably because former Mayor Henry Pryde Teves is from Valencia and Bayawan. After he lost to Roel Degamo from a decision  by the DILG, the two towns may have lost the spirit to celebrate Buglasan. Or, they are showing a sign of protest. Secondly, and probably the most embarrassing of this year's celebration, 99% of the booths are incomplet...

Dumaguete City | The News Commentator Jones Manaban The News Commentator Jones Manaban Jones Manaban is a legend in Dumaguete City in terms of radio broadcasting. His name will be forever engraved in the history books of Dumaguete as one of the witty radio hosts.  But does his name and title excuse him from making irresponsible statements on air? Here’s where I am coming from. Last October 11 at around 5-PM, Jones Manaban was covering on air the exit of former Mayor and Governor Pryde Henry Teves, as Roel Degamo was about to retake the Governor’s seat. It is very obvious that Jones Manaban is a supporter of the Teves. And during that day on his program, he became agitated when one of the callers referred to a Facebook post accusing the Teves of something irregular. He made several statements, then he closed it by making a remark about using Facebook for “sex”, and making a joke about "Jim Paredes" and his tongue. He is referring to the explicit leaked video of the musician. N...

The Two Governors of Negros Oriental, Degamo vs. Teves The Two Governors of Negros Oriental October 11, 2022, is an unforgettable and sad day for 296,897 Negrense. Today is the day that Governor Pryde Henry Teves stepped down from the provincial office. Governor Pryde followed the mandate of the DILG and refused to hold on to the wishes of his followers of staying in power.  It was noted that after the May 2022 elections, the province of Negros Oriental had two governors. It was after former Mayor Pryde Henry Teves received 296,897 votes, over his opponent incumbent Governor Roel Degamo’s 277,462 votes. But the short twist of this, a candidate a.k.a Ruel Degamo was in the mix. And if Mr. RU’s vote is nullified and added up to the Roel Degamo, the incumbent Governor will win. And apparently, that's what happened. Mayor Pryde was declared first as the Governor by the COMELEC, but on October 03, the COMELEC and DILG nullified RU’s votes and declared Governor Roel Degamo as the victor....

Dumaguete City | Sangguniang Kabataan, a Redundancy Devaluing Barangay Officials Sangguniang Kabataan ng Pilipinas It’s difficult to find a clear purpose of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) . This is not only my own personal opinion, but it is also the sentiment of others who have not seen or felt its value in society. The SK council is a redundant political system that can be used to breed corrupt politicians at a very young age. Though others may have different opinions about this matter, please try to understand the perspective I wish to share.  It’s redundant, and needs to be abolished The SK activities that I was able to witness are feeding programs and sportsfest. These are simple activities that can be facilitated by the Barangay officials. The Barangay Captain, and even the Councilors alone, are very capable of implementing such programs.  If the goal is to empower the youth, the Barangay Councilors can invite the youth to join.  And there is no direct use of an SK C...

"Gwardiya, pinagbantaan, sinuntok at sinipa umano ng anak ni Congressman Arnolfo Teves". This is the headline of GMA News TV that surprised the people of Negros Oriental. This got to hurt! If you've watched the CCTV Footage, it's very difficult to justify the actions of BM Kurt. It's also disappointing because he is a public servant, and I'm sure that his Father also feels sad about this incident. Especially right now that their family is seeking re-elections here in Negros Oriental! I'm sure there's a reason behind his sudden burst of outrage. But one thing is certain, we should all strive to treat everyone respectfully, regardless of social stature. And to the guard, let's pray that he receives justice, and peace of mind which he needs the most. As of writing, news portals in Dumaguete City have been very quiet and none has published an article about this. This shows the influence of the Teves family. "Negrosanon Palangaon" is their ca...

Hackers cancel the Year 2022 Philippines Elections That would be one hell of a headline. Someone is implying that if his brother loses again in the election, then he is cheated. If we examine deeply, this train of thought has other meanings. First, it can mean that President Duterte cheated on the Year 2016 elections and won the presidency. It would be unfair to say that the cheating was only done in the Vice-presidency and other positions because this lacks absolute sense. If a genius wants to rig the elections on a massive scale, why target the vice-presidency? If you believe that the Year 2016 election was rigged, then you are good as saying that President Duterte won through cheating. Which is very unlikely! Second, this could also devalue the efforts being made by President Duterte in the coming election. The president has given his commitment that this year’s election would be a clean one. And a clean election is something he should ensure because his daughter is running for the ...

Russia is making its advances inside Ukraine , and they are using violence to take over the country. More needs to be read to fully understand the roots of Ukraine and Russia conflict. But one thing is certain, an unprovoked war is not a gesture of kindness. Recently, Facebook contents are coming out and they are blaming the Americans to be the cause of the war. These posts are somewhat designed to justify the act of war by Russia on Ukraine. And these posts have been shared on walls and the story’s with some of many Filipino Facebook Users.  But if you make a short examination on the accounts from which the posts originated, it will be very clear that it is a propaganda Page. A propaganda Page for me is a Facebook Page account that fabricates one-sided manipulated stories aimed to alter history, or aimed to support one persona. It will be very clear inside the account because the Page will be posting about one topic alone. And this is a sad story of the current Social Media users ...

Dumaguete City | 6 Simple Reasons Why People Will Vote for Bongbong Marcos? Bongbong Marcos or BBM is leading the polls in social media as the next president of the Philippines. Many supporters of the dictator’s son believe he is a good leader, while others are voting for BBM on reasons not relating to good leadership. And in this article, let us talk about six (6) simple reasons why people are voting for Bongbong Marcos or BBM: He is the Son of His Father. Many still believe that the Marcos Sr. era was the golden years of the Philippines. Though almost all textbooks tell a different story, many Filipinos admire Marcos Sr. for the good that he has done to the country, and choose to forget the reasons why the Philippines is in extreme debt. And because of this type of admiration, being the son of his Father, many Filipinos believe that Marcos Jr. is also a good leader. They see BBM as a visionary, and a leader who is just, someone who is here to unite the people, and someone who can c...

Why it's Important to Vote in the Coming Year 2022 Presidential Election? The Year 2022  Philippines Presidential Election The Year 2022 Presidential Election is as exciting as the previous. We have a former boxing champion, a prominent actor, a former general charged with murder, a son of a dictator, and a widow who wants to prevent the return of the dictator’s son back to power. In my 16 years of experience as a voting citizen, this year’s presidential election is a showdown of all-stars.  All presidential candidates have interesting backgrounds behind them. And every Filipino should cast in their votes to help the Nation have a better leader for the future. And why should every Filipino vote in this coming election?  Two (2) Important Reasons Why you Should Vote We have two main reasons to answer that question. First, this is the perfect chance to speak out and choose the best person who can lead the nation. And, the government is using our taxes for this exercise. The...

Dumaguete City | President Duterte Stay-At-Home Order for Unvaccinated Person President Duterte Stay-At-Home Order  Dumaguete City - President Duterte has given orders to request unvaccinated people to stay at home. He’s empowering the Barangay Captains to convince their constituents to stay at home if they’re not vaccinated, and may only leave their houses for essential activities. Or risk getting arrested for violating this order. This is a strong statement from the President of the Philippines, and one that is necessary. What made the president decide to issue a stay-at-home order for unvaccinated Filipino citizens? Well, we may not have the exact reason why. But here are some simple logic that might be the explanation of the stay-at-home order: Covid-19 Will Plague the Country A rise of the Covid-19 cases after the Holidays was evident. Christmas and New Year gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate, and some of us might have been too reckless. Lowering your guard down against Co...

Dumaguete City | Covid-19 is Here to Stay in the Philippines, and we Will Lose our Jobs Covid-19 is Here to Stay in the Philippines Covid-19 will not be leaving. If you’re still hoping that everything will go back to the way things were, think again. Because as what we are seeing, that’s not going to happen any time soon.  The Covid-19 Virus and First World Countries A virus has the capability to create new versions of itself when it transfers to different hosts. Like if Covid will infect someone, then that person passes it on to another person, and if this process is repeated several thousands of times, it will create new versions of itself. Such as what was heard with Delta and Omicron. Poor countries like the Philippines are closely preventing these transmissions because we cannot afford a breakout. But for first-world countries, they allow big gatherings, they let their citizens walk around without facemasks, and basically let the virus create new versions of itself. And it’s m...

The Destruction of Typhoon Odette in Negros Oriental Negros Oriental Meets Category 5 Typhoon Odette Typhoon Odette left thousands of families in Negros Oriental asking for help. Last December 16, 2021, typhoon Odette with an international name of Rai brought the destructive power of a Category 5 hurricane in the Visayas region of the Philippines. This is only 8 years after Typhoon Yolanda. Though we might have assumed that after Yolanda government agencies have learnt from experiences. But apparently, one crucial mistake has recurred. But just a short disclaimer, this is just my own personal opinion from the information I have when Typhoon Odette made its landfall in Visayas. And my own view of the situation may be different than others. I am also a survivor of Yolanda, thus how it feels like inside a Category 5 Typhoon.  Lack if Warning The same as Typhoon Yolanda, there was no clear warning of how powerful Typhoon Odette was. Before its landfall, many thought that it was only a ...