OUR hero Kuyabog still pursues his dream of instilling discipline, professionalism, industry, diligence and what have you on the 2,000 subjects of the Kingdom by the River.

And in so doing, turns that land into an elementary school because Kuyabog, capo di tutti capi of the trio los bobos, cannot, and does not care to, understand what the words above mean.

He does not see the substance of those values. All he sees are only forms, which is the trait he shares with the trio, este, mucho los bobos, pretending like him to be leaders but actually groveling nitwits that they are.

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WRITING for the Financial Times (Sept. 20-21), Chrystia Freeland said that on Sept. 15, 2008, “the era of Ronald Reagan officially came to an end.”

The sunny confidence in the superiority of the American way, she said, “has been undermined now not only by Guantanomo and Abu Ghraib but also by the fact that this financial crisis has its epicenter on Wall Street, not Mexico City or Mumbai.”

She added: “Even more importantly, after nearly three decades when the prevailing promise was to make government smaller’ … the focus now will be on making government better, and probably bigger.” She marked Sept. 19 as “the first day of a new era of re-regulation.” That day revealed how terrified America had become, she said, “when Hank Paulson, secretary of treasury, proposed the creation of a monster agency to buy up potentially hundreds of billions of dollars of bad debt… [His plan] which would have sounded terrifyingly radical a week earlier seemed so obviously necessary it won instant, bipartisan support.”

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IN MID 1990s, there were only two identified syndicates engaged in illegal drug business in Iloilo City. One was in Barangay Tanza-Esperanza and the other was in Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao.

The alleged leaders of the group were known only as Odicta and Prevendido. I knew these people when I was issuing surety bonds for temporary liberty of people facing criminal charges like the violation of R.A. 9165 or illegal drugs.

But lately, I received a lot of text messages during our Sky Cable TV talk show with DOJ Sec. Raul Gonzalez that there are new big players in illegal drug business making Odicta and Prevendido look like small peddlers on the sidewalks.

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DID Pavia, Iloilo Mayor Arcadio Gorriceta deliberately lie when he repeatedly accused the Syjuco couple of trying to “magic” asphalt into dakal-dakal or gravel and sand? Let’s see.

A faxed copy of a document – the September 9, 2008 letter of 2nd District Congresswoman Judy Syjuco to DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. – mirrors the initiative of the congresswoman, not of the mayor, in amending the program of work from one of dakal-dakal component to one of cement. Excerpts of the letter follow:

“This refers to the repair/rehabilitation of Tigum Pagsangaan Road, scheduled for the rehabilitation cost of Php 10.5M.

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AMID the controversy over the shootout Wednesday last week at Jalandoni-Delgado Streets, Iloilo City that left three persons dead, some human rights lawyers and civilians opine the PNP should review its rules of engagement.

This, after a TV crew that responded to the scene of the incident caught the cops on tape firing at the three victims even if they were already lying on the pavement seriously wounded.

Some considered this an achievement on the part of the PNP but others see this as a major blunder committed by members of the Regional Intelligence Office (RIO) under Supt. Samuel Nacion.

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AN honest man is God’s noblest work. Ingersoll put it the other way, “An honest God is man’s noblest work.”

If you know pedicab driver Jack Sancho who is an honest man, kindly tell him I want to meet him. I want to write about his honesty.

Around 7 a.m. yesterday, photo journalist, the beautiful British girl Hazel Stuart texted me that while walking along Lacson Street at that time and texting while walking, she dropped her wallet. A tricycle driver she identified as Jack Sancho, ran after her to give her wallet.

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5th of a series

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The MOA-AD is a very well constructed piece – possessing unity, coherence and emphasis. Unfortunately, the interest it holds caught the Philippine Government between its commitment to the MILF and the vehement protests from the Senate, the affected local governments in Mindanao, other critics and the media.

Governance

The essentials of ancestral domain are defined in “Concepts and Principles” which are spelt out in details in “Territory” and “Resources”. How ancestral domain is to operate is provided in “Governance”.

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TEXTILE weaving in Iloilo dates back even to the pre-Spanish times. Long before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines, the Ilonggos were already weaving clothes from various fibers. Thus, when the colonizers arrived, they found that the weaving craft was already well established in the area.

The most common garment woven was the patadyong which was worn by the women folks on a daily basis and even by the men as a tampi, a wrap around the waist. The first recorded account of the patadyong, described as a tube-like garment with both ends open worn by the Visayan women, was made by Juan de la Isla in 1565 (Isla 1565). Also, a little later, a manuscript was written that says that “the garments and dresses of the Bisayan women consists of mantles with diverse colored strips made of cotton” (Blair & Robertson 1903-1909) which, certainly is a reference to the patadyong. The Italian traveller of the 1600s by the name of Giovanni Careri was so impressed by the women of Iloilo weaving clothes of various colors (impliedly patadyong) and selling them at public markets (Careri 1863).

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GRANDMOTHERS are great walking buddies, and I have two of the best: Eufrocina “Inday” Cepe and Pressie Faraon. Like me, they have whales of tales about the grandchildren—the dreams of little ones and their needs that only a grandmother’s sought-for special tender, loving care could provide.

Florvel Phase II in Oton is a laid-back subdivision with streets short enough for a round-trip of a walk and a tete-a-tete on stories accumulated through the years of grandmotherhood. Inday Cepe has 14 grandkids and 3 great grandkids. Pressie has 5 grandkids, and I have my own precious 4.

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WHEN history is written on the arbitrary imposition of what is believed to be illegal taxes on sugar cooperatives, it will be said that it was the small planters, the agrarian reform beneficiaries from the Ma-ao parish sugarcane cooperatives who saved the industry.

Last week, Toti Ramos, tax consultant and planter, told me BIR was making history when it filed criminal cases against officials of sugar coops for not paying what these planters believe are illegal taxes.

The year 2008 will be very historic. The small planters will save the big planters and a retired BIR executive, formerly handling sugar coops is now fighting hard to defend these coops. Ms. Zinia Astorga was a former head of Task Force Sugar. A CPA, she has a masters degree from U.P. on taxation and won awards for her work. I noted, she fights well on the principle she stands for that sugar coops are not to be taxed.

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