EMPOWERMENT AND HYPOCRISY: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S MONTH

Seventy meters from where two female city councilors of Victorias City in Negros Occidental, were making speeches about women empowerment, this cold, dusty pavement in the northern part of the public plaza provided a homeless woman some comfort as she sat under the shade of a building set up by the local government that was supposed to look after everyone's welfare, voter or not.

She sat motionless as if lost in her own world oblivious to the noise and movements around her, which might have served her well because, in those moments, the other women from 26 barangays, as captive audience of those councilors, had no choice but to listen to their speeches at the center of the public plaza and be bombarded with big words like 'empowerment' and 'empowered women'.

Yes, give a politician a microphone and all you would hear are just like that: big words.

Those words reverberated around the Victorias public plaza carried by sound waves blasting from the giant loudspeakers that were rented, not just to spread music, but throw at the different directions the noise of politicians prattling. And as taxpayers' money is being used to pay for those loudspeakers, our money is being used for their own political propaganda.

I was just walking through the plaza on my way to the public market when I saw her on the path where I passed.

This was ironic, I told myself.

The people who were being talked about in the speeches are the same people ignored. But this is reality: those 'big words' should have been followed by 'big actions', but that would be a stretch because, in our city, what we always hear from the officials are promises which immediately evaporate into thin air along with the saliva they spray.

I corrected myself. This wasn't irony; this was hypocrisy.

It is when the people who are in position and have the power to lift everyone up seemed to conveniently include only those they can politically exploit. This homeless woman, I doubt, is one of those they can manipulate for a vote.

So, on this celebration of National Women's Month, who are the ones chosen to be empowered and the ones chosen to be left behind? 😭

#nationalwomensmonth #womensmonth #CSWD #DSWD #sangguniangpanglungsod #victoriascity #negrosoccidental #philippines #homeless

KAMING MGA MATATAPANG ANG APOG: AN ESSAY ON DILG's MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2026-06

 It's about time!

When DILG issued its Memorandum Circular No. 2026-06 on January 29, 2026, the movie title, "Kaming Mga Matatapang ang Apog," came to mind. I thought that movie title was brutally frank, yet funny! It starred the Superstar Nora Aunor and the King of Comedy, Dolphy. In English, it means "We are Shameless!"

Yes, 'shameless', the word that describes some local public servants (I said 'some'😁), should have been part of the memorandum's addressee line for specificity purposes. Since it's targeting the shameless, why not spell it out?

Now that the DILG has the balls to order its public officials to be 'mahiya naman kayo', as the memorandum circular prohibits the display of the name, image, and likeness of public officials on government projects, we expect to see less of the local politicians' images which are usually edited as most of them are, well, unphotogenic (I didn't say unattractive, ha?😂).

I remember seeing a local female councilor n person and was disappointed to see how different she looked from her photographs online. I had to ask my mother, "Ambi ko si _____ damo kuwarta. Nga-a wala niya 'na guin-paretoke iya ilong?" (I thought _____ has money. How come she didn't have her nose fixed?")

Maybe that was the memorandum's unwritten objective: to spare us from disappointment when we see how these local politicians' images online and on tarpaulins are so unlike in person as if they all mutated after elections.

About two years ago, when I went up to the second floor of our City Hall, I was welcomed by a platoon of smiling standees (life-sized cut-outs of a person) of the city mayor and the vice mayor. Both politicians were together in one standee which made them look weird. Why? Because, in the standee, they were of the same height when, in reality, one had an above-average height while the other one was deprived of it. Improper proportioned or not, they looked like they were enjoying their conjointment.

Upon seeing their cut-outs, I wondered why this duo spent taxpayers' money just to reproduce their images. I asked a City Hall employee why and he told me the reason: so that the people would know who they are. I didn't bother wasting my time to argue with him; the employee-slash-foot-soldier was probably a 'job order' whose loyalty was to his cardboard idols.

This is the intention of the memorandum: to prevent politicians from exploiting, abusing or misappropriating taxpayers' money for their own political propaganda.

That day, at the City Hall, while I faced the platoon of inanimate faces, I felt like it was a scene from the TV drama, Game of Thrones, where rows of The Unsullied, those castrated slaves of Daenerys Targaryen, stood motionless in front of their master. Like slave-soldiers awaiting orders as to where they would be deployed, these cut-outs awaited orders as to where they would be displayed.

But I wonder if this memorandum would really be obeyed because, aside from Republic Act No. 6713 that directs public officials to be ethical, as early as 2013, there has been a COA Circular No. 2013-004 in place that discourages the display of pictures and images of public officials. And yet, our local officials seemed to have difficulty complying.

Going back to Nora and Dolphy, even though both are gone, they are still dearly remembered. Why? Because of how they made people fee. Through their stories and movies, the two superstars made people laugh, cry, and inspired people in between laughter and tears.

The local politicians, on the hand, also make us laugh and cry, but for the wrong reasons. We cry because it is our money they spend like it was their own, and we laugh because the joke is on us.😭

So, sa inyong lungso, bayan o barangay, sinong opisyal ang mga matatapang ang apog?

#essay #DILG #DIGLmemo #writer #governance #government #publicservants #publicservice #NoraAunor #Dolphy #ethics #GOT #gameofthrones

FORGETTING GAT ANDRES AND LOLO JOSE: AN ESSAY ON VICTORIAS CITY'S POOR MEMORY AND ITS NEGLECT OF THE REAL HEROES

On November 30, 2025, Bonifacio Day, while the rest of the country was celebrating the hero, Victorias City was just busy trimming its Christmas tree at the public plaza, ignoring to honor Andres Bonifacio, whose statue, standing a few meters from the tree, was sadly ignored, bereft of any semblance of any celebration of his heroism.

Then came today, December 30, 2025, Rizal Day.

Again, while the rest of the country was celebrating the most famous and the most honored hero of them all, Lolo Jose's statue in the Victorias City public plaza stood somber and alone even with the festive Christmas atmosphere around the city.

This is how the local government of Victorias City leads in honoring the country's national heroes - with a poor memory.

Just two weeks ago, the local government spent taxpayers' money on the Kalamayan Festival which included performances, DJs, and games. And yet, it could not even remember to spend for a bunch of flowers for the national heroes.

Over the years, I observed that the public servants of the City have worshipped the wrong heroes: themselves.

They have put up a monument that was bigger and more expensive than those of Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, and even creating a 'day' for a fake hero with parties and expensive wreaths just to push their agenda of using a dead man for their political propaganda. Unfortunately for them, I was able to prove their so-called history to be fake after all. (Read blog here).

And while I understand that the emcees who have hosted the programs at the public plaza are either hired or city hall employees themselves, they always feel the need to kiss up to their 'bosses' because they have to enumerate the names of the city officials on every other sentence. Although I thought they might have been ignorant of the fact that those programs and festivities are funded by the people's money because they always neglect to thank us, the Victoriahanon, for paying for the sound system, the lights, the decorations, the cash prizes, and of course, for their catered dinner after, which may involve some 'balutin mo ako take-out' for all we know.

The real character of a people is manifested on how it honors its past and its present. Sadly, the leadership of Victorias City these past years has failed to do just that.

It failed to honor our national heroes who have been standing gallantly in the Victorias public plaza for decades as a reminder of who we are as a people. Au contraire, the city government conjured up a fake hero whom they use for their political propaganda.

These elected public servants also neglect to honor the heroes of the present, the ones who keep the City afloat, the ones who contribute to the economy adn those who have put Victorias City on the map: the business owners, the tricycle drivers, the delivery people, the sales clerks and cashiers, the so-called 'riders', the restaurant and cafe owners, the fish, meat, vegetable and fruit vendors, the workers in teh fields, the fisherfolks, the students and athletes, the elderly, and the rest of the Victoriahanon who quietly contribute to the economy but are ignored by the City anyway. And if you are saying that the local government has some welfare programs for some of them, think again.

You can always see that they are just being used for politics: the upload photographs in the social media for their so-called distribution of scholarships, medicines, rice, and noodles that were bought by taxpayers' money. On top of that, the local government imposes the closure of the streets to give the tricycle drivers, students, business owners and the commuting public a hard time roaming around the City.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines's theme for Rizal Day is "Rizal: As Our People Rise, Your Teachings and Wisdom Guide Our Way."

How I really wish that Rizal's teachings and wisdom trickle down to our local government.

But it seems that we may have to wait for another Bonifacio Day or Rizal Day for that to happen.😭

#RizalDay #JoseRizal #Rizal #AndresBonifacio #BonifacioDay #history #hero #heroes #VictoriasCity #NegrosOccidental #Philippines #essay

VICTORIAS TOWN HISTORY: THE TOWN COUNCILORS AT THE WAKE OF DON FELIX MONTINOLA

On the previous post, I talked about the photograph of the wake of Don Felix Montinola on the second floor of municipio that he helped build. He died on September 25, 1949, seventy-six years ago this year (see blog here)

Somehow, another photograph taken during the wake surfaced. This is where the respected Victoriahanon and certain town officials of 1949 posed with the coffin of Don Felix.

Although some of the gentlemen's faces were familiar, I had to research the ones I was unfamiliar with. And with the help of some sources, including the Sangguniang Panlungsod archives (thank you to the very helpful SP staff!😊), I was be able to name almost all of them.

Standing on the lower left of the photo:

Don Agustin 'Toting' Jereza (left)(read Don Agustin's contribution to Victorias here) and Don Benito Montinola, Sr. (right) (read Chapter 21 about Don Benito Montinola, Sr. here). 

Standing at the back from the left down to the lower right:

The first gentleman is yet to be identified; the second gentleman is Mr. Cesar Hedriana. Next to him is former Mayor Hector M. Montinola (mayor from 1946-1950), then Mr. Jose Ma. Fernandez, Mr. Vicente Vitar, Mr. Genovevo Bainosa, Mr. Juan Villegas, and Mr. Jesus Suarez.

The wreath behind Mr. Hedriana was from the "Municipal Council", while the wreath at the center was from "Rep. and Mrs. Carlos Hilado". Yes, it was from Representative Carlos Hilado of the Second District of Negros Occidental, after whom the Carlos Hilado Memorial State University in Talisay City was named.

Although this photograph is an image of sadness because of a passing of a former town leader, it is historical portrait of the former town councilors of Victorias.😊

#victoriashistory #victoriascity #negrosoccidental #history #historian #blogger #donfelixmontinola

SEPTEMBER 25, 1949: THE WAKE OF DON FELIX L. MONTINOLA AT THE AYUNTAMIENTO OF VICTORIAS TOWN

On September 25, 1949, Don Felix L. Montinola, who was the 9th mayor of Victorias from 1934 to 1940, died peacefully in his home in Victorias, Negros Occidental, surrounded by his wife, Doña Dorotea Montinola, her children and grandchildren.

During his term as mayor,  he built the municipio in the late 1930s with the help of then President Manuel L. Quezon (read blog here).

At his wake, held at the second floor of the ayuntamiento (town hall) or municipio (as what we call it in the Philippines) that he helped build, his beloved Victoriahanon as well as politicians from the province and neighboring towns and cities also came to pay their last respects.

After a requiem mass in Victorias, his funeral cortege made its way to the Montinola family's mausoleum in Saravia and along the way, homes were seen hanging black cloth on their windows to show their respect to a great man.

Although Don Felix was born in Jaro, Iloilo, on February 16, 1864, he died as a real Victoriahanon. (See the photograph and read the story of his birthday celebration in 1940 here).

Don Felix was 85.🙏

(Read chapters of the History of Victorias here)

#DonFelix #ManuelLQuezon #history #historian #Victorias #Saravia

History That You Can Touch: 1811 Mexican Reales Coin used in the Philippines during the Spanish Period

I wonder if this coin is the oldest one in town.

In my blog about my 1821 Mexican reales coin (read blog here), I referenced to the history of Mexico where the 1821 coin was the last of its kind as Mexico started to mint its own coin in 1822 when it gained independence from Spain.

But this 1811 Mexican reales coin also made me wonder how many families had settled at the mouth of the Malihaw River in what is now called Daan Banwa in Victorias City, where did they come from and what was their way of life.

This coin, called the reales, was used in the Philippines during the Spanish period and was denominated in 8-reales. These were brought to Las Islas Filipinas via the Galleon Trade that started from 1565 to 1815. It stopped in 1815 because Mexico already started to revolt against Spain to gain independence.

But to reference this coin to Philippine history, the first Philippine newspaper, Del Superior Govierno, was established in 1811 with the Spanish Governor General himself as the editor and its intended readers were the Spaniards living in the Philippines, and its content was mostly about news from Spain, according to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Also in 1811, Señor Ventura de los Reyes of Ilocos travelled to Spain to represent the colony at Cortes de Cadiz, the Spanish parliament where representatives from the colonies in the Americas and the Philippines were asked to join and be represented. This parliament drafted the 1812 Spanish Constitution.

This 1811 Mexican reales coin was minted when the Viceroyalty of New Spain, as Mexico was then called, supervised the administration over the Philippines.

This coin's obverse (front side) features the view from the right side of King Ferdinand VII's face and head with the words "FERDIN VII" for King Ferdinand VII of Spain, and "DEI GRATIA", meaning, 'by the grace of God'. The '1811' the year it was minted, is written below it. King Ferdinand VII reigned twice: in 1808, and 1813 until he died in 1833.

The reverse shows the words "HISPAN ET IND REX", meaning 'Spain and the King of Indies'. It also shows a crown over symbols of crowned lions and castles that are sandwiched by two columns of Hercules that are wrapped by ribbons. The dollar symbol ($) which has two vertical lines wrapped by ribbons is said to have originated from this symbol.

This coin has some silver content and weighs 27 grams. As the Mexican reales coin was widely circulated in Mexico, the Philippines, and other Spanish colonies, this coin must have had changed hands thousands of times since 1811. From Hispanic merchants to Chinese traders and to peninsulares, insulares, indios, and even pirates, this particular coin's history is more interesting than its design and commercial value.

                                  * * * * *

(PHOTOS of this 1811 Mexican reales coin were taken at Daan Banwa and at the Victoria Public Plaza.)

#oldcoins #oldcoinscollection #mexico #mexicanreales #Spanishcoin #Spain #philippines 

#numismatics #history #historians #philippinehistory

#coincollecting #VictoriasCity #victoriaslgu #negros

Our 50-Year Old Uway Baskets

Back in the 1970s, my father, who worked at the local branch of PNB, was gifted by his client with this uway basket with an attached cover. His client, a man from the northern part of the Negros Island, told him that he made and sold uway baskets. So, my father ordered one.

Uway, the local name for rattan, is a popular material for baskets because they are durable, pliant and versatile. When my father's order came, his officemates at PNB saw it and also ordered baskets from the maker, and because the man got more orders because of my father, he gifted my father with a bigger uway basket!

For years, my mother would bring the basket to picnics at the nearby beach. She used it to carry plates, cups, utensils, and food.

When I saw these baskets in the storeroom the other day, I took them out, inspected them, and found that they are still usable! After all these decades!

But what fascinated me was the artistry and creativity! Since I hated Geometry and Drafting in high school, I am amazed at how the fibers were woven, twisted, knotted, and tied to give the basket an oblong shape that looked, well, sosyal! I don't know if that maker had a diagram of the basket written down on paper, but, I guess, it was a combination of his skill and artistry that created these baskets!

I am no expert but there must be a thin bamboo strip that serves as a frame but it is still strong and looks durable that it can carry my santol!

These baskets are now at least 50 years old with expected loose uway at the handle. They have outlived appliances and other electronics, and probably me someday.

My hands may touch them as baskets but my eyes see them as works of art.😎

#uway #uwaybasket #rattan #rattanbasket #artistry #artisan #nature #baskets #santol