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 City, Negros Occidental: Why The "Car-Free Day" Ordinance is BAD to the Environment, Economy, and Safety of the Victoriahanon

Amo ni example sang ordinansa nga wala guid guintun-an, wala guin-consulta ang mga 'stakeholders', kag wala guid guin-paminsar sang intsakto. Daw nadumduman ko dayon ang ukay-ukay stalls nga guin butang sa atubang mismo sang Victorias Elementary School sang November 20, 2018 (read blog here).

Ang Victorias City Ordinance 2023-59 naga-promote KUNO "car-free" day, pero ang solution nila ipa-sira ang dalanon. Ang buot guid silingon "car-free" guina-discourage ang pag-usar sang salakyan para mas diyutay ang mga salakyan sa dalanon. Kag tungod guin pasira ang portion sang Montinola St., Yap Quiña St. kag Jover St. ang natabô nag-traffic sa iban nga intersection kay guin-IBANAN mo alagyan ang mga tricycles kag motorcycles (single), delivery vans, private vehicles, kag city and barangay vehicles.

Kon guin-paminsar lang sang author sang sini nga ordinansa nga indi kita dakô pareho sang Bacolod City nga damô dalanon, mahibal-an niya tani nga perwisyo ang dala sang pagsira sang mga dalanon, especially pakadto sa commercial center kag eskuwelahan. Biskan gani Bacolod, guina-traffic kon isira nila ang Lacon St., kita pa ayhan? 😡

Nag-observe ako sang mga dalanon during "car-free day" sa gwa sang Victorias Elementary School (VES) kag Victorias Commercial Center (VCC), nagpamangkot ako sa mga tricycle drivers kag sa manunudlô. Ang hambal sang isa ka negosyante sa akon nga naga-baligya bugas sa VCC, tig-diutay guid nagabalakal kon sirado ang Jover St. side sang VCC. 

Sa mga guinpang-istorya ko, wala guid gali sila guin-consulta antes manirado dalanon. Ti, ambi.😢 Ang mga traffic enforcers guin-consulta man nila ayhan?😠

MGA RASON NGA-A HALIT ANG ORDINANSA 2023-59:

1. NAGLAYÔ PA GUID ANG LIBOT SANG TRICYCLE, USIK SA GASOLINA, USIK SA ORAS, KAG MAS DAMO ANG CARBON EMISSIONS. NAGLA-IN PA KAY NAG-TRAFFIC PA GUID SA IBAN NGA INTERSECTIONS SANG MONTINOLA/YAPQUIÑA, MONTINOLA/QUEZON, JOVER/JALANDONI, KAG JOVER/ARDOSA. 

KAG NA-IBANAN ANG INCOME SANG TRICYCLE DRIVERS KAY MAS DAKÔ ILA GASTO SA GASOLINA.

SAMPLE DISTANCE MEASUREMENT: NAG-LAYO PA GUID BIYAHE SANG TRICYCLE HALIN VNHS PAKADTO SA VCC:

ORDINARY DAY: 535 METERS DISTANCIA HALIN SA VICTORIAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PAKADTO VICTORIAS COMMERCIAL CENTER (GOOGLE MAP MEASUREMENT)

"CAR-FREE" DAY: 1,030 METERS DISTANCIA HALIN SA VICTORIAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PAKADTO VICTORIAS COMMERCIAL CENTER KAY ONE-WAY ANG JOVER ST. (GOOGLE MAP MEASUREMENT)

VIDEO: FEBRUARY 5, 2024; 7AM SHOWING TRICYCLES/VEHICLES PASSING THROUGH MONTINOLA/QUEZON ST. INTERSECTION BECAUSE YAP QUIÑA ST. IS CLOSED.

2. IMBIS MAPA-LAPIT SA GATE SANG VES, NAGLAYÔ PA ANG LALAKTON SANG MGA ESTUDYANTE NGA MAY LUKDO NGA MGA SCHOOL BAGS. KUN MAG-ULAN KAG MAINIT SA UGTONG ADLAW, MAS MABUDLAY SA KABATAAN MANAUG SA TRICYCLE KAY INDI KASULOD SA YAP QUIÑA ST.

ANG ISA KA MISSION SANG LGU IS TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY. PERO PASULAYON SA INIT KAG ULAN ANG MGA ESTUDYANTE KAG MGA TEACHERS KAY INDI SILA MADUL-ONG SA GATE SANG VES.

VIDEO: FEBRUARY 5, 2024; 7AM @ VICTORIAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (CERRADO ANG YAP-QUINA ST.)

3. KON WALA TRICYCLE MASAKYAN ANG MGA NAGABAKAL KINILO-KILO NGA BUGAS, ANG DECISION NILA INDI NA LANG MAG-BAKAL, LABI NA GUID ANG MGA SENIORS KAG PWD KAY NABUG-ATAN KAY WALA TRICYCLE NAGA-HULAT SA ENTRANCE SANG VCC-JOVER STREET-SIDE. NEGATIVE EFFECT SA MGA NEGOSYANTE.

4. KON CERRADO ANG DALANON PALIBOT SA VCC, MAY NEGATIVE EFFECT SA EKONOMIYA KAY GUINA LIMITAHAN ANG ECONOMIC MOVEMENT OF GOODS, PEOPLE, AND SERVICES -- A VERY BASIC ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE. DAPAT GUINA-IMPROVE MO ANG FLOW OF PEOPLE, GOODS, AND SERVICES FOR THE GOOD OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY.

5. SA PAG-CERRADO SANG CITY HALL PARKING KAG PUEDE PARKINGAN, NAG-SAYLO ANG MGA SALAKAYAN KAG NAG PARKING SILA SA JOVER ST., MIRAFLORES ST., ARNAEZ ST. - DIDTO NAG GUINOTOK TANAN. KON MAY EMERGENCY, BUDLAY AGYAN. PATI DELIVERY TRUCKS, DIDTO NAGA-UNLOAD SA MIRAFLORES ST.

TRAFFIC SA JOVER ST.

HAMBAL SANG ORDINANCE POSTER TO "REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION" PERO NAG-TRAFFIC PA GUID GANI.😡

6. WALA MAN MAY GUIN PAKITA NGA MEASUREMENT SANG CARBON EMISSIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER TO PROVE KON MAY REDUCTION SA AIR POLLUTION SA VICTORIAS ANG "CAR-FREE DAY".

IMPORTANTE GUID: KON PAGSIRAD-AN MO ANG MGA DALANON PALIBOT SA CENTER OF COMMERCE SANG ISA KA LGU, MAY EPEKTO GUID INI SA EKONOMIYA SANG LGU. SA CASE SANG VICTORIAS, KAGAMAY SANG ATON CUIDAD, KON PASIRAD-AN MO ANG PALIBOT SANG VCC, GUINA-PABUDLAYAN MO ANG MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, GOODS, AND SERVICES. 

AND THAT IS BAD ECONOMICS.

7. Lastly, tungod nag-salalaylo parking ang mga salakyan sang cuidad sa mga dalanon sang Jover, Miraflores, Arnaez, naggutok ang ini mga mga dalanon. Kon may emergency ini makadali-dali labay ang ambulancia, fire trucks, etc. This is contradictory to one of the missions of DILG: TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY.

KON PARA SA MATINLÔ NGA ENVIRONMENT GUID MAN, ARI ANG AKON MGA SUGGESTIONS:

1. Educate the settlements/families living along the river banks on the impact of throwing garbage into our rivers and waterways, and assign garbage drop-off and collection in their areas.

2. Educate the young students regarding environmental awareness so they can, in turn, raise this kind of awareness at home.

3. Hold cleanliness and beautification competitions among barangays in or near the city center, and a separate competition for barangays in the rural areas and sitios far from the city center.

Cleanliness should include proper waste disposal,  elimination of dog poop from the roads, getting rid of stray dogs from roaming inside Victorias Commercial Center and from city streets. Penalize pet owners who stroll around the city streets and the public plaza so that their dogs can poop outside their homes.

4. Clean up the small creeks and tributaries of the Magnanud and Malihaw Rivers, and if possible, dredge them.

                                  * * * 

This is just to call out the local government of Victorias kay based on my observations and conversations, my opinion on this perwisyo-issue is that the said ordinance has NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON VICTORIAS. Sa Korea, ang ila city government nagapamati guid sa pumuluyô. 

Ang hambal sa akon sang mga tricycle drivers nga na-istorya ko, wala kuno sila may mahimo kay tricycle driver lang sila.😢 Gani, I am doing this to be their voice.

I'm calling on the mayor, the city administrator and the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Victorias City to look into this Ordinance 2023-59 and its economic impact on tricycle drivers, business owners at VCC, its impact on the safety of the young students of VES, and all the stakeholders affected, and revoke it kay from my conclusions above negative ang impact sini sa environment, ekonomiya, kag pangabuhî sang Victoriahanon.

(By the way, daw may Local Economic Development Dept. man ang cuidad? Nga-a wala ini nila guintun-an man?😡)

I end this blog with my own original quote:

"You won't see the problems of Victorias from inside an air-conditioned car, and you won't solve the problems of Victorias from inside an air-conditioned room."

#environment #pollution #victorias #victoriaslgu #negrosoccidental #Philippines #kalikasan #economics #economist #publicsafety #safety #tricycledrivers #gasoline #gasolineprices