PHILIPPINES: Economic
gains do not justify strength of democracy
A Statement by the
Asian Human Rights Commission
March 22, 2007
Not only is democracy
being subverted in the
Philippines,
but its meaning is also misunderstood. While the country may have made
economic gains in recent times, to declare them as proof of a ”strong
democracy” belies democracy’s true meaning, for the strength of
democracy is measured, not by economic gains, but by the strength of
the country’s rule of law and its justice system. To omit the
worsening attacks against the Filipino people that they are
experiencing daily in defence of their basic rights--whether they are
prominent figures, influential parties or just ordinary
citizens--misconstrues the meaning of genuine democracy.
It is difficult for an
ordinary Filipino to believe that a democratic system is, indeed,
functioning in the Philippines. There cannot be genuine democracy when
almost daily activists are targeted for extrajudicial executions,
people are forcibly disappeared and tortured without legal redress and
leftists or rightists are often subjected to attacks. The violence
directed at prominent and influential personalities in recent times is
a symptom of a rotten and decaying system of justice. For instance,
illegal arrest and detention, the filing of fabricated charges,
torture and disappearances, among other human rights problems, are a
fact of life in the Philippines. The inability of the country’s
political and judicial systems to adequately respond to this violence
subverts democracy.
When perpetrators--in
particular the police and military--are not punished and victims of
human rights violations and their families are denied the possibility
of redress and justice, distrust and skepticism among them
intensifies. Deepening distrust of the justice system should be
considered a challenge to restoring democracy and the rule of law in
the Philippines.
Instead, the victims and their family members are often isolated by
unjustly denying them the possibility of redress and frequently
accusing them of being accomplices of, as well as influenced by, the
”enemies of the state” and “destabilisers”. Consequently, the
Philippines is a country where democracy has not fully developed. Why
it is failing is where the discussion should begin.
A victim of human
rights violations perpetrated by government security forces soon
realises that the possibility of seeking justice within the country’s
legal system is difficult, if not impossible, today. If even prominent
and influential people have been subjected to persecution and attacks,
imagine how many thousands, if not millions, of ordinary Filipinos
have continued to suffer the same plight but remain silent. Not that
they do not want to speak, but they are rarely given a platform from
which to do so, and no one speaks for them. Worst of all, they perhaps
may not yet realise that their issues are legitimate, that they have
the right to fight back, that their issues are similar to other
Filipino victims. If the government can tolerate extrajudicial
killings, the filing of false and arbitrary charges, torture and
enforced disappearances and attack those critical of the government,
ordinary Filipinos who do not have any influence at all can easily
suffer the same fate.
When the martial law
and dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos was toppled by the people’s
peaceful revolt in 1986, these were the very same atrocities and
injustices that the people resisted and fought for. But even after
democracy was restored, still human rights violations are occurring in
the Philippines, and, in some instances, they are even worse and
onerous today. This reality is one of the clear indications that
democracy cannot be achieved by merely changing the leadership alone
but must involve an improvement in the functioning of the democratic
system itself. In the
Philippines,
the country’s democratic system has not fully matured, and the present
system of justice is still unable to deal effectively with the
country’s problems. For instance, torture victims and the families of
the disappeared know from their experience that their complaints are
not even afforded any rudimentary investigation by the police. The
system of police investigation and the laws themselves do not provide
any assurance for justice for the victims. Torture and enforced
disappearance, for example, are not criminal offences.
One characteristic of
the present government is its intolerance of those critical of its
actions and policies and its manipulation of the political and legal
systems to justify its illegal acts. Basic to a democratic country,
however, is the ability of its citizens to freely exercise their right
to criticise the government without fear of being persecuted, avenues
for victims to seek redress and justice exist and function, mechanisms
are available for complaints of human rights violations and crimes to
be properly investigated and prosecuted, the life of every citizen is
protected by exhausting the government’s resources. These features of
a political and legal system are among the many ways of measuring
democracy; economic gains alone are not enough to ensure democracy.
Moreover, every public official and every member of the security
forces are accountable to every citizen. Therefore, any attempt by
those in government to subvert democracy by using their influence and
power must be held accountable for their actions. No one is above the
law. The problem in the
Philippines
today, however, is the political and legal systems themselves are
failing to effectively respond to the crises within the country. It is
a country where perpetrators of the worst forms of abuse can continue
to enjoy their freedom in a climate of impunity without fear of
punishment.
Most of those today in
the government service, politics, the police and military had intense
experiences during the martial law period of the former dictatorial
regime. They either cooperated with—in particular the police and
military--or fought against the oppressive Marcos regime. The failure
of the present democratic system to control and reject the strong
influence of these personalities, to reject their biased and arbitrary
practices and to monitor and constrain their self-interest dilutes and
subverts democracy. For instance, the newly enacted Human Security Act
of 2007 was endorsed by a person who once cooperated with Marcos
during the martial law period. Although he contributed to the
country’s democratisation process, the present system failed to
control and reject this person’s militaristic ideology and entrenched
bias toward the violation of people’s rights. This mentality has
continually influenced the fabric of Filipino society. It is likewise
deeply rooted among the police and military establishment.
The recent desire by
the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to revive laws
from the martial law period that have been repealed because of their
oppressive nature, in particular the Anti-Subversion Act, is an
expression of the bias he and others have long held. The police and
military are finding it difficult to be “efficient” by gathering
evidence and properly investigating and filing strong cases in court.
Thus, the enactment or revival of oppressive laws is believed by them
to be necessary to do their job. Although the chief of the Philippine
National Police (PNP) rejects proposals for the revival of oppressive
laws, he nevertheless endorses the newly enacted Human Security Act of
2007, a law which contains provisions that violate the basic civil
liberties of the Filipino people and tolerates abuses with impunity.
One of the shocking proposals by the military is to introduce
amendments to the law before it even takes effect to reduce the
penalty imposed on government officers for wrongly arresting and
detaining a person.
In short, the
Philippines is a country claiming to be democratic but instead weakens
the protection of the rights of its citizens and their civil liberties
and subsequently strengthens the authority of the police and military
establishment. It is a country that is a victim of manipulation and
the monopoly of power by a small group of people, a democratic system
that is either unable to or not allowed to fully mature because of the
domination of a few people and that sadly victimises the majority of
the Filipino people. Those in government are not serious about
genuinely addressing the cause of the people’s problems by going
beyond empty rhetoric and taking concrete action. They either fail to
implement the countless recommendations made to address the worsening
condition of human rights in the Philippines or to closely monitor
those that are put into practice. The Philippines unfortunately is a
country taken hostage by those in the government and even those
critical of its abuses and atrocities where discussion of what went
wrong and what to do is not a priority or is absent.
The failure to rectify
the human rights problems of the Philippines is clearly reflected in
the number of independent investigations conducted by the government
itself, the United Nations and the international community,
investigations whose recommendations either are not adequately acted
upon or are simply ignored. The findings of the possible involvement
of the police and military in the country’s wave of extrajudicial
killings by the Melo Commission appointed by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, has not led to any
effective prosecutions, for example. The assurance given by the
government to strengthen the witness protection programme has led to
few, if any, changes, and people continue to distrust the ability of
the authorities to protect them. The government also announced the
appointment of special prosecutors and the introduction of special
courts, but again, little, if any, movement has been made to realise
these pronouncements.
It is not the
absence of solutions and hopelessness itself but rather the continued
failure and inability of government officials to take action to
implement any solution and to ensure through continued and serious
monitoring that action occurs. The government, and perhaps the
Filipino people, have yet to realise how defective the country’s
system of justice is and how the failure to correct this dysfunctional
legal system is subverting the fulfillment of genuine democracy.
Consequently, any elementary discussion about the meaning of democracy
in the Philippines is misunderstood, distorted and meaningless.
ANAD deception and
military fabrication
A press Statement by
KATUNGOD-SB-KARAPATAN
March 20, 2007
We, in the Regional
Human Rights Alliance, condemn in the strongest possible terms the use
of the name of our organization KARAPATAN by the government-funded,
military backed and organized ANAD Partylist or
Alliance
for Nationalism and Democracy.
Last March 19, 2007 at
around 10:30 in the morning, members of Bayan Muna and other allied
organizations staged a protest action at the DZR Airport in Tacloban
City to condemn the political harassment against Bayan Muna
Representative Satur Ocampo. While there, we noticed a bunch of
placards bearing the calls against Bayan Muna Representative Satur
Ocampo and tagging him as criminal and further bearing the name of
KARAPATAN as the signatory. We decided to take these placards as
evidence but these were forcibly taken by an ANAD member. This is a
clear usurpation of our name. How many times did the ANAD dragged our
name as a front of the CPP/NPA and now, maliciously implicating our
name as against Satur Ocampo.
We, in the Human
Rights Alliance supports the fight of Satur Ocampo and strongly
condemns the continuous attacks and harassments by the government and
the military against militant and progressive party lists and
organizations. The case against Rep. Satur ocampo and 50 others was
nothing but a mere fabrication by the military. Data of KARAPATAN –
Central Visayas revealed that the skeletons allegedly discovered from
an alleged mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte is recycled. In the year
2000, the military already presented these skeletons as evidence of
the “purging” of the CPP/NPA in the year 1985 of the then case for
murder against suspected NPA leaders and members in Baybay,
Leyte. In particular were the skeletons of Concepcion Aragon,
Juanita Aviola, and Gregorio Eras. A lone witness, in the person of
Zacarias Piedad, Sr. was presented in July 2000 by the prosecution to
identify the skeletons. But later Zacarias Piedad recanted his
testimony in open court and further testified that he did not witness
any killing nor does he know the persons he was accusing. He further
narrated that the statement used by the prosecution was made by him
while he was still in the hands of the military particular the 43rd
Infantry Battalion stationed at Brgy. Hibod-hibod, Sogod,
Southern Leyte.
Because of this, the presiding judge of Baybay RTC dismissed the case.
After six years, again Piedad resurfaced making the same allegations
which he had recanted in 2000. Fascinating to note that the case for
murder in the year 2000 was filed by Provincial Prosecutor Rosulo
Vivero, the same prosecutor who resolved the complaint and recommended
the filing of the 15 counts of multiple murder charge in the alleged
mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte in 2006 against Satur Ocampo and 50
others.
Clearly, this case
against Rep. Satur Ocampo and 50 others was fabricated and recycled by
the military for the sole purpose of harassing progressive and
militant organizations and personalities.
We are urging the
government and the military to stop these fabrications and these lies.
These are nothing but dirty tactics to deviate the sentiments of the
people who are now asking for justice and concrete actions against the
military who are responsible for the extra-judicial killings among the
ranks of the progressive and militant organizations.
Long live the legacy
of Atty. Felidito Dacut!
A Press
Statement by KATUNGOD-SB-KARAPATAN on the death anniversary of Atty.
Dacut
March
14, 2007
It was March 14, 2005
when human rights lawyer and Bayan Muna Regional Coordinator Atty.
Felidito Dacut was treacherously shot on his back hitting him on the
heart that leads to his instantaneous death. His death came at a time
when then Gen. Jovito Palparan was head of the 8th Infantry Division
and was leading the onslaught against vocal critics of military
abuses. Now, its been two-years but justice has not yet been served.
We, in the Regional
Human Rights Alliance, give our highest salutation to Atty. Dacut for
being in the forefront of the struggle for human rights, for the
defense of the farmers who are fighting for the lands they till; for
the workers who are fighting for their rightful wages and humane
conditions of work; and for the victims of human rights violations.
It is in line with his
noble service to the people that he was killed by agents of the State
who wanted to silence the struggle of the oppressed for genuine
freedom and human rights.
Instead of conducting
investigation for the resolution of the case, the State even afforded
to taint the good reputation of Atty. Dacut by maliciously attributing
his death to the NPA because of an alleged financial opportunism and
alleged selling off a labor case. However, these claims have been
proved to be fabricated by the investigations made by the Commission
on Human Rights.
His death, including
the death of other leaders of progressive and militant organizations,
is part of the campaign of the Government to silence the struggle of
the people, to eradicate those who are vocal critics of the oppressive
system of the government. This grand plan was dubbed as Oplan Bantay
Laya, the government’s operation plan to eradicate the so-called
“legal fronts” of the CPP/NPA. Legal fronts for them includes those
legal organizations who are criticizing the government.
The life of Atty.
Dacut will continue to be an inspiration to the masses and a challenge
for us who are still fighting for the ideals he had stood for: land
for the peasants, just wages and humane conditions of work for the
workers, and class-based human rights.
Lofranco’s Statement
A Press Statement by the Lofranco family on the Janine murder case
March 8, 2007
It is a basic tenet of
our law that a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty. In our
case however, long before cases were filed against us, public opinion
had already been conditioned to condemn us as guilty. This was what
happened in Catbalogan and this is what had been and is now happening
in Tacloban as the preliminary investigation had been transferred
here. Our detractors persist on labeling us guilty, by innuendos and
malicious insinuations, until we prove ourselves innocent. As a
result, we are forced to go through a terrible experience that had
been already damaged our reputation and further threatens to damage
our very lives and future, not to mention our home and family.
Since the date of the
fire, November 14, 2006, we, the Lofrancos, have been the subject of
baseless, malicious and unfounded rumors and there had been a
continuous, relentless and concerted effort to build public prejudice
and bias against us. Before the filing of these cases against us,
unfounded and malicious rumors of bribery and of threatening potential
witnesses were spread around. But the current state of things speak
for itself. The agencies and individuals whom the Lofrancos have
supposedly bribed and threatened are on the side of the complainant.
Now that cases had
been filed against us, there are again baseless innuendos of us
threatening the other side’s witnesses. As it was then and so it is
now, this is not true. Recently, news articles regarding
an alleged PDEA operation always make reference to the cases filled
against us. Hence, the malicious innuendo that we have a hand in such
matter notwithstanding that, clearly, we do not have the power and the
capacity to do so. More significantly, we have no reason
to do this. Worthwhile noting that in the cases filed against us,
there were two (2) autopsies conducted and both autopsy reports were
submitted as evidence against us. Everyone knows also that, in law and
in fact, an autopsy report never will and never does indicate who
committed the crime, if indeed there was foul-play.
We would like to
assure the public that our desire is also to “ferret out the truth and
serve justice to where and whom justice is due.” Verily, the truth and
nothing but the truth will clear our name. It is therefore imperative
that the whole truth be found out. When truth shines, justice is
served.
The charges filed
against us are still in the preliminary investigation stage. Hence, a
determination is not yet to be made if the evidences submitted against
us before the Prosecutor’s Office constitute “prima facie” evidence
that crimes were committed and “prima facie” evidence against the
Lofrancos for the filing of cases in court. We fervently appeal to
everyone to allow us to air our side before making any pre-judgments.
After we have committed our counter-affidavits and supporting
evidences, we invite everyone to look at the evidences of both sides
closely and let the facts speak for themselves.
Ultimately, we rest
our case on the Almighty God, before whom nothing is hidden. We take
consolation in the fact that He is the God of truth, justice and
righteousness, who vindicates the innocent and punishes the guilty.
For the sake of truth
and justice, it is also our sincere hope and prayer that this case be
resolved without delay.
(Sgd.) LEO L. LOFRANCO,
M.D.
People who made a
difference in 2006
(The
following article by Ms. Charo Nabong Cabardo was reprinted from
SCOPE, a new magazine that debuted this February in Region 8, with
permission from the author and the editors of the magazine.)
By CHARO NABONG-CABARDO
March 2, 2007
Time magazine ushered
in 2007 with a tribute to the Person of the Year (us) and an article
about people who made a difference in our lives globally.
In Samar, my list of
persons who have made a difference in the lives of Samarnons would
include Mel Sarmiento, Cesar Aculan, Romeo Royandoyan, Angel Hobayan,
Leonardo Medroso, Jose Palma, Mario Quijano, Renato Latorre, Don
Mabulay, Coefredo Uy, Eduardo Nachura, and Ray Gaspay. My list is
surely not a result of an exhaustive search, there may be more out
there, but to me, these persons have done something beyond
expectations that spelled a difference in the lives of Samarnons
specially the poor farmers and fisherfolks, in this part of the world.
Cesar Aculan is the
director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Calbayog. Among
the religious, titles like D.D., S.T.D., H.P. are earned for
completing certain studies but Fr. Cesar has been conferred the title
Sus.Ag. which is jokingly appended to his name by his religious
colleagues for his untiring promotion and practice of Sustainable
Agriculture among the farmers of Samar. Majority of the priests in
Samar have embarked on beautifying their churches and convents, but
Fr. Cesar took the “road less traveled” he organized trainings for
farmers, established a demonstration farm, sourced materials and
funding to make farming a sustainable and profitable venture and in
the middle of these - provided refuge to the farmers and their
families who were displaced by the silent war waged in Samar. Along
with sustainable development, he has pushed for Peace and Development
to secure a peaceful environment for development to prosper in Samar
island.
Angel Hobayan,
Leonardo Medroso, and Jose Palma were bishops in
Samar island. Bishop Hobayan was bishop of the Diocese of Catarman
before he retired in 2005; Bishop Medroso was bishop of the Diocese of
Borongan before he was named Bishop of the Diocese of Bohol in
November, 2006; and Bishop Palma was bishop of the Diocese of Calbayog
before he was promoted Archbishop of Palo early last year. The
formidable trio added their voices and support to the establishment of
the Samar
Island Natural Park and the people’s stand against mining and logging
in the island of Samar. When the DENR issued an order in 2005 lifting
the logging moratorium in Samar island which allowed the San Jose
Timber corporation to resume logging operations, the three bishops
closed ranks again, this time with Bishop Trance of the Diocese of
Catarman who had replaced Bishop Hobayan, to oppose the DENR order.
Bishop Emeritus Hobayan came out of his retirement to testify in the
Senate public hearing on the issue. The three bishops also initiated
the formation of the Samar Island Development Council which later
became the Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development.
Mel Sarmiento,
Coefredo Uy, Reynato Latorre and Mario Quijano are mayors of Calbayog
city, Catbalogan, Villareal and Pinabacdao respectively. Mayor
Sarmiento is an energetic mayor who has won numerous awards for his
good governance in Calbayog, the only city in Samar island. He was
named national winner of the Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence (KAME)
as a highly performing city government by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
and the Local Government Development Foundation. KAME, named after the
first German Chancellor, is an award for best managed local government
unit in the Philippines, given to local executives for their
leadership, accomplishments and vision for their communities. He has
also won for Calbayog an award from the Galing Pook Awards for his
project on Coastal Zoning which delineated the boundaries of the
municipal waters of Calbayog City and its neighboring municipalities,
thus securing the municipal fishing grounds for the artisanal
fisherfolk of Calbayog.
Mayor Mario Quijano
brought honors to the
municipality of
Pinabacdao
when his proposal for an agro-forestry project was declared one of
three national winners in the Panibagong Paraan Competition of the
World Bank in 2006. His proposal, “What is Yours is Mine, What is Mine
is Yours”, bested 87 other proposals from the original 1,000 entries
and a P2 M grant was given for his project. He convinced farmers to go
into agro-forestry, offering to pay for their tax delinquencies when
yields had improved.
Mayor Uy, or Tekwa as
he prefers to be called is a first termer mayor of Catbalogan who
showed how to exercise political will in realizing long cherished
improvements for the town of Catbalogan. Most politicians in elected
positions would hesitate to act on what has to be done fearing the
loss of votes, but Mayor Tekwa pushed on, no matter the political
consequences. With this daring-do, he was able to do what his
predecessors were not able to accomplish. He built and improved the
wet and dry markets for fish and vegetable vendors. He built the first
bus and jeepney terminal for Catbalogan, the premier town of Samar. He
was named Second Best Performing LGU in Fiscal Management and
Collection in Region 8 (second to Ormoc City) by the DILG.
Reynato “Boy” Latorre
is another first termer mayor of Villareal,
Samar who took the “responsibility of an extra-ordinary,
mind-boggling and gargantuan project that separates us from the very
ordinary Filipinos”, in the words of Prof. Cesar Torres, a Villahanon
based in San
Francisco, U.S.A. The project is the repair and concreting of the 9
km. road from the Maharlika highway to the town of Villareal. Built in
1937, the dirt road is the only access road linking Villareal to the
rest of Samar but it has deteriorated so badly, people would rather
take to the sea to reach Villareal. With the strong support of the
Villahanon Association in Metro Manila (VAMM), Mayor Latorre has
mobilized his fellow Villahanons here and abroad to contribute sacks
of cement and harnessed tiklos labor (the traditional practice
of helping one another in times of harvest). Contributions poured in
and people turned up for the tiklos and now about 3.5 kms of
what is now known as the “Villareal Bayanihan Road” have been
cemented. Mayor Boy Latorre has demonstrated people power in action in
his municipality. The project continues and so thus the tiklos
spirit.
Romeo “Omi” Royandoyan
is the executive director of SENTRO SAKA (formerly Philippine Peasant
Institute), an NGO working for Filipino farmers. He has served as
member of the Board of Trustees of the UCPB to look after the interest
of the farmers’ coco levy. For many years now, Omi has consistently
been assisting the coconut farmers in Samar. As a response to the low
price of copra, his NGO came up with the Kopra Social Investment Plan
to enable farmers to bring their copra to the milling companies at
miller’s prices and chose Samar as one of their pilot sites. (Samar is
the biggest coconut producing province in Eastern Visayas which in
turn, is the third coconut producing region in the Philippines). In
2006, he brought Danilo Coronacion, CEO of the Coconut Industry
Investment Fund and Oil Mills President, to
Samar where he
linked up CIIF’s Coconut Farm Development Program to the coconut
farmers of Samar. The program covers 12 municipalities in
Samar provinces
to undertake planting, replanting & fertilization; crop intercropping
with tuba-tuba and other crops; and harvesting and copra
processing. This is an industry-wide program that could boost the
sagging coconut production and income of coconut farmers in the
province.
Don Mabulay succeeded
me as the executive director of Tandaya Foundation, a non-government
organization based in Catbalogan, Samar. In the NGO community, Don is
known to be a non-conformist in a community of already many
non-conformists. He is known to greet you over the phone with reverse
greetings “greeting you good morning when it is afternoon and vice
versa, so the guy in the other end won’t have to ask “hino ini”. A
self-proclaimed Cinderella (to be home before 12 midnight he tells his
buddies that being Cinderella he is scared of becoming a mouse), you
can count the few times he turns up in long pants and shoes,
preferring to be comfortable in his shorts and sandals. Early on in
our NGO work, he tried to teach Samarnons in government “how to
think”. His “WII-FM” (What’s in it for me?), an innovative process to
generate participation has now been adopted and used by many NGOs in
many parts of the country in their trainings. Eccentricity aside, he
was a major winner, in the national competition of the World Bank’s
Panibagong Paraan 2006. His policy proposal “Aquaculture for
Fisherfolks” calls for making Technology accessible to small
fisherfolks to engage in sea farming. With dwindling yields from
fisheries not only in the Philippines but also worldwide, his proposal
was hailed to be the most practical policy to increase harvests and
incomes of fisherfolks.
Ray Gaspay is one of
two persons who provide cable TV services in Catbalogan. The other guy
has been able to make extensive cable TV connections in Catbalogan
that has earned him millions. Ray, on the other hand, has made limited
cable TV connections, but unlike no other, Ray was able to connect
with people worldwide specially those who come from the islands of
Samar and Leyte. With his SamarNews.com, an on-line newspaper about
Samar and Leyte, he prides in providing “the latest news in Eastern
Visayas region” and providing a message board for personal comments &
inquiries and even searches for long-lost friends and relatives; and a
discussion forum on issues affecting us in the region. Obviously not a
commercial venture, I don’t know how Ray is able to sustain
SamarNews.com but he has done it!
As a lawyer, Antonio
Eduardo Nachura is known nationally as an authority on Constitutional
law - teaching and writing law books about it. He is also admired by
close friends and colleagues for his dedication to teaching. Even when
he was congressman of the second district of Samar, he continued
teaching law in various law schools. He has served as Undersecretary
of the Department of Education and has been one of the public
prosecutors during the impeachment proceedings against Pres. Joseph
Estrada. Recently, he has been appointed as the country’s Solicitor
General. But it is not his long list of achievements in his
professional and political career that I have included him in this
list. As president of the Katbalaoganon Association of Metro Manila in
2006, he envisioned a book tracing the history of his native town of
Catbalogan
as a legacy to the young Catbaloganons to be proud of their heritage.
And he made this vision a reality by publishing O, Catbalogan! Prof.
Cesar Torres praised the book as “one of the most beautiful book
ever.” He said that “In the entire history of Samar, since the
beginning of time, "O, Catbalogan!" is one of the most momentous
happenings in our history... It is a food for the soul, food for the
intellect, a tribute to all the Samarnons, past, present, and
future.” Of course, I’m thankful to Atty. Nachura for giving me the
opportunity to work with him on this book.
Thus, I welcome the
new year and this new magazine, with inspiring stories of leadership,
vision and action of people who were unstinting in their service to
care for our environment, nourish our heritage, and to improve the
lives of our people. Not only at the end of the year, will we be asked
this question again, have we done something to make a difference?
