Bogo Fiesta 2011 - Calendar of Activities

BOGO FIESTA 2011 CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
DATE		ACTIVITIES			VENUE
MAY 14, (Sat)		Day:	None
		Night:	Manila All Star Celebrities		Sports Complex
				Basketball Exhibition Games
MAY 18, (Wed)		Day:	Fluvial Procession		Bogo Bay
		Night:	Opening Salvo -"LGU Night"		Skating Rink
MAY 19, (Thu)		Day:	None
		Night:	Disco at the Park		Skating Rink
May  20, (Fri)		Day:	Indigay sa Awit og Balak		Public Museum
		Night:	SVF Parish Night		Skating Rink
May 21, (Sat)		Day:	SCOB Motor Show		Skating Rink
		Night:	GAISANO NITE - "Raffle Draw"		Sports Complex
				with Quennie Padilla
				and Jason Abalos
May 22, (Sun)		Day:	MOTOCROSS Competition		New City Hall Area
			Open Billard Tournament		Skating Rink
		Night:	BOXING IN BOGO		Sports Complex
				Sponsored by GMA-7 and
				Mr. Chino Trinidad
May 23, (Mon)		Day:	Open Billiard Tournament		Skating Rink
			Open Chess Tournament		Public Plaza
			Bogo Products Fair		Public Plaza
		Night:	SBBA NITE		Sports Complex
				(Solid Bogo Business Assoc.)
MAY 24, (Tue)		Day:	Open Billiard Tournament		Skating Rink
			Open Chess Tournament		Public Plaza
			Bogo Products Fair		Public Plaza
		Night:	SK Nite - BROADWAY MUSICAL		Skating Rink
MAY 25, (Wed)		Day:	1st Mayor Martinez BONSAI Cup		Public Museum
				and GARDEN SHOW
			Bogo Products Fair		Public Plaza
			BANKARERA Competition		Polambato Port
			Open Billiard Tournament		Skating Rink
		Night:	BRS NIGHT		Skating Rink
				(Bogo Redeemers Society)
MAY 26, (Thur)		Day:	1st Mayor Martinez BONSAI Cup		Public Museum
				and GARDEN SHOW
			Bogo Products Fair		Public Plaza
		PM:	Pintos Festival Street Dancing		Skating Rink
		Night:	TV5 and Smart Telecom Nite		Sports Complex
				with celebrities, sponsored
				by SMART Communication  and TV5
			Street Party Competion		Bogo Poblacion
				(4 Cluster Areas)
MAY 27, (Fri)		Day:	1st Mayor Martinez BONSAI Cup		Public Museum
				and GARDEN SHOW
			Bogo Products Fair		Public Plaza
		Night:	PINTOS FESTIVAL QUEEN 2011		Sports Complex
				Search and Coronation Nite
				w/ Mr. SAM CONCEPCION
			Street Party Competion		Bogo Poblacion
				(4 Cluster Areas)
MAY 28, (Sat.)		Day:	VACANT
		Night:	VACANT
MAY 29, (Sun)		Day:	VACANT
		Night:	VACANT

Ms. Bogo 2011 - Bogo Festival Queen 2011

Bogo is now preparing for the upcoming Fiesta 2011 in honor of its patron Saint Vincent Ferrer whom Bogohanons and people around the world attributed many miracles.

One of the latest event that Bogohanons were asking for St. Vincent Ferrer's intercession was the cityhood case of Bogo that went on a roller coaster ride.

Every year, Bogo celebrates 2 fiestas for the patron saint. One is every April 5 which is the official feast day of St. Vincent Ferrer. In this fiesta, many pilgrims around the world will come to venerate the patron. Almost all activities in this fiesta are religious activities only. The 2nd fiesta which is considered the biggest is celebrated every May 27. The 2nd fiesta has the most number of visitors and events.

One of the main event for the May 2011 fiesta is the 1st search for BOGO FESTIVAL QUEEN. This is more or less similar for the pasts Ms. Bogo pageant but with more emphasis on Bogo's culture. One of the known delicacies of Bogo is Pintos. And so the Pintos Festival was born. Pintos Festival is now the official festival of Bogo.

The Search for BOGO FESTIVAL QUEEN 2011 is scheduled on May 27, 2011 at the Don Celestino Martinez Sr. Sports and Cultural Center at Taytayan, Bogo City, Cebu. 12 beautiful Bogohanons with age ranging from 19 to 23 is vying for the title.

Last April 25 and 26, the candidates were having their photoshoot at Tugbungan Eco-Park, Gairan, Bogo City and Capitancillo Islet, Bogo City, Cebu.

Question and Answer with Mayor Junie - Part 3 of 3

Q5.  Bogo has had a history of intense political rivalry that isn’t seen in most parts of Cebu province.  That’s why, more often than not, Bogo is in the hotspots list of the police and the Comelec.  How do you account for that?

A.   What history here are we talking about?  How far back does this history

begin?  As far as records would show it was only in 2007 that there was a faint suggestion of political rivalry in Bogo.  But then it was not for a local position and not even an intense rivalry if we go by the electoral result at the time.  The ruckus was raised by the opposite camp for alleged cheating on our part and for which no less than the Supreme Court twisted their accusing fingers to their own faces as the ones who engineered the cheating.

As being in the hotspots list of the police and the Comelec, that is unfortunate as there ought to have been no reason for such.  In their zeal to paint Bogo as an active political volcano one barangay in the last barangay election was classified a hotspot when the running barangay captain did not even have an opponent!

Never has the history of Bogo showed any record of politically-motivated violence prior to 2007.  Analysis of recent events in our town would show that these incidents of unprecedented violence were exports to Bogo in character and that members of my side were always the unfortunate victims – not the other way around.  Truly it is beyond accounting on my part.

          What is also beyond accounting is how come the media could not see the events in our place the way they really are?  How come it appears they are always one in seeing the dirty hands of the Martinezes in every sinister thing that happens in Bogo?  Where is their sense of fair play?  Where is their sense of justice?  Where is their thirst for truth which is supposed to be the bedrock of true journalism?  Bogo is an open city…or municipality if you like.  The media is always free to come and go and do its own investigation if it cares enough for unvarnished truth and for the feelings of all those needlessly wounded by its insensitive handling and careless interpretation of facts.

Q6.  Do you see opportunities for young leaders not just in Bogo but also in other parts of the province?  Or do you see political power kept and exercised in the same way that it was when you started as mayor in 1971 and as congressman in 1987?

          A.  One has to be naïve to the bone to believe that political opportunities for young leaders today are the same as those when I started in 1971.  Or the same as what textbooks tell us about opportunities in a society blessed by democracy.  In 1971 a young leader can win with a good campaign platform and a good smile.  Today, never mind the platform and the smile: just have money to run your campaign and to pay for your votes and to pay for whoever needs to be paid so your votes could be counted.  It’s a pretty much cynical view from a dyed-in-the wool democrat but except for a hair’s breadth of exaggeration that statement stands.  Just look at the kind of political training we are giving our youth.  It sucks and it’s sad.  And I’m sorry to be part of this generation of politicians responsible for the decadence of our country’s political institutions.

Q7.  As in many local governments, Bogo must include in its major concerns unemployment and poverty.  With an agro-industrial economy (aided by port trading) that must still need some priming and pushing, how has Bogo coped with the problem of helping the jobless and the poor?

          Definitely Bogo has its share of the jobless and the poor.  Within our powers we have offered handicraft skills training, TESDA-inspired job opportunities, financial assistance to those with entrepreneurial aptitude and scholarships for students.  Some of the scholarships are in partnership with schools and companies.

END.

The City of Bogo Official website

A lot of people are looking for the official website of the City Government of Bogo which is www.cityofbogocebu.com.

Well, the website will be online soon but it will be under a new domain name. There was an executive order  requiring local government units to put up their own website. If I'm not mistaken, it was through the National Computer Center which is under the Office of the President. In this executive order it also mandated there that LGU's official websites should bear the name ".GOV.PH". 

So the city government of Bogo is now complying with this mandate and is now processing the necessary documents with the national government who will provide the City of Bogo its official website domain including its hosting..

The new website will be online soon. The earlier would be this month of May and the later will be on July 2011. The domain name of the website could be: www.cityofbogo.gov.ph or www.cityofbogocebu.gov.ph. Just watch for it, we will be announcing it here so dont hesitate to come back to this blog everytime you're online.

Question and Answer with Mayor Junie - Part 2 of 3

Continued from previous post...

Q3.  Look at the political landscape in Cebu.  Do you see major changes three years from now when your party will have another crack at the seat of power in the Province?  The LP enjoys the edge on national resources but they say President Aquino is not the sort of politician who’ll use them to gain political control in LGUs.  So far, no major initiative has been made by LP to strengthen its mass base and corps of leaders in towns and component cities.  Or are things being done without publicity?

          A.  If there is anything I have learned from recent events, it is that anything can happen.  Prior to his mother’s death, who would have had the craziest idea that Noynoy could be president of the Philippines?  And by a hair’s breadth we almost had this change in the power structure of the province in the last elections.  Three months before the elections that seemed impossible.

          But on another note I must say it is difficult to see power shift to the LPs at the local level in the next three years if many of us are not willing to mend our political differences.  As of now we are waiting for the national leadership to take the initiative.

Q4.  Your clan is among the political families that have kept power in their respective turfs or enclaves for several years.  The dynasty issue must have been raised in the last campaign.  Did it have any impact on the election results in Bogo?  Is it already a dead issue?

A.  The problem is the law has no clear definition of what dynasty really means.  So for the purpose of banning family members from running in electoral exercises it certainly is a dead issue for now.  Some use it though as campaign tool but its funny how they use it against their opponents while conveniently forgetting their own candidacies are stark displays of desires to make local government a family affair.  As far as Bogo positions in the last elections are concerned it is really difficult to determine the direction of the issue’s impact: on my family or on some other family.  It depends on which side of the river you’re standing. 

Q4a.  How do you classify yourself as a politician and as a manager of a local government unit?  Have you been open to new ideas in politics and governance or have you stuck to the old ways of running things because they work?

A.  As manager of local government unit I believe in the judicious use of local resources, whether human or material.  I believe in accountability; in the delegation of authority; as well as in the sharing of responsibilities.  I pay attention to the ideas of others although I may have to pay for the consequences of listening to them.

          As politician the last statement pretty much applies.  But I am the type who say what I mean and mean what I say.  If I support a political ally I support him with all the resources and enthusiasm at my command.  Years ago, it was my solid support that made Congressman Pablo Garcia a governor when many of his allies, for one reason or another, deserted him came election time.  It was the votes in my district that brought him victory.

I am open to new ideas in politics as well as governance.  Indeed, I have been a staunch advocate of dividing the province of Cebu for more effective governance – a stand highly unpopular at the time but consistent with my ideas on decentralization and devolution which are actually the spirits that underlay the Local Government Code of 1991.  For that I have been lashed, crucified and buried.

But I feel quite vindicated that no less than His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal has discovered wisdom in chopping a huge area of governance into manageable sizes.  The current proposed division of the diocese of Cebu into two finds astonishing similarity to my past advocacy.  He had stated in the past that dividing Cebu was evil.  I believe the descent of some spirit has made him reconsider his position which is remarkably parallel to my own.  I hope he succeeds where I failed.   

Question and Answer with Mayor Junie - Part 1 of 3

I found this one worth posting for, so for the benefit of those who were not able to read this in the local newspaper, I’m posting this one.

This was Mayor Junie Martinez’ answer to the questions that was sent to him sometime in 2010. This is was published in the local newspaper after they got hold of it. Well, not everything, but more or less, the ideas were published. But in here, this is the exact article, word for word.

FOR    : ___________, Cebu City

FROM: Mayor Celestino E. Martinez, Jr.

Q1.  How do you assess the prospects of Bogo’s growth with the probable stripping of its city-hood?  Tell us how much of your development plans was pinned on Bogo keeping its new LGU status?

          A.  Still pretty good.  It continues to be the hub of education, trade and commerce in northern Cebu because of its strategic location.  As my Vice-Mayor Santiago Sevilla had said, except for the greatly reduced IRA it’s still business as usual in Bogo.  Of course, the IRA of a city would have given tremendous boost to our economy and would have resulted in better services, facilities and amenities.  We must remember that Bogo’s economic life is closely linked not only to those of the adjacent municipalities but also to those of the neighboring provinces of Leyte and Masbate.  However, the more immediate beneficiaries of any growth spillover would have been the neighboring municipalities. 

  

          You can say we had pinned a lot of our development plans on Bogo’s being a city.  But with the probable stripping of such status we have adjusted our sights. Yet, during the two years we were receiving IRA as city we had put into place several urban development fundamentals.  And we are determined to pursue them as far as we can.  Like the creation of a new business center and constructing on the site Bogo’s new house of government to ensure people would go there.  Observing that rapid growth in the recent years had constricted the erstwhile spacious commercial areas, we decided to expand Bogo’s space for trade and commerce in a place we had identified as having the strongest potential for growth.

The new business center is situated near Polambato which has a broad stretch of flat lands declared a special economic zone by President Joseph Estrada. Polambato also has a new Roll-On, Roll-Off port which we had successfully developed into Cebu’s northern gateway to the Philippine Nautical Highway.  With excellent natural harbor endowments the port quickly developed into a favorite alternative passage point for people and products to and from the provinces of Masbate and Leyte and other provinces.  Indeed, less than two years after being opened we had to expand its capacity in order to accommodate increasing maritime traffic.  The new business center is expected to complement this development.  We have also constructed new market buildings to accommodate demand for more market spaces.

Q1-A.  How will your having supported President Noynoy Aquino in the last elections help in coping with the setback of the probable nullification of Bogo’s city-hood, especially considering that you didn’t support the sitting governor in the last elections?

          A.  We supported President Noynoy in the last elections as a matter of principle and as a matter of friendship.  Our ties with his family started during the snap elections of 1985 wherein I was the first mayor in the entire province to throw open and solid support behind her mother’s candidacy.  She was in Cebu when the 1986 EDSA Revolution broke out and, in fact, she stayed in our house in the city before she was moved to the Carmelite monastery for sanctuary.

          We stood by President Noynoy in the last elections believing he has the best potential for bringing change to a society made decrepit by decadent patronage politics and equally decadent national governance.  Of course, we are hoping the President could help us in our present setback but I’m too old in the game to expect too much.  I’m a pragmatist and I believe the President has to be given space even by friends like me in order that, free from the fetters of friendship or political alliances, he can fine-tune his organization, determine his administration’s priorities, and get his system truly running the way he sees best.

          As to my not having supported the present governor in the last elections, it was a direct consequence of my contrary political position.  We can’t eat our cake and have it, too.  Win some, lose some.  That’s true of life, politics and love, if I may add. 

Q2.  You’ve spent about three decades in public service: 19 years as mayor and 11 years as congressman.  What do you see as enduring achievements of that career and, if given more time, what still do you want or need to do?

          A.  Securing Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF during my time was not as easy as it is now.  Nor were they as large.  So whatever fund I secured I saw to it that they went to projects I believed would bring long-term economic benefits to my constituents, not to quick-fix derma projects whose principal aim is political cosmetics.  What the public may not know is that as congressman, I saw to it that where feasible, the poorest towns in my district should have projects that would serve to jumpstart economic activities there and in their neighbors.  Such was the case with Tabuelan which was once a very sleepy town.  I had its present port and its present respectable municipal hall built. The same goes for the ports of Hagnaya and Santa Fe.  Then, observing that for a long time good roads were only from Cebu City up to the municipality of Carmen, I lobbied with then DPWH Undersecretary Romulo del Rosario (who was married to a Fernan from Bogo) to include in a foreign-funded assistance program, the concreting of the road from Carmen to Hagnaya.  Likewise, when my wife was congresswoman, I also helped her lobby successfully for inclusion in a foreign-funded program the concreting of the road and bridges from Tabuelan to San Remigio, a project that saw actual implementation when my wife was no longer congresswoman of the Fourth District.  But it was during her time that the Tabuelan-San Remigio road and bridges project was secured.  I was also responsible for the rehabilitation of the Severo Verallo Hospital while congressman.

         

I was also the Chairman of the Committee on Local Governments in the House of Representatives that pushed for the passage of the Local Government Code of 1991.  My long years as mayor had given me insights on local governance and have helped a lot in giving flesh to the concept of local autonomy in the Code.  I have always believed that barangays and LGUs know best their priorities and that they should be given direct hand in the choice and implementation of projects they believed could best address the needs of their respective localities.

As mayor I definitely helped make Bogo what it is now.  The present municipal hall is a product of a self-help project that I initiated, helped by the proceeds of the first ever low-cost housing project in the country.  This project even became the model for then First Lady Imelda Marcos’ low-cost housing program during the martial law years.  

          There are still a lot of things I want to do if given more time - like making Bogo an alternative international port.  What many don’t know is that Bogo has one of the best sheltered coves in the country that makes it an ideal alternative maritime hub for the Visayas.  We already have the plan which, with a relatively small amount of money, can decongest the ports of Cebu City and spread growth and progress to the countryside.  I would like to believe it is through that principle that I have helped bring progress to the towns of Tabuelan, San Remigio and the island municipalities of Bantayan.  I keep on working towards that goal and keep on hoping it can be done. You see, I’m like that old man in the story who keeps on planting trees under whose shade he knows he may no longer take shelter.  Many of us politicians are actually like that.  

_____________________________________________

To be continued in the next post, watch for it. Here are the questions for the next post:

Q3.  Look at the political landscape in Cebu.  Do you see major changes three years from now when your party will have another crack at the seat of power in the Province?  The LP enjoys the edge on national resources but they say President Aquino is not the sort of politician who’ll use them to gain political control in LGUs.  So far, no major initiative has been made by LP to strengthen its mass base and corps of leaders in towns and component cities.  Or are things being done without publicity?

Q4.  Your clan is among the political families that have kept power in their respective turfs or enclaves for several years.  The dynasty issue must have been raised in the last campaign.  Did it have any impact on the election results in Bogo?  Is it already a dead issue?

  

Q4a.  How do you classify yourself as a politician and as a manager of a local government unit?  Have you been open to new ideas in politics and governance or have you stuck to the old ways of running things because they work?