iBOONDOCK

Shall we have a running tally of this emerging rivalry? Even if Kalinga Representative Manuel Agyao has been appointed as “caretaker”, we hope Mt. Province officials will lobby to have a special election held so the peoples choice will come out. Eh matagal pa naman ang 2010 elections.

Kalinga solon appointed as Mountain Province congressional caretaker
By Dexter See/Northern Philippine Times

BONTOC, Mountain Province – House Speaker Prospero Nograles appointed first-term Kalinga Rep. Manuel S. Agyao as the caretaker of the congressional post of this province which was vacated by the demise of veteran lawmaker Victor S. Dominguez last Feb. 8.

Nograles appointed Agyao even as some politicians in the province endorsed Baguio City Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan as caretaker of the vacant congressional post for over two months now.
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Image credit: Imagezoo.com

The above cartoon illustrates the state of affairs in Mt. Province where political forces are fighting to determine who should temporarily fill up the congressional position of the departed Rep. Victor Dominguez.

We have already said the things we have to say on this matter here and here. But here’s the latest developments according to a report by Dexter See. Let’s take the claims of both sides with a grain of salt.
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Image from Sunstar Baguio

Benguet Governor Maximo Dalog? Well, that’s according to Sunstar Baguio. We’re kinda tired pointing out to people that Banaue is not in Mt. Province, that Sagada is not in Ifugao, that Tabuk is in Kalinga, etc, etc but people committing those mistakes don’t know any better and are thus forgivable.

But Sunstar Baguio should know better because it IS Sunstar Baguio. Okay, it may be a typographical error which sometimes happen but still….

Anyways, the Sunstar article is about the Dominguez clan’s opposition to Domogan’s appointment as the caretaker of Mt. Province. As we said here and here we should have an election to reflect the choice of the people.

Here’s our next fake magazine cover featuring Cordillera officials. Kalinga Governor Floydelia Diasen is also a nurse by profession (and a college professor to boot) so we are calling her “The Healing Guv”. Who knows, maybe the skills she learned in the health care profession will prove to be useful in healing the political wounds inflicted during the past elections.

Canada based readers, it might interest you to know that Governor Diasen worked as a nurse in Saskatchewan from 1976 to 1978. You can read more professional info on the governor here. And in case you missed our post about her first 100 days in office, you can find it here.

PHOTO CREDIT: kalinga.gov.ph. RELATED POSTS: Governor Diasen’s First 100 Days; Covering Our Officials.

“It is ironic that this administration is asking the governors to declare support yet it could not act on simple requests like the tax my province is entitled to. This administration appears to have a selective amnesia.”

“My support for [Ms Arroyo] is conditional. For the moment, I am for the rule of law. I, too, would like to know the truth. For most Ifugaos, the issue of supporting [Ms Arroyo] in this troubled times depended on Malacañang’s willingness to address my constituents’ concerns.”

– Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat. Read the Inquirer report here.

This is how you play the game, folks. If you support a president who never received the mandate of the people, at the very least, you should demand something in return that redounds to the benefit of your constituents. Hindi yung blind support lang na wala kang mapapala.

It’s a good thing that the Ifugao governor is using his support for Gloria as a card to ask for the taxes that should rightfully go to Ifugao. In an ideal world however, those taxes should have been given to Ifugao from the very beginning. And in an ideal world, Gloria should not be sitting in Malacañang.

So we’re not the only ones who believe that appointing a “caretaker” (or undertaker as one of you wittily stated in the comments) has no basis in law. Read the write-up of Greg Taguiba below which also makes the same argument. (By the way, thanks to our tipster who alerted us about Greg’s article.)

As we said earlier, instead of proposing this caretaker nonsense, our officials should be working to ensure that a special election is held. Para naman marinig ang boses ng tao kung sino ang gusto nila.

Currently, we have some politicians pushing for the appointment of Baguio Rep. Domogan as the Mt. Province caretaker. Then, according to Greg’s article, “the camp of the late congressman is pushing for the appointment of Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao”. One of you also wrote here that Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa suggested Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao as the caretaker. As things go, I think the only “non-biased, no hidden agenda” suggestion is the one that comes from the Benguet Congressman.

Still, the best thing to do really is to get the will of the people. Who do they want as their Congressional representative? Only an election will determine this. The problem with this “caretaker” nonsense is that once a “caretaker” is appointed, those who lobbied for his/her appointment will be less inclined to work for the holding of a special election.

So no to caretakers. Yes to a special election. Masapol adi ay boses nan ipugao nan madnge. Cha, owen man.
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First term Kalinga Congressman Manuel Agyao (2nd from left) poses with some of his constituents during a trade fair in Manila. Photo courtesy of Marciano Paroy/Groundreport.com.

Know more about the Congressman’s legislative initiatives in his congressional page. He is the vice chair of three committees: National Cultural Communities, Public Works, and Rural Development. To date he has sponsored 14 bills mostly pertaining to the creation of schools or barangays.

Rep. Agyao used to be the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Assistant Secretary for Northern Luzon. He’s one of the very few iCordilleras in government service who reached the Asec (Assistant Secretary) level.

Links to other Cordi officials after the jump.
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