libre zona

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Consuelo by Chef Vince Garcia

Pititchan ternu king achara.

Suwam mais. Sisig matua.

Pindang damulag. Kalderetang baka.

Asadung matua, alang kapara.

Kare-kareng tripas samut iking baka.

Fritong hitu, buru, apalya, balasenas, okra.

Singleng nasing begukan, tidtad bawang.

Migbutaktak naka king nyaman ning lasa.

Kalame ubi, tsuklating batirol – pagmayumu pa.

Consuelo --

Pamagbalic king kakung kayanakan,

Pamanuli king tune dulang Kapampangan.

Friday, August 21, 2026

Anyare, BBM?

“WE ARE very optimistic that this will redound to improving people’s lives by enhancing the disaster resilience of all our communities.”

Thus, spoke President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. buoying up the hopes for drier times of the people in the low-lying towns of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas in Pampanga as he led the inauguration of the P7.57-billion flood mitigation project on Aug. 7, 2024.

Located in Masantol, the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Project – Stage I (IDRR-CCA 1) was implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways and funded by the Export-Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

Aimed to increase and improve the capacity of the Third River, Eastern Branch River, Caduang Tete River, and Sapang Maragul River – all tributaries of the Pampanga River, the project covers excavation, dredging, and widening of river channels, as well as the construction of embankments to enhance flood control.

In addition, the project involves the construction of three new bridges, five footbridges, eight sluice gate structures, and 164 fish pond gates.

Unveiling the IDRR-CCA 1 (L-R) Masantol Mayor Ton-ton Bustos, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, PBBM, Republic of Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-hwa, Pampanga 4^th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc, and Vice Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda. PCO photo

“Once it is fully completed, the IDRR-CCA will reduce the flood level and flood duration from 66 days to 17 days in the municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas,” enthused Marcos Jr., as he assured the Masantol residents in attendance that the DPWH “will expeditiously complete the ongoing flood control projects here in Region 3.”

Then-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan chipped in: “Today is a significant milestone in our efforts to reduce the impacts of natural disasters.”

Not to be outdone, Pampanga 4^th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc: “We are deeply honored by your presence today at the inauguration of the first-ever climate change loan of the Philippines.”

That was on Aug. 7, 2024.

Two years and five days after – Aug. 12, 2026 – the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pampanga officially declared the whole province under a state of calamity amid prolonged and torrential rainfall that caused extensive flooding in several high-risk municipalities and barangays, displaced thousands of residents, disrupted livelihoods, and damaged agricultural areas and community infrastructure.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Situational Report, as of 12 noon, Aug. 12: a total of 269,775 families, or 860,076 individuals, have been affected; 297 flooded barangays across 17 local government units; 7,731 individuals displaced and evacuated from affected communities.

Damage to the agriculture sector exceeded P505 million, affecting approximately 3,787 farmers and fisherfolk.

Food packs provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development were distributed to over 25,000 families in the 4^th District alone – Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas, foremost.

The rains continued, even harder in places, for days. By Aug. 20, the PDRRMO reported P748.8 million in agricultural and fisheries damage, P3.1 million in livestock damage, and P11.9 million in egg-drop losses. A total of 7,754 farmers and fisherfolk affected.

On Aug. 21, flooding remained in 19 towns and cities, affecting 307,879 families or 982,100 individuals. Of Pampanga’s 505 barangays, 276 were under water.

The breadth and depth of flooding in Pampanga – the worst in decades, if not ever, swear old-timers – dashed the hopes Marcos Jr. so elevated among the Kapampangans at the inauguration of that P7.57-billion IDRR-CCA 1 flood control in Masantol on Aug. 7, 2024. It has veritably turned into a white elephant, costly at that, seemingly as worthless as the phantom flood control projects still unresolved to this day.

Nanay’s call

“Ang palagay ko, stop muna yung mga flood control. Kasi naalala ko, 10 years… Hindi naman kinukumpleto yung gawa. So, walang solusyon eh. Ganun pa rin.”

Backdropped by the submerged Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bacolor town, Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda could not have given her take of the current deluge a greater impact to the viewers of the Bilyonaryo News Channel newscast, Agenda.

Even as she pushed for the immediate dredging of the Pampanga River and its tributaries as a short-term solution, the governor called on the DPWH for a comprehensive review of long-standing flood control strategies, focusing on the effectiveness of traditional dikes and protective structures used over the years.

Meanwhile, the DSWD and the Capitol continue to brave floodwaters in their relief operations across Pampanga.

Life, hard as it is, goes on. But for how long?

Sa sawi kong bayan...

... pangalan na lamang ng pulitiko ang lulutang-lutang.

SA BAYAN ng Sto. Tomas, naging kalakaran

nagsusumigaw na mga pangalan ng mga opisyal

nakapaskel sa bawat gawaing bayan –

“A Priority Project of CONGRESSWOMAN DRA. ANNA YORK BONDOC”

o dili kaya’y “Gusto Ko Progreso – MAYOR JOHN SAMBO.”

Sa laki ng mga pangala’y di kayang buwagin ng boto sa halalan,

burahin ng panahon, o kahit sa baha ay ilubog man lamang.

Ayan o – sa lupang pinagtabuyan na pinangalanan

sa mismong ama ng kinatawan, sila pari’y lutang na lutang.

Ay, sawimpalad kong bayan,

pagkahumaling mo sa pulitiko, kailan mapaparam?

pagdurusa mo'y mayroon pa bang hangganan?

Screenshots from Jennipors Quiambao FB Page

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Ano'ng fake news, Mayor Malu?

KAHAPON, AGOSTO 16, naglabas ng pahayag si Magalang, Pampanga Mayor Malu Paras-Lacson ukol sa aniya’y fake news ng One Balita Central Luzon (OBCL), isang online news platform, hinggil sa kaugnayan niya at ng kaniyang pamilya sa Kingsmen Manpower and General Services, Inc. (KMGSI).

“Upang maiayos ang katotohanan at matuldukan ang panlilinlang sa publiko,” dalawang punto ang inihayag ng alkalde na aniya’y “mga opisyal na katotohanan.”

Una. “Walang Aktibong Operations at Walang Kontrata: Walang umiiral na kontrata ang Kingsmen sa Chuangxing Steel, at kasalukuyang wala nang anumang operasyon (no active operations) ang naturang kumpanya.”

Pangalawa. “Naisagawa na ang Divestment: Ang ating Punong Bayan, Mayor Malu Lacson, kasama ang kanyang asawa, at MENRO [municipal environment and natural resources officer] ay matagal nang nag-divest o ganap nang naglabas ng kanilang interes at shareholdings sa Kingsmen. Bagama't hindi pa ganap na naka-reflect sa pinakabagong General Information Sheet (GIS) ng SEC ang pagbabagong ito, malinaw na wala na silang anumang pagmamay-ari o kinalaman sa pananalapi ng kumpanya.”

Mukhang sa unang punto pa lamang ay lihis na ang pagpapaliwanag ng alkalde. Walang nabanggit ang OBCL na anumang kontrata sa pagitan ng KMGSI at Chuangxing Steel.

Ang ugnayan sa pagitan ng dalawa ay lumabas sa hearing ng Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change noong Agosto 14 kung saan ito ay ipinunto mismo ni committee chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo.

(Matutunghayan ang bahagi ng talakayan dito sa Raffy Tulfo in Action)

Ani ng senador: “Si mayor [Paras-Lacson] ay mayroong manning agency, Karamihan sa mga worker ng Chuangxing Steel Inc. ay galing sa kanyang agency, referred ng kanyang agency. Kasi, para sa akin, mukhang may conflict of interest. Siyempre, kapag yung mga empleyado nanggagaling sa kanya, there’s the possibility that she might turn a blind eye sa lahat ng mga makikita niyang kalokohan doon dahil pinagkakakitaan niya.”

Nauna rito, tinanong ng senador si Department of Labor and Employment Region 3 director Geraldine Panlilio kung sino ang may-ari ng KMGSI, kung si mayor [Paras-Lacson], at ito ay sinagot ng “Yes.”

Siya na nga po.

Inilahad pa ni Panlilio na “Kingsman is an unregistered subcontractor. Hindi po siya registered sa DOLE.”

Kung gayon, Paras-Lacson is barking up the wrong tree with her fake news wailing against OBCL. Dapat ang tinahulan niya ay si Senador Tulfo at Director Panlilio. Lalo na ang huli sa kanyang isiniwalat – hindi rehistrado sa DOLE ang KMGSI, e di ito ang palsipikado. Hindi fake news ang balita dito.

Sa pangalawang punto ng alkalde: ang pag-amin ng divestment niya at ng kaniyang mga kapamilya at kasangga sa kumpanya ay nagpatibay lamang sa pagpapatotoo sa inilahad ng OBCL na batay sa 2026 General Information Sheet (GIS) ng Securities and Exchange Commission, na sila ang nagmamay-ari at may pamamahala sa KMGSI, to wit:

Maria Lourdes P. Lacson, president, 30% ownership;

Odilon L. Lacson (kabiyak ng alkalde), corporate secretary, 30% ownership; at

Norman L. Lacson (bayaw at kasalukuyang municipal administrator), treasurer, 30%.

Ang dalawa pang nakarehistro bilang stockholders ay sina:

Pablo Elmer Mercado (kasalukuyang municipal environment and natural resources officer), 5% ownership; at

Jose Tiburcio S. Canlas (hindi tiyak kung kapangalan lamang o siya mismo ang city public accountant ng Lungsod ng San Fernando), 5% ownership.

Sipi ng inilabas na GIS ng KMGSI sa OBCL. Binura ang mga tala ng tirahan alinsunod sa mga pamantayan sa data privacy

Nilinaw pa ng OBCL na ang rehistro sa SEC ay hiwalay sa rehistro sa DOLE ng manpower agency.

Malinaw sa GIS na sina Paras-Lacson et al. ay nagmay-ari at namahala sa kumpanya. Hindi nabubura ang pag-mamay-ari nilang yaon sa loob ng takdang panahon bago ang sinabi ng alkalde na pag-divest o pagbitaw nila sa kumpanya.

Gayunpaman, higit sanang titibay ang paglilinaw ng kagalang-galang na alkalde kung nakalakip dito ang dokumentong nagpapatunay na nag-divest na nga sila, kung gaano katagal na ang sinasabi niyang "matagal" sa paglalagay ng petsa dito, at sino na ang mga bagong may ari ng divested shares.

Sa halip na paglilinaw at pagtuldok sa sinasabi ni Paras-Lacson na “panlilinlang sa publiko,” mga red flags ang nagsulputan na sumisigaw ng imbestigasyon para umiral ang katotohanan, sa ngalan ng transparency at accountability.

Una, ang conflict of interest na ibinandila ni Senador Tulfo na maaring ihagkis kay Paras-Lacson, sa kanyang kapamilya, at sa kawani ng munisipyo na direktang may sakop sa mga alituntunin sa operasyon ng Chuangxing Steel Inc.

Pangalawa, ang paglabag sa mga batas sa paggawa bunga ng hindi pagka-rehistro sa DOLE ng KMGSI.

Pangatlo, ang mga hinaing ng mga manggagawa sa Chuangxing Steel Inc., partikular ang safety and occupational hazards sa kumpanya na nagbunga ng mga sakuna.

At iba pa.

Ukol sa kanyang babala, karapatan ni Paras-Lacson na magsampa ng asuntong cyberlibel “laban sa mga may-akda, tagapamahala ng pahina, at sa lahat ng mga indibidwal na napatunayang nagpapakalat at nag-share ng malisyosong fake news [ng OBCL].”

Dahil sa tinalakay din natin ito, isinasama ko na rin tayo sa mga “nagpakalat” nito.

Kung ang layon ng kagalang-galang na alkalde ay maghasik ng pangamba o pananakot sa media – yaong sa English ay tinatawag na chilling effect – upang iwasan ang pagbusisi sa anumang isyu sa kanyang pamamahala na minamarapat niyang nakaka-mantsa sa iwing kadalisayan ng kanyang pagiging punongbayan -- ay, “You should have another think coming, Madame Mayor.”

At sa kanyang paghimok sa publiko na “maging mapagmatyag at huwag magpadala sa mga gawa-gawa na balitang may layuning pampolitika lamang,” sino po ba ang pulitiko? Yaong mga tinutukoy sa kawikaang “Politics is the last recourse of scoundrels.”

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

The Capas conundrum

"WE stand by personnel who perform their duties professionally and lawfully, and we remain committed to constructive engagement with the local government."

Pointedly dismissive on one hand, tactfully receptive on the other is the official statement of the Philippine Air Force in defense of the commander of the Col. Ernesto Ravina Air Base (CERAB) in Tarlac who has come under fire from the Sangguniang Bayan of Capas.

Lt. Col. Owen Avenido "in her capacity as the base commander, was only performing her lawful duty to protect" the facility and nearby communities. So declared PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco on July 28.

Avenido, commander of the PAF 790th Air Base Group at CERAB, was declared persona non grata (PNG) by the Capas SB via Municipal Resolution No. 112-2026 unanimously approved during its special session on July 27.

The resolution clarified that the PNG declaration "is adopted not out of hostility toward the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the PAF but out of the municipality's continuing commitment to protect and preserve the dignity of local government, and uphold the principles of mutual respect, courtesy, accountability and cooperation among all public institutions."

The dignity of the LGU sullied with Avenido allegedly twice rejecting requests of Mayor Roseller “Boots” Rodriguez for a dialogue over the simmering issues his constituents had been raising against the CERAB contingent, principally of its personnel imposing restrictions impacting on the day-to-day affairs of both “unat” and “kulot” communities in Barangays Sta. Juliana, O'Donnell, Maruglo, Buena, and Sta. Lucia, all within the 17,000-hectare military reservation.

Affected residents in July 14, 2026 rally in Barangay Sta. Juliana, Capas against PAF checkpoint restrictions, calling for dialogue and respect of IP rights over their ancestral domain. Photo: Capas Information Office

Issues ultimately ventilated at the Capas session hall resulting to Avenido being declared persona non grata, to wit:

With military checkpoints, bringing into the communities basic necessities like rice, drinking water, groceries, and the like became an ordeal for the residents.

Before the SB, an Aeta resident articulated their situation verily bordering on violation of indigenous peoples’ rights: "If they say we have rights as IPs, why are we not allowed to bring construction materials into our community? What the military says is not reflected in what we experience. We want the freedom to improve our homes and to enter with our materials through an agreement that respects our rights."

IP representatives speak at the Capas SB session hall. Contributed photo

No red-tagging but allegations of PAF personnel reportedly referring to Aeta residents as "illegal settlers" smack of discrimination, if not outright racism.

The municipal social welfare and development office was deterred from its bound duty to conduct validation activities for IPs and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program as its personnel were denied entry.

Even assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to the communities were not allowed. Barangay Maruglo chair Lota Guanla told the SB: "They asked us to move outside the checkpoint. We had to bring tables and chairs under a mango tree instead of using our barangay covered court. Residents had to receive their assistance outside under the heat."

Personnel from the municipal civil registrar's office were forced to cancel a scheduled late birth registration outreach for IPs after they were reportedly denied entry.

In like manner, the municipal agriculture office was prevented to distribute vegetable seedlings intended for IP communities when its personnel allegedly were barred from entering the reservation.

Tarlac Electric Cooperative II director Eliseo Rivera cited an instance when personnel were allegedly prevented from responding to a reported electrical emergency of a burning electric meter and an energized power line inside the reservation.

Mayor Rodriguez himself recalled being “put on hold for an unreasonable amount of time," on his way to Barangay Sta. Juliana to officiate a wedding.

Mayor Rodriguez. Photo; Pampanga Journal

No relief

Calling for Avenido's relief from her post, Capas SB asked PAF for the designation of a replacement "who will strengthen cooperation, mutual respect, constructive dialogue and partnership."

Just as quick, spokesman Basco said there is no need at this time to relieve Avenido from her post, stressing that the service will review the allegations through established procedures and equally emphasizing PAF remains open to dialogue with local officials, but said “actions taken in good faith to secure military property should be viewed in the context of official duty.”

In the face of all the issues raised at the Capas session hall. Notwithstanding the PNG declaration against its commander, PAF maintained that the security protocols enforced at CERAB are “essential and standard procedures to safeguard military readiness, protect national defense infrastructure, and ensure public safety within the military reservation.”

Hence, Mayor Rodriguez’s quip during the session stands out all the more: "We are not happy with what's going on."

Standstill. An irresistible force impacting an immovable object to break the stalemate. In all appearances, for now.

Pax Silica

What can properly be discerned as an affront to local government dignity, curtailment of freedom of movement, and infringement of IP rights vis-à-vis draconian security protocols is fast impinging on the dilemma that is Pax Silica.

Already, there are Capas locals seeing the current PAF-Capas controversy as portentous of the AI phantom poised to take over their land, if not a security dry run, indeed, already the commencement of what, in Cold War parlance, is called “softening the ground.”

It does not take a conspiracy theorist to unravel this.

Sources: Media reports