NOV. 4 - NOV. 10, 2018


4 OPINION EDITORIAL Unspent funds


The recent revelation of the Department of Education that nearly P1 billion worth of classrooms have yet to be constructed in Negros Oriental is most shocking.


The classrooms have not been built since 2014 while the demand for new classrooms increases each year due to the increase in population.


As a result of this backlog, more and more pupils are cramped in the already- crowded classrooms each year. But that’s not all; what we’re seeing in Negros Oriental is just a proverbial tip of the iceberg. As of today, a total of 2,766 classrooms have yet to be constructed in Central Visayas, while around 80,000 school classrooms have yet to be constructed throughout the country. The Department of Education is helpless in addressing this backlog because of a provision in the 2018 General Appropriations Act that provides that funds for the construction of school buildings shall be released directly from the Department of Budget & Management, and administered by the Department of Public Works & Highways. Clearly, the DPWH, which is also in charge of building roads, bridges and other public works, is spreading itself too thinly. It clearly cannot address the demand for classrooms even though it has the budget for it. And this does not augur well for


METROPOST


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP ECON 101 whelmayap@yahoo.com G


public service. This situation also puts the country in a bad fiscal light because the government has to borrow money to meet its budgetary requirements. Not spending that money would mean that the government would have to needlessly pay interest for that borrowed amount without the corresponding benefits. Perhaps our three Congressmen can


fix this flaw by amending the law to either download the money directly to the Department of Education and allow the DepEd to oversee the construction of their classrooms, or to allow the local government units to undertake the construction of these schoolbuildings.


around on another level to finish an incomplete task of promise, or take revenge for any real or perceived wrongs. Whether you believe in these old wives’ tales or not, there are cultures who honor their dead, and even try to contact then in another world.


hosts are mostly thought of as the souls of the dead roaming


violations of human rights under Martial Law are documented: 3,257 persons were “salvaged” (summarily executed); 35,000 tortured; 70,000 incarcerated, according to historian Alfred McCoy. These dead are believed to have become ghosts,


We know of ghosts in many ways: wakwak, manananggal, abat, or the more popular ‘white lady’. But most of all, Filipinos


haunting the conscience of those who survived.


should be afraid of the ghosts of Martial Law who allegedly come and go, or who have come back and stayed, not at peace, since they died in violent or unknown circumstances, assumed new forms, and have become as ghoulish, loathsome, and destructive.


Many Filipinos endured, but thousands suffered terribly from a brutal and corrupt Marcos dictatorship. The victims


of grave


development, and prosperity. With the re-emergence of the purveyors of re-writing history, Imelda, Imee and Bongbong are making a political comeback, displaying their ostentatious ill-gotten wealth. They have made it clear they


Who’s afraid of ghosts?


Now the ghosts of Martial Law victims are coming back to remind Filipinos that per Transparency International’s list of the world’s most corrupt rulers, Marcos plundered US$5 to $10 billion from the government’s coffers, with massive c o r ruption,c ronyi sm, etc., brought about by the conjugal dictatorship, which allowed no dissent during those nightmare years. These ghosts are further disturbed by the attempts to rewrite history, to paint the Martial Law era as halcyon times of discipline, beauty,


ATTY. JOSE RIODIL D. MONTEBON


THE EMPEROR’S NO CLOTHES


joseriodil@yahoo.com T


Member, Philippine Press Institute


ALEX REY V. PAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief (On-leave) IRMA FAITH B. PAL Managing Editor


JOEL V. PAL Online News/North America Editor RICHLI D. AVES Cartoonist


2017 National Awardee: Best in Photojournalism 2017 Best in Visayas: Best in Photojournalism, Best Editorial Page, Best Edited Community Newspaper


2016 Best in Visayas: Best in Photojournalism, Best in Environment Reporting, Best Editorial Page, Best Edited Community Newspaper


2007 National Awardee: Best Editorial Page


The MetroPost has business and editorial offices at 3F, Scoobys Bldg., Real St. (across Noreco II), Dumaguete. Tel: (035) 422-8368. Mobile: 0918-9400-731 Email: UniTownPublishing@gmail.com Website: www.DumagueteMetropost.com


The MetroPost is published by the UniTown Publishing House. All rights reserved. Subject to the conditions provided by law, no article or photograph published by the MetroPost shall be reprinted or reproduced in whole or in part without its prior written consent. The views expressed in the opinion pieces are those of the Columnists, and not necessarily of the Editors and the Publisher.


oday the countdown begins! No, not till Christmas; or the Dumaguete fiesta for that matter. It’s the countdown to the birthing of Song of Solomon on Nov. 15 at 8:00 pm at the Luce Auditorium. On that very special day, our fair and gentle City will play host to history-in-the making, the world debut of an original musical, designed by its creators Andrew Beall and Neil van Leeuwen for the big Stage on Broadway.


are not sorry at all for what Ferdinand Marcos did. On the contrary, they defend and justify Marcos’ Martial Law leadership, and the


institutionalized. Among them: patronage politics, which was centralized and systematically utilized as evidenced by the pork barrel scam (which is, by any other name, for self-serving ends); political clans and dynasties became


“legacy” it


With regards the presence of warlords and private armies, per Philippine National Police’s count, the country has 107 private armies, evidenced by the Ampatuan massacre; the ghosts of the journalists who were killed in November 2010 have not yet obtained justice.


favored by the administration in power, especially through the pursuit and capture of “rents” – public subsidies, concessions, tax exemptions, monopolies, etc.


entrenched and


The ghosts of Martial Law saw some parallelism between conditions then and now -- the creeping imposition of authoritarian rulen which destroys democratic institutions. The “don’t-know-what- you’re-talking-about” stance by the political rise of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who may have lost his bid for the vice presidency in the same elections, still has not given up on the prospect of becoming the country’s vice president. Do you remember that President Duterte verbalized his alleged wish to have “somebody like Bongbong Marcos” rather than Leni Robredo as his Veep because he could then pass the reins of power on to him? Now they say that the government has to be afraid of ghosts!


Do you hear the ghosts of Martial Law moaning and groaning Never Again!


You may buy your tickets online from the Dumaguete Theatre Company website at www.songofsolomon.com.ph or from any DTC member at Alima Cafe, Rolling Pin, Subida at Market Place, Cutting Loose, or Team Skills. The Song of Solomon is attracting so many in


Tickets for the limited run at the Luce from Nov. 15-18 are going very fast, so I encourage those who are still “thinking about it” to buy your tickets right away before they’re all sold out. Even the pricey Red- Carpet gown and black-tie gala only has very few seats available.


Yanah laurel as Almah


Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, and, yes, even Manila (thanks to online ticketing!). The magnetic attraction of


Sapphire de la Peña as Nadia A tale of 2 women


this epic musical is its story. Adapted from the Biblical account of the legendary rich and wise King Solomon, Beall and van Leeuwen have introduced an intriguing mythical twist to the narrative. In the Old Testament’s Song of Songs, Solomon exchanges intimate poems and love songs with a mysterious lover.


Neither the books of Chronicles or 1Kings identify this lover, and Solomon preserves that secret in his Song of Songs. Well, in this musical, Beall and van Leeuwen make an intriguing suggestion. This mysterious lover can in fact be known and she turns out to be an intelligent vineyard girl from Shulam. Her name is Almah. It is intriguing, because although Almah is clearly a fictional character, she has been so credibly written into the story, Almah may or may


not really have been Solomon’s secret lover in the Bible. Its possibility or impossibility are enjoyably mind-boggling. Like all good story-telling in theater, “Song of Solomon” sets us thinking and tickles, teases and challenges our imagination, transporting us to an exciting world where the mind can freely wander. So, let’s get to know Almah. She is a Shulamite girl, who works in the vineyards of Ruben, a rich and influential businessman. Almah is obviously a sight to behold. This explains why she has caught Ruben’s eye and sweeps Solomon off his feet when she visits the King’s Court. In Solomon’s Court where he sits in judgment over the baby, Maya, the object of two “mothers’ ” claims. One mother, the prostitute Leah, is Almah’s older sister. I their brief exchange at the Court, Almah impresses Solomon with her intelligence, her principled integrity, and her dazzling beauty.


As opportunity and circumstance find Solomon and Almah alone together, they fall in love “under the light of the moon.” In their relationship, not having been born of privilege, Almah appears to be more sensible than Solomon. Realizing that their affair could jeopardize Solomon’s rule over his Kingdom, she expresses a willingness to suppress and sacrifice her feelings for him, so


TO PAGE 12


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12