MARCH 31 - APRIL 6, 2019


We are adopting the statement of Dumaguete Diocese Bishop Julito Cortes as our guest editorial .


4 OPINION EDITORIAL


the tragic death of our one of our public officials, Hon. Miguel Dungog, provincial board member of the Province of Negros Oriental. Our community is shocked and grieves over his death and untimely passing. Our condolences to his family, whose grief at this moment we cannot imagine. A good man’s death through violence is a death to many. I pray, therefore, that we, in our Province and cities, once again say NO to a culture of violence. NO to a culture of death!


No to a culture of death Just Last Monday, we learned of


Instead, let us recommit ourselves to be instruments of peace and reconciliation of justice and of God’s mercy.


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP


Regardless of the motives behind the killing of the Hon. Dungog, I take this occasion to appeal to candidates in the forthcoming elections to denounce all sorts of violence. The threat of death towards one’s opponent should never be an instrument in any political campaign. Let your political platform be your means of attracting voters. Not your guns nor your gold. And to our voters, I appeal to you:


search your consciences as you select the candidates you will vote for in the coming elections. Is he or she a person of peace? Is your candidate an honest person and who is not linked with corruption? Is he or she a candidate who has the welfare of the people uppermost in mind? Is he or she a person of God who respects the value of life and the dignity of his fellow human being? Mga igsuon diha ni Kristo, kwaresma


karon. Giluwas kita ni Kristo diha sa iyang kamatayon sa krus. Busa, ako manghinaut nga unta lamdagan kita sa Espiritu Santo sa atong mga lakang ug mga desisyon, ilabi na sa panahon sa kampanya ug sa eleksyon sa atong nasud.


ECON 101 whelmayap@yahoo.com V


enezuela is home to the world’s largest oil reserves. Since its discovery in the 1920s, oil has taken Venezuela on an exhilarating but dangerous boom-and-bust ride due to decades of poor governance.In fact, in 1950, Venezuela became the world ‘s fourth wealthiest nation per capita. In 1960,


Venezuela was one of the founding members of the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries. If one is to follow the history of nations, it is important to note that Venezuela was a former Spanish colony liberated by Simon Bolivar sometime in the 1800s who declared, “Let us lay the cornerstone of American freedom without fear. To hesitate is to perish”wherein independence was declared in July 5,1817, and from then


on, the cult of his imperial personality persisted. After the twists and turns


of history over hundreds of years, Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela in December 1998 on the strength of three main promises: convening a Constituent Assembly to write a new constitution and improve the state,


fighting poverty and social exclusion, and eliminating corruption. Later, it has become evident that the Constituent Assembly primarily was a vehicle to destroy all existing political institutions, and replace them with a bureaucracy beholden to his wishes. He managed to appear magnanimous, but he kept trying to become president for life in any way he can. Venezuela has been characterized by the persistent presence of


IAN ROSALES CASOCOT


TEMPEST IN A COFFEEMUG


ian.casocot@gmail.com


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


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L


ast Jan. 18, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law that mandated the conservation of the Gabaldon school buildings found nationwide, which sought to preserve “the architectural, historical and social significance” of these heritage school houses. The Gabaldon buildings were built around the Philippines from 1907 to 1946. In Dumaguete, the most famous


Parsons, and are so named because their funding was made possible through Act. No. 1801, authored by Isauro Gabaldon. Including the one in Dumaguete, there are about 1,446 Gabaldon buildings all over the country—and under the new law, they are recognized as “built heritage,”


ABS-CBN news report on the passage of the law, Sen. Loren Legarda, the bill’s author, is quoted as saying that “these structures symbolize the first foundation of the Philippine public school system during the American period, in which each Filipino child, even from the most remote areas of the


political and financial corruption in public administration, as in bureaucratic corruption, at the level of the government bureaucracy; and systemic corruption, taking place at the interface between the government and the private sector.


Claiming to continue Chavez’ legacy,Nicolas


Maduro assumed the interim presidency when his mentor, President Hugo Chávez, died on 5 March 2013,elected on 14 April 2013 by a narrow margin for a six-year term, he began a second in January 2019 after a controversial vote. Under his government, Venezuela was hit by a recession and inflation skyrocketed. Mr Maduro has faced a severe economic crisis hastened by the collapse in the price of oil, which provides Venezuela


with more than 90 percent of its foreign revenue. He invokes the memory of his predecessor incessantly, quoting Mr Chávez and frequently speaking in front of a picture of the late leader, he kept the Chávismo legacy alive, a move welcomed by those who have benefited from the reduction in inequality and poverty, but much to the chagrin of those who believe the country has been driven into ruin by decades of what they consider misguided policies. At oresent, there is mass migration of Venezuleans to neighboring countries,


Learning from the corruption of democracy in Venezuela


due to extreme hunger, persecution, and crime. Reviewing the historical perspective, can you see some kind of scary parallelisms? Those who do not learn to look back at lessons from our own history are bound to repeat its mistakes, and the cycle of a failed democracy continue. Learn to evaluate the


METROPOST


promises versus reality. Do no rely on the cult of personality! Vote wisely. Be awake and be aware of the issues.


or demolition, always in the name of “progress.” Just a few weeks ago, the beautiful— although sadly neglected— Luis Rotea heritage house in Bais, which occupied a prime location in the city, is now gone, apparently to make way for a McDonald’s.


The built heritage around Dumaguete Part 10 of the Dumaguete Heritage Series


example is the main building of the Negros Oriental High School, which was established in Dumaguete in 1902 [in the spot where the City Hall and the East City Central School buildings are now], but was later transferred to its current location along Kagawasan Avenue at the Capitol Area, where its Gabaldon building stands proud as beacon for local education. These school buildings were designed by the American architect William


and thus are included as part of cultural properties determined by the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. The new law requires local


country, had access to formal education.” It is that symbolic nature of


government units that have Gabaldon school buildings under their jurisdiction to “adopt measures for the protection and conservation of these structures,” with the aid of several government institutions, including the Department of Education and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. From the


these buildings that make them important—although most people do not readily see that about architectural structures, which leads to an ironic point: they are often the most visible kind of heritage in any town or city, and yet their importance as “heritage” are often unseen by people in the locality. They are often just perceived as “old buildings,” often dilapidated, and often fall victim to razing


to say, is a most important cultural asset because it embodies the historical layers of our built environs made of materials such as cement, brick, wood, stone, and metal, even plaster—which make up the physical evidence of our cultural development. Built heritage thus includes houses and hotels, museums and markets, cathedrals and cemeteries, factories and


fences, as well as plazas and streetscapes. It includes a wide range of historical and familiar landmarks that are vital in forming—and sustaining—a robust sense of belonging and affection to our community. So quickly now, what are some of the other built heritage we can find around Dumaguete City besides the campanario and the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria? The Locsin heritage house at the corner of Locsin Street


TO PAGE 8 Built heritage, needless


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