No escape from ‘Gloriagate’

When I traveled to Bukidnon last June 15, I thought I would have a break from the "Gloriagate" controversy. Well, for a few hours, the limited coverage of TV stations on board Superferry 5 gave us a respite from the latest news events.

A group of trustees of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) Negros-Panay Chapter had invited me to join their national quarterly meeting in Bukidnon. There were 13 of us from Negros, with chairman Luis Tongoy and former administrator Arsenio Yulo.

During the four-hour travel from Bacolod, we found ourselves bombarded by entertainment fare on television. The ship’s crew told us that they were not hooked to ANC or GMA 7.

The next leg of the journey, from Iloilo to Cagayan de Oro, also isolated us from the latest developments on "Gloriagate."

When we reached Cagayan de Oro Port, we were fetched by a Royal tour bus. We then picked up the Luzon trustees who arrived the previous day at a downtown hotel, including its national president, Reynaldo Bantug.

Those of us who have been to Bukidnon many times took the time to explain to first-timers the various sites in the province. As we climbed up from Cagayan de Oro to the plateau that Bukidnon is, most of the newcomers expressed astonishment at the panoramic view of Bukidnon, with its vast and fertile lands.

We hit Malaybalay post lunch-time. We got deposited at the newly-renovated Prince Hotel, now a comfortable place. After lunch, I took off for the Benedictine Transfiguration Monastery which I last visited five years ago. I was with Agriculture consultant Archimedes Amrra. We bought the Monk’s Blend of coffee, which is a must for coffee-drinkers.

Later in the evening, George Zubiri, brother of Bukidnon Gov. Jose Ma. Zubiri and head of the Busco (Bukidnon Sugar Corp.) Planters Association, tendered us a sumptuous dinner.

As expected, the key officials of Busco and Crystal joined us at the city pavilion where dinner was served. Naturally, all the talk centered on sugar and its future.

We were overwhelmed by the reported drop in production of milled sugar by Busco, which is about 50,000 metric tons, or 20.62 percent. Crystal’s production also dropped by as much as 14.27 percent. Cotabato’s production, however, dipped to only 36.524 metric tons from last year’s 42,102 metric tons, or a decrease of only 15.27 percent.

Mill officials are projecting another 10 percent drop next year.

The good news, however, was that the sugar farmers had found alternative products such as corn and other high value crops. Zubiri, himself, acknowledged that he had already planted 25 hectares of his former sugar lands to table tomatoes. There was another good news. Raffy Abello, son of Negrense sugar producer Nene Abello, had agreed to handle the marketing of Zubiri and sons’ table tomatoes in the Metro Manila area.

And, yes, we noticed that Zubiri already had carts stocked up in the compound of his impressive home overlooking an expanse of sloping terrain. He lectured us on how prices increase when there is demand.

Gloria visit

We were getting briefed on the state of the sugar industry at the Prince Hotel when we learned that President Arroyo had flown to Valencia City, 25 kilometers North of Malaybalay.

George admitted that Gov. Joe did not notify him of the impending Presidential visit. It thus prevented me from writing about the P15-million Grains and Feedstock Service Center, which GMA inaugurated in Hagkol, Valencia.

This, I thought, was one development story that I should have written about because of its impact on the livestock industry of the picturesque province.

The previous night, Vice Mayor Inaki Zubiri, son of George, had briefed me that there are 30 contract growing poultry centers in Malaybalay alone. These are under San Miguel Corporation and Robina Farms. And, yes, based on initial estimates, they churn out some 600,000 hatchlings per harvest. This does not include yet harvests of other centers all over the province!

Although the cattle ranches of Bukidnon no longer boast of as much stocks as they used to, we still saw several bunches of cattle roaming around while on the way to Malaybalay.

The grains and feedstock services center is managed by the Bukidnon Integrated Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative. It aims to enhance quality corn production and make all kinds of farm services accessible to farmers within the service area.

Previous estimates by the Agriculture department in the past, particularly 1998, shows that the province lost about 20 percent of its corn production due to lack of access to corn shelling, drying and storage services.

The project was funded by Quedancor for P6.5 million, the Department of Agriculture and the National Development Center for P3.7 million. BIFAMCO, on the other hand put, up a P4.9-million equity.

Zubiri’s observation

Like other local officials, Zubiri observed that the lack of a better leader would likely allow President Arroyo to continue clinging to her post.

"There is no one who can claim that he or she is better than her," Zubiri stressed. Mrs. Arroyo is lucky because the "country is suffering from a leadership vacuum."

But what caught my attention was his suggestion, which may be considered unmentionable. Zubiri urged Mrs. Arroyo that if she loves the country, she should ask "First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, and her Congressman-son Mikey to leave the country so she could focus on governing the troubled nation."

Later, I learned that Sen. Aquilino Pimentel had also sent a text message to the Gold Star of Cagayan de Oro asking GMA to "do a Nixon". In effect, resign from office.

Cagayan de Oro Councilor Reynaldo Advincula also filed a resolution with the city council calling on Mrs. Arroyo to step down to avoid another people power. He also claimed that the First Gentleman is the "main culprit."

Cagayan de Oro

On Thursday afternoon, after a hearty beef meal at the Del Monte Golf and Country Club, we visited Barrio Obrero about a kilometer away. The place boasts of brand new homes. Obviously, its residents and the Del Monte contract growers had earned enough to afford the brand new homes.

We watched PAF choppers hovering over Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro on our way back to the coastal city. But we were surprised upon reaching the Pryce Hotel that the place was jampacked with vehicles.

It was evident that the President had decided to stay overnight there before proceeding the next day to Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur.

After the Presidential security rigidly scrutinized our luggage, we checked in at the hotel. We immediately saw DLR Secretary Rene Villa and DENR Secretary Mike Defensor. Later, we spotted DILG Secretary Angelo Reyes. Very much later, we also spotted Press Undersecretary Cerge Ramonde. Then, there was also Lt. Gen. Braganza.

Although Sec. Villa said he was informing the President about the presence of the Confed board, Nene Trebol told him not to arrange for the group to meet with Mrs. Arroyo who was then with groups of people who had arrived at the hotel to pledge their support to her.

It was only later on Friday that we learned that Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane had allegedly accompanied the President to Cagayan de Oro and could not be located. This gave rise to speculations that he had accompanied controversial former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to Kota Kinabalo per former Sen. Francisco Tatad.

In short, "Gloriagate" kept dogging us even when we had hoped to get away from the controversy.

As a matter of fact, it also made me miss out a big story — the turnover of confiscated logs by different government agencies to be used in the making of school desks, led by no less than the President during the commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the Agusan del Sur province.

Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza had reportedly been given the presidential approval to convert the confiscated logs into school desks under the "Silya ni Gloria sa Eskwela" program.

Well, there just no way to escape "Gloriagate" developments.

Until the next column. God bless this country.