Here’s a very interesting speech by outgoing Ifugao Governor Glenn Prudenciano sent to us by a tipster. It is a bit long but we hope you will still read it. In case you don’t have the time to read the whole speech, make sure you read the most interesting part [7th paragraph onwards or the part preceded by “arrows”], where the governor talks about Ifugao’s version of blood politics.
It’s not deadly like Abra’s version but it can be just as dangerous. We’re with the governor on this one. In this day and age, why is pure bloodedness an issue? [We’re sure though that this became an issue not only in Ifugao but in other provinces of the country as well with politicians claiming that they are the only true son of such and such a place.]
On June 30, outgoing officials will be relinquishing their posts while the newly elected ones will be assuming office. Because of this we decided to start a series where we pretend that we are, errm, professors giving grades to students, i.e., our officials.
We hope to make this a regular feature of this blog and we invite you to join us by also giving out your grades. The grades will be based on the actions of our officials as reported in the media (or as sent to us by reliable tipsters). We will be using the grading scale which you will find at the bottom of this post. The default grade will be “B” and it will go up or down depending on the reported actions of the official being graded.
By Gina Dizon KIANGAN, IFUGAO – Governor-elect Teddy Baguilat Jr lives and breathes home. Home is the rice producing province of Ifugao which boasts of its stairway terraces to the skies, the famous 8th wonder of the world. (Ed’s note: Officially, there’s no such thing as an 8th wonder of the world, see our earlier post here.)
Rice being the top product of the province, the young governor sees rice culture as a vital source of livelihood and a potential source of income to be developed too.
One of the good government programs out there is the Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town One Product (OTOP). This program seeks to help small and medium enterprises — like the bamboo craft manufacturers of Bangued, Abra — develop markets for their products. The above photo shows former Bangued Mayor Ma. Zita Valera entering a “vehicle” made of bamboo. You can read more about the One Town, One Product here.
