Late-breakers: It’s fiesta time, by PERCY A OSTONAL

Mga bandaretas ng Mambulao. Aaaahh … fiesta na baga!!!! "(October 7). The LGU of Jose  Panganiban, baranggay officials and residents are in a frenzy these days preparing and installing the "happy fiesta mode" of multi-colored, wavering bandaretas all over the main streets of our town. This marks the beginning and celebration in honor of our Patron Saint "Nuestra Senora Del Rosario" and the ancient centuries’ past tradition of family re-unification among Mambulaoans. Reports reaching MWBuzz said that "iyon pong Ferries Well, mga iba't ibang klaseng rides, circus, karera ng mga daga” and so many others “ay itinatayo na across the western portion of the “wet market" and the JP Park fronting the Portofino Restaurant as well as the rest of “paninda ay nasa” sides of Donya Ponay at Mayor/Governor Roy Padilla Sr monuments at the dry goods section of the market at South Poblacion. Meanwhile, the annual  basketball tournament has started and as reported, players participants will solely for JP residents only with Mayor "Dong" Padilla as the over-all chairperson. Council member Carlos  “Kuya Caloy" Taboada is one of the co-chairpersons running the game schedules and logistics. The basketball division includes midgets, junior and senior.
 

                                           Daniel Padilla

 
Pre-town fiesta entertainment extravaganza on October 3. The young generations of JP will be "giggling and dazzled" with the coming of  television and movie star Daniel Padilla, nephew of Mayor "Dong" Padilla on October 3  as part of the multi-performers pre-town fiesta entertainment extravaganza. The young Padilla is the son of Rommel Padilla, brother of Mayor Dong. Someone asked our local reporter too if the Rustom Padilla (Robin  Padilla's younger brother/sister and Mayor Dong Padilla's too) aka Bebeng GandangHari wouldl be around. He said the mayor’s information office did not mentioned at all about HER coming.

P7 million "farm-to-market -road projects" funds. It doesn’t matter if Mayor "Dong" Padilla has not been staying longer these days in Mambulao. What really counts most is his ardent desire to get his farm-to-market road projects kicking. Political insiders said that Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada (both support the Mayor's infrastracture projects in JP) are the two closest political allies helping him secure said amount of money from the Presidential Management Staff Office or PMSO. This office evaluates, studies and monitors the "greatest impact" there is in any municipal infrastracture project on the people’s lives and livelihood opportunities of these communities. Once the funding justification has been evaluated and approved, funding allocation would be release with legal clause that the total amount will not be covered under the electioneering provision. It is therefore good news that the current cementing NOW just about ONE KILOMETER from baranggay Santa Milagrosa is a welcome relief to its residents and visitors alike. Mayor Padilla predicts that as early as 2013, JP to Larap road cementing project will be completely done and operational!!!.

JP resident wanted by police authorities. A flash report from our JP correspondent said that  a certain Ruben Habitan, a resident of our town, who is in his mid 30s, is now in hiding for gunning down Nelson G Sizca (also in his mid 30s) just recently. Sizca is in critical condition at the Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital. It has been reported that Habitan has assaulted someone before at Baranggay Sta Barbara but apparently, no one had filed legal complaint against him after the incident. The municipal council members and the entire Padilla administration are demanding speedy arrest of Habitan. The current chief of police and his entire staff have been tasked to produce results.

Senior Citizen Centers at all baranggays. "Kailangan po naming magkaroon ng sariling Senior Citizen Center", an elderly woman told our local news reporter. "Iba naman po ang baranggay hall dahil kadalasan, mga pampolitika po ang pinag-uusapan … ayaw na po namin ng ganito magulo at tuwina napupunta sa mga diskusyong hindi maganda" (we would like to have our own senior citizen center free of politics and unpleasant debates and discussions). Kung meron po kaming sariling lugar, maaliwalas po naming isina-saisip ang aming nakaraang kabataan at kasiglahan … sumayaw, magkantahan o 'di kaya'y kahit man lang magkuwentuhan sa tulad naming mga "bagets", ito po ang yugto ng "mababaw na kaligayahan" … puwede po bang iparating ninyo ito kay Mayor at sa kanyang administration? (If we have our own place, it would be pleasant to reminisce those bygone years of our vibrant youth … dancing, singing or simply just having a chat with fellow 'bagets’ as this just one of our simple desires ... could you kindly relay these things to Mayor Padilla and his administration?) For now, information indicates that the Aquino administration provides only one per cent of the national budget for specific project like this. Baranggay Larap, Pag-asa and one at the back of JP Municipal Hall has for now Senior Citizen Centers accessible and available for use.

Wishing it was you !!!. The fast-looming local election seems not "too good to be true" for Governor "Egay” Tallado regarding his choice for the candidate in the mayoral race in Jose Panganiban. Political gossips said that ex-mayor William Lim (Gov Tallado's vice-governor candidate in the 2010 elections) may not at all be Mayor Dong Padilla's opponent. For now, the "word contemplates" is the best description applicable to Wa-lim’s political decision to be “the come-back kid of Mambulao". Better said than done, running against the incumbent Dong Padilla, who has the highest performance rating ever recorded in our town's history makes the wannabe mayor bound to lose in big numbers. If he will make a choice for the office of the vice- mayor against current Vice-Mayor Ariel Non, still he has to make a case against the strongly fortified administration, backed-up by good governance of the Mayor Padilla. Somehow, probably, Tallado must be saying: "Sana si Wa-lim pa ang mayor sa ngayon para ang liderato ko'y walang ka prob-problema sa Mambulao sa darating na election". (Somehow, Tallado must be saying had ex-mayor William Lim been the mayor of JP until today, my candidacy/leadership won’t not have problem at all in this coming election.)