The Culture Change (Culion)

The Culture Change
(an allegations?)

Different attitude brings different norm and people may follow a different path. It was used to be that people in Culion are heard. The sensitivity of the elected officials to the constituent follows a define way that people follow. The chieftain listens, they got to understand for they were made part or passed along the same way that the people came from. Same experience means same knowledge. Same knowledge converges on the same goals. Everybody plays a part for the real and generally productive goal brings unity beyond individual differences.

These premises are the precept of the people in Culion. They believe that Culion must pursue its dream as build up by the past they called ‘Golden days’. The people who labored for its wonderful existence knowing that it is for us to share what was then, what was now and what tomorrow may bring. The fruit of the labor of those who sacrificed that Culion maybe what it is now must be share by those who followed their footstep and not to be drastically change by whomever now says they have better vision - a vision founded not on the people’s mind but rather on those who believe from their own experience outside of Culion.. Their ideas are no t only apart to the people; it is rather contrary to the well being of the populace. It does not conform to the principle of equity and justice. It will not give the people its rightful share in the distribution of its resources, particularly the land, nor will it give those who hope because they were part of the past equal opportunity to those who now advocate changes they now lead. That mandate was taken advantage by them instead of the people who once believe that it is their will that must be prospered and promulgated.

Now these unbeatable foes have the edge in grabbing lands and taking advantage of the opportunities build from the labor of the people of Culion. Now they are adopting their own strategies learned from their own experience in another but rather bizarre place. They saw what they could gain out of the innocence of the people. Never giving a damn how these innocent people of Culion has the greater needs and thus must have greater chance of having their share of dreams of land, livelihood and other economic opportunity. We are that people, and we cannot let others lead us to their own self-destructive visions. We hoped for self-determination as the people who once started to begin that dream. It is our dream, and not their self-will. And this is our land. As for the betterment of the people, we must find our way towards that fulfillment of our dream.

Now this unrightable wrong culture change continues, invading the hearts and minds of poor innocent people. Ask anyone who transformed this and who actually implement it? The answer is definitely not the executive. Nor is it the legislative, which has the power of the first. It is therefore not the desire or will of the people alike. It is strange but true that this is the command of somebody who wanted to impose their egocentric vision than what the ordinary people of culion willed and dream. We started a quest to follow that vision but it is not only ignored but also maybe deemed by them who are in power. The greatest irony is they now impose their visions without consultation or giving a damn to what or who may benefit from it.

Gone are the days when people can readily approach and become critical to elected official. They blocked the communications and possible involvement of our people or people to take charge key offices that are locals. They hailed from the former or we may even assume present residence of the executive. Talk about who is in power now, and everybody knows it is not the elected mayor... this is not an adviser, but more precisely the power behind who is now creating a culture of their own. Strange to the people, but nevertheless what they dictated or wanted to impose.

In ‘Golden days’ even bef ore they came, Culion was a conservative close knit family of people with the dynamic outlook in the future whose children are not only highly educated, but with some already in the pinnacle of success here and abroad. Others who sometime in their lives may come back not only to reminisce the past good life here, but rather to find a rightful place in Culion as they deserve, and contribute in a way in its metamorphosis as a community and as a maturing municipality.

We should have learned the lesson of Boracay, Isla verde and other tourist haven they call paradise. These may seem success story and the pride of our country’s tourism industry. But beneath the glitter of grandeur lies a bitter reality for the locals. They become the virtual slave of the establishment resort owners or the actual strangers in their own land. They are neither the entertainer or comfort giver of the moneyed guest who come and go to experience the promised satisfaction the owners had visualized. Others are the waiters and the laborer makes that the business run and profit. Thanks to the introduction of entrepreneurship, of eco-tourism this threat of slavery will be anticipated and conquered..

This tragedy of the people’s stolen power is the story of our culture. A culture lost in the quagmire of ignorance and sheer poverty. Taking advantage of what they call “mahirap makinig ang t aong walang laman ang tiyan”.. The indolence of the Filipino people as once described and spoken of by Rizal. True freedom can only be achieve if ignorance is gone and this may only be achieved if the system we have come to know as our government becomes aware of the real need of the people. These will never happen if the same leaders who want to rule, live in another world of their self-inflicted culture. A culture bourn out of their experience that needs honesty, integrity and an unwavering fidelity to the principles of justice entrusted to them, the elite and the alienated minds of these masters.

Is this the culture of Culion now?

Are we so naïve as to ignore this threat that may happen to Culion, to us? Or to our people and our place? We’ve been thrown out to the sea from our baroto?

Can you imagine Culion Pitogo becomes Coron Pitogo?


Then… let us commit ourselves
PLEASE ATTEND the public hearing on Wednesday morning, October 7, 2009 (today) at
the Legislative Hall CULION PALAWAN. We need the community support…
and continue our journey to true change and development amidst the storms
and exercise our people empowerment.

NOW NA!



p.s.
(facts again)
let us consider at how they manage to change our dream/s. Upon assumption of power they drastically change their priorities. First they put up intelligence fund despite the fact that peace and security was never an issue in Culion. Then a larger extent to the province of Palawan. Once they got this controversial intel fund, they centralized the budget and putting it all if not the majority of the budget to the executive fund. These were translated into building parks, improving pulang lupa, which is just adjacent to their own parcel of lot, which is also in controversy as to how they were able to acquire it. Then they build a park that once was the playground of the people. They labored to beautify culion to presumably attract visitors, at the expense of socio economic dev’t of the people. They remove scholarship for the children of Culion. Likewise they more than focused on traveling and inviting people outside to showcase their program, and to show the natural beauty of the place. Charged to intel fund or not it still defines their abrupt change in attitude. It used to be that the municipality helps indigent in medical care or hospitaliz ation. It used to be that majority of the youth are scholars or being assisted in their schooling. It used to be that the goal of the municipality is towards land ownership for the constituent. It used to be that the municipality provides fund for livelihood program, environmental protection and other socio economic development.


Heavy equipment was purchased to follow their vision for Culion. Now some if not most of it are either needing repair or out of service. It was acquired thru loan. And the burden of maintaining it or making it operational greatly affects the budget and the 20 percent dev’t fund of the municipality.

...


Culion: Kulturang Inaanay

Bawat ugali o kilos ay nagsisilang ng ibat’t ibang kaasalan. Bawat indibidual ay tmatahak sa magkakaibang landas ng kanyang buhay.

Ang bayan ng Culion ay kilala sa ganitong sistema. Sama-sama sa pagkilos, lahat nakatugon sa direksyon ng pag-unlad at pagbabagong pasulong ng komunidad. Lahat umaasam ng kapaki-pakinabang na pagbabago. Mapag-isip sa pagpili ng mga opisyal na manumuno sa kanila. Mula nang ang culion ay maging munisipalidad, lahat ay nakinig sa kanilang hinaing, naging sensitibo sa kanilang pangangailangan, karugtong sa pananaw at pandama at katono sa pag-iisip. Sapagkat lahat ng iniluklok na lider ay mga taga-culion. Pareho ng mga pinagdaanan, karanasan, kasaysayan at karunungan. Lahat ay kumakain sa palad ng kalikasan, walang minamasama, walang pinupuri lahat ay iisa-magkakapatid. Ang paniwalang ganito ay naging batas ng mga mamamayan. Pinanindigan nilang dapat ipagpatuloy ang kanilang nakaraan. Ayon sa pinapangarap ng nga naghirap upang ibahagi ang naging nakaraan, kasalukuyan at haharapin pa ng bayan. Ayon lamang sa kumikilala sa mga gumawa at nagdanas nang parehong sakrispisyo gaya ng mga naghirap dati ang siya lamang may karapatang makibahagi sa magandang bungang inaani ngayon. Sa anumang bungang ito ay hindi dapat pitasin o palitan ng kung sinumang makasariling pamunuan. Mga magdudunong-dunungan sa kabila ng katotohanang ay pangarap nila para sa Culion ang kanilang inuna. Anumang pagbabagong inaalay ng mga taong iyon ay hindi lang panganib sa culion kundi taliwas pa sa kaisipan ng nga mamayan dito. Hindi naaayon sa katuwiran at katarungan. Hindi pagkakaisa kundi pagkakahati-hati. Wala sa kanilang balak ang pantay-pantay na pagbabahaginan ng mga likas na kayamanan ng Culion, lao na ang lupain. Karamihan sa kanilang mga nasa pwesto ngayon ay estranghero sa culion pero sila ang gustong manlamang. Pagkakaitan nila maging iyong mga dating nagtrabaho para sa culion.
Malinaw na ang ginagawa nila ngayon ay samantalahin ang pakakataon. Anihin ang hindi nila pinaghirapan. Sapagkat nagtagumpay ang mga maitim at baluktot na pangangamkam sa ibang bayan, muli din naman nila itong ginawa sa culion. Hindi nila iniisip na pangarap din ng mga inosente at mahihirap na mamamayan ay nagkalupa, makapagtrabaho at magkaroon ng kabuhayan. Sila kasi ang higit na may karapatan sapagkat anak at apo sila ng mga nagpawis ng dugo para sa progresibong culion.

Tayo ang mga lehetimong taga culion. Huwag tayong magpaakay sa mga banyagang kaisipan patungo sa ating sariling libingan na sila ang humuhukay. Pangarap natin ang lupain ng culion ay para sa atin at sa mga mahal natin. Hanapin natin ang daan at paraan para ang ganitong pangarap ay maganap. Ito ay hangad natin, para sa atin. Lupain natin ito. Ang hangad lamang nila ay angkinin ang para sa atin. Hindi tayo papayag sa kapritsong ito.

Paano nila winawasak ang katuparan ng pangarap natin? Ganito: Simula pa lamang ng kanilang pamumuno, ang prayoridad nila ay nadama agad. Naglaan sila ng Inteligence Fund. Ang Culion po ay zero crime rate. Walang problema ng Insurgency. Ano at sino ang dpat manmanan? Para saan ang Intelligence Fund? Hindi kasi ito ino-audit. Hindi na kailangan ipaliwanag king paano ginastos. Inilagay ay pondo sa Executive Func at ginamit para pagandahin ang mga plaza lalo na sa Pulang lupa na malapit sa luping kanilang pag-aari na lubhang nakapagtataka nga kung paano ito naging kanila. Ipinagyayabang nila na kaakit-akit ang culion para sa turismo. Hindi batid ng mga turistang ito na mga mamamayan ang isinakripisyo. Wala nang pondo para sa scholarship ng mga kabataan ng culion. Abala ang mga nakaupo sa pagkamal ng pogi points at papuri ng mga taga labas, pagbibyahe at kaluhuan. Pinakikita nila ang magagandang kalikasan ng culion. Gamit man ang Intelligence Fund o hindi, kayabangan pa rin ito at mamayan ang ginawang biktima.
Dati: may pondo para sa Gamot at papa-ospital ng mga mahihirap nating kababayan; Dati: maraming kabataan ang kung hindi man FULL scholar ay may ayuda mula sa local nating pamahalaan; Dati; ang ninanais ng Munisipyo ay magkatitulong lupa ang mga mamayan; Dati: May malaking pondo para sa pangkabuhayan, proteksyon ng kapaligiran at pagpapaunlad ng Ekonomiya. Dati yon. Ngayong sila na ang nappaptakbo ng munisipyo, iba na ang pryoridad. May nabago nga. Naging masama ang layunin. Mga adhikaing nakabalot sa pangako na walang aksyon. Nag iba na ang kultura ng Culion, nabubulok! Kasi nasa puno ang anay.
Alamin natin. Kanino kayang utak ang nagmamando ng para dahan-dahang pabulukin ang dakila nating kultura? Hindi ang lehekutibo. Hindi po. Kasi walang ganung abilidad yon. May makapangyarihang estranghero ang ina-iimplementa ng gnaitong pagbabago. May invinsible na kamay na humahawak ssa manibela at batid nating sa kanal tayo ibubulid.
Winalwang kwenta kung anuman ang maganda nating pangarap. Pinaiiral kung ano ang maibigan nila nang wala man lang konsultasyon o pakialam sa kung sino kaya ang higit na makikinabang sa mga nais nilang ipagawa.
Sa kagustuhang mapabilis ang didikasyong pagpapaganda ng culion. Bimili sila ng mga Heavy Equipments, Pinenturahan para maghitsurang brand new. Subalit marami sa mga Heavy Equipment na yon, sapagkat second hand lang, ang hindi napakinabangan. Ang iba ay nagamit lamang ng ilang oras o araw at nasira na rin. Ang pagpapaayos at pagmamantino ng mga kagamitang ito ay sumisipsip nang husto sa budget para sa tao at sa 20% ng Development Fund.
Ilang mamamayan lang ban ng Culion ang nakakalapit sa mga naghaharing estranghero? Kakaunti. Iyon lamang mga malalapit sa kanila. Totoo sa kanila ang kasabihang “ Iyon lamang nasa tabi ng ilog ang nalalamigan” . Dati-rati, sinuman sa atin ang nakakapagbigay puna sa mga elected officials. Ngayon, pag pinuna mo sila, kalaban ka na..
Ang hindi alam ng marami. Ang nagpapatakbo ng Culion ay hindi ang nakaupong lider, kundi si DADDY. Si DADDY ang nagdidikta ng ginagawa at gagawin pa ng kasalukuyang mommy ng Culion. Bakit kultura ni DADDY ang ating susundin e may sarili na tayong kultura na angkop sa atin? Hindi tayo dapat gawing estranghero sa sariling lugar.
Tao ang mga mamamayan ng Culion, hindi mga pitogo na dapat bakuran at gawing sariling pag-aari. Mga kababayan, mga ka-culion, masakpal ang buhay pag nagkalat sa bayan natin ang HAYOP na nga, PLASTIC PA!!!. Baka tuluyan nang maging Pulang Lupa ang paligid.