Sugar trading halts

Apparently baffled by government intervention, sugar traders yesterday stopped bidding for sugar. Apparently most of them are waiting for further government action on the present situation aside from the threatened sugar importation of 50,000 metric tons and the Department of Trade and Industry monitoring stocks.

But that had its impact. By halting sugar trading, that may have frozen some 150,000 Lkg of sugar, worth about P200 million from liquidation.

That may be tolerable insofar as the big planters are concerned. But the majority or 80 percent of the province's sugar producers belong to the small planters class. Their holdings range from one to 10 hectares.

That simply means that they are dependent on their weekly sales of their quedans for the salaries and other benefits of their sugar workers.

And that seems to be the unexpected situation which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may have provoked when she lashed out at "hoarders" and announced last week her approval of the 50,000 metric tons of sugar imports by July.

How long the situation will last is anybody's guess. But if sugar trading is not resumed by next week, this could result a major economic dislocation in this sugar-rich province which depends primarily on sugar for its main source of income.

This is something that administrator James Ledesma has to address immediately. Or the situation could deteriorate into a crisis of major proportion. There could be hell to pay!

***

Vicente Ti Ong Kue (Tiyo Cente Ty Huy Dong) died January 30 at the ripe age of 97, and left behind his tribe of successful children. He was one of the most respected former citizens of Fabrica, Sagay.

He was a very close family friend. Actually, we were part of his extended family. Either my father, the late Sir Knight Fulgencio Espina, and mother Gracia, were the maninoy or maninay of several of his children with Tiya Maya Maria Tan Hong who had preceeded him.

Thus, Wednesday night served as a reunion with the children and me. I just had to pay my respects to this revered Tsinoy who loved Fabrica (or Paraiso) as much as my parents did.

But I was surprised. It seems that, before his death, Reynaldo Espina had planned a big asalto in Paraiso for Tiyo Cente's birthday. And the old man had agreed to the plan to show his gratitude and love for the people of Paraiso where he spent the better part of his life and also earned his fortune.

Rey detailed his plans to implement that death-bed wish of Tiyo Cente. And, I presumed that William also agreed to it. So with Cano and Eng Suy. I failed to see Lando Ti and Angel.

But I promised that I and my family will join the group when that plan pushes through.

That, I think, attests to the fact that Tiyo Cente loved the people and the place where most of his children were born. I remember Tiyo Cente, often just in his undershirt and shorts, attending to his customers in his hardware store and gas station in Paraiso. He was always smiling and greeted almost everybody. Sometimes he would invite them to partake of the food on his table.

Later, when he was forced to transfer to Bacolod and was already weakening, I still sometimes met him walking on the street. I'd ask him what made him continue to tick and he would answer smiling, that his past-time was mahjong.

But the astonishing thing is that he died shortly after giving his nod to Rey's proposal to have that bash in Paraiso (or Fabrica as we know it).

That's Tiyo Cente Ty Huy Dong as we knew him

****

Last week, I had noted an upsurge of criminality in Bacolod. And it seems that it remains uncontrolled considering the latest reports of two more snatchings of cellphones by motorcycle-riding tandems.

But there is the other side of this. Operatives of Precincts 2 and 4 of the Bacolod Police reportedly arrested two hold-up suspects and two alleged notorious snatchers also on Wednesday.

Police reportedly nabbed Ringgo Aguilar Ragameo, 22, alias Pantoy, and Bonnie Vallentes, alias Bornak, of Purok Nara Baybay, Barangay 8. The name of the other suspect, a minor, is reportedly withheld by the police.

Precinct 4 operatives also arrested Richard Sayo Tutop, 18, and Norberto Villadok, 21, in Brgy. 3. They had reportedly snatched the cellular phone of Kranchy Dusaban Reyes of the Riverside College while the latter was at La Salle Avenue.

These arrests were made after the police got tipped off about these suspects and their whereabouts.

That, to a certain extent, confirms that public confidence in the Bacolod Police has somehow been restored.

But more important is that the police should curb the various incidents that have started making Bacoleños jittery over the upsurge of crimes in the city.

****

As I had mentioned earlier, the advent of Blue Sky supercat was timely. The brand new fast ferry has restored the short-time trips to Iloilo by Bacolodnons. Kudos to Blue Sky boss Luis T. Ong.

****

Also deserving kudos are the members of the Valencia Police for arresting 15 persons, 11 of them minors, while holding initiations rites in Barangay Balugo, in that town, Sunday.

Just by stopping the initiation rites, they may have saved several neophytes from physical harm. That deserves applause.*

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