Let's change the Charter

Let us stop all this posturing. Let us change the Constitution. Even those who sound like they don't want the change mean nothing but their need for publicity mileage.

The change will not be good? Oh, let's change it again. The thing is this Constitution is not responsive to our needs. Everybody agrees with that.

All the other arguments are peripheral. The point is we must change the Constitution.

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Then there is the issue of Small Town Lottery. Government wants to impose it. But many do not want it. In Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte has ordered the arrest of bet solicitors.

In the provinces, the same thing. In Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas does not want it. And so with his provincial board.

In Oriental Negros, Gov. George Arnaiz does not welcome it too. In Occidental Negros, Gov. Joseph Marañon does not like it. And Vice-Gov. Isidro Zayco does not like it too.

Zayco opposed it when he was mayor of Kabankalan and drove all the daily double bet solicitors out. More so now that he presides over the provincial board.

In almost all the provinces, STL is not wanted. All public officials who have record of incorruptibility are opposing STL.

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But Malacañang particularly DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno and Malacañang Chief of Staff Mike Defensor, wants to push it through.

In short, these officials want our officials to be corrupt too. It's the Luzon provinces that want it. Let them have STL there.

Here, we don't want it. But watch out, STL operators will still try their luck in bribing officials. If public officials soften and eventually accept STL, then you can be sure, they have been bought.

Their argument is there is money for the 2007 election campaign. And there are bet solicitors who will be their campaigners.

But, they will get the anger of the people.

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This is tragedy. Our officials are not satisfied with just getting money from government coffers and getting money from the rich.

Now, they want to rob even the poorest of the poor. The numbers game is intended to cheat the bettors who hope to strike it rich. They don't know their chance is very slim. Very, very slim.

There was that news that some P300,000 was offered to Belmonte, or was it another mayor, as a share from the STL operation. It was not accepted. Very obviously, this money comes from the poor which could have been used to buy food or student fare in going to school.

Many of the poor even forego meals just to be able to bet on jueteng or STL because of that mirage of a hope.

Let us continue to say no to STL. Let Occidental Negros, Oriental Negros, and Iloilo be jueteng or STL free.

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Sunday, while interviewing Gov. George Arnaiz and Gov. Joseph Marañon in the residence of Ric Yanson, Gov. Arnaiz corrected me, "It's not Negros Oriental but Oriental Negros. And Occidental Negros, not Negros Occidental.

True, in the telephone directory, those in the province are not listed under "N" but under "O" or Occidental Negros.

Negros Oriental or Negros Occidental are Spanish where the adjective follows the noun. In English the adjective which are Occidental and Oriental precedes the noun, Negros.

And the important thing is both provinces are in constant consultation on how each can help the other in terms of sharing expertise and resources.

Gov. Arnaiz enumerated so many bridges that already link the two towns from both provinces adjacent to each other to make transportation and trade accessible.

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What are those that one learns from the other. Gov. Arnaiz said he noted in Oriental, public school children have gardening. In Occidental, there's none. They should be taught gardening, food production and love of the soil, he said.

What Oriental learned from Occidental is organic farming. I noted that these past years, many from Oriental brought to see my vermin culture told me, they didn't have it.

But, considering the hard-driving provincial executive, Oriental Negros might soon beat Occidental in organic products.

Like Marañon, Arnaiz is a no-nonsense governor.

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What impressed me with him was when some years ago when a group of planters under the NFSP of Nene Rojas came home from Bangkok. At the reception area of the Manila International Airport, a Customs official was snoring in his chair with his two feet at the top of his table. The Governor remembered the incident and said, that fellow really got his goat.

Arnaiz slapped the fellow's foot and berated him. What I heard was his telling the fellow, "You are a shame to the many foreigners coming here!" The fellow stood up appearing to resent it but the Governor told him, "I am Governor Arnaiz."

Last year, while having lunch with Johny Ponce Enrile's friend, Sen. Jamby Madrigal and Dumaguete Mayor Tuting Perdices at the residence of Totoy Acuña in Cadiz, I was told Arnaiz is a disciplinarian.

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We had an interesting interview with both Gov. Arnaiz and his Vice Governor Jose Baldado because a short time after we started, both Gov. Joseph Marañon and Vice-Gov. Zayco left for a prior appointment.*

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