On Bantay Banwa,
traffic and tourism

We were in Punta Bulata Resort in Cauayan during the weekend. We were with the members of the Council of Past Presidents of Negros Press Club and Resort owner Freddie (Bomber) and Miren Zayco.

Saturday night, with the soft evening sea breeze on a white beach of Punta Bulata , we had a good bonding with fellow media friends.

It was here we discovered the untapped brilliance, wit, humor, and wisdom of the popular “Investigador Sang Banwa”, Edmund Aspero.

With a little assist from Danding Cojuangco's St. Mike and French dark wine – Edmund, having gone to Paris once as NPC president was quick on the repartee, on the uptake, and witty retorts.

Time flew so fast that we didn't know it was already 1 a.m. Sunday and I started packing up and left for Bacolod with Ely de los Santos , Joel Dojillo, Ed de la Fuente, and Carla Cañet.

Left to settle the question still in the morning were Edmund, Romy Niere, Amado Villacarlos, Modi ad Aufred Sa-onoy, Rey Siason, Bing Trecho, and Dolores Epacta.

I understand they were to settle Edmund's advocacy of Romy's candidacy for the city council in 2010.

Of course, by consensus, the group agreed to support the candidacy of CPP member Newks Puentevella for the Senate with Bomber Zayco pledging his full support, too.

Congressman Puentevella only has to worry about other provinces. The group promised to make Newks top the province's vote. They will even pressure Newks” best friend Bing to support or they will not support his reelection bid.

We told Bomber and wife Miren not to get surprised because when we media people meet we solve the problems of the world.

***

When we were sober earlier, we tried to solve the problems of Bantay Banwa headed by Bomber with only one of its many problems, traffic.

Bomber said Bantay Banwa needs the full support of media, without which they can do nothing. We pledged him that support. But we gave some suggestions like, train the traffic enforcers well, put up system on the apprehension and issuance of the traffic violation receipt.

One problem, Bomber told us, Councilor Jun Gamboa told him there are 180 traffic enforcers hired by the city but only 80 of them are working in the street traffic.

The others are assigned in different offices, probably directing traffic of people who visit the office.

One TE was found to have been assigned in the Mayor's office but when the Mayor learned of it, he had the fellow released from his office and assigned somewhere, in the street traffic we hope.

***

Then we discussed also tourism in southern Negros . Negros is coming up with many beach resorts in its southern part of the province. Punta Bulata is only one. Sipalay has many beautiful beaches and many moneyed people in Bacolod have put up mansions there.

No one would tell us who are the Bacolod residents who own mansions there. We hope to feature the other beach resorts of Sipalay if there's a chance. Who own the mansions is not our business any more.

But Punta Bulata Resort is beautiful and its hotel well architectured that impressed us. Only then we found out Bomber's wife, Miren Lopez is an architect from the University of Santo Tomas .

The big problem, however, is the owners of the lots through which Punta Bulata Resort can be reached from the highway of only two kilometers would not allow Bomber's visitors to use the road.

We had to go around, negotiating some 8 kilometers instead of two kilometers. It looks like the town officials of Cauayan are not interested in the development of the Resort. Or their family is the one interested.

Edmund “Investigator” Aspero can probably make the inquiry.

***

The other stumbling block to the development of tourism in southern Negros is the very bad roads of the fifth district under my friend, Rep. Iggy Arroyo, the President's brother-in-law.

All the roads from Bacolod to Punta Bulata are well paved with smooth driving. But on reaching the fifth district, everybody noticed the big difference. Iggy must have just been busy with many other problems of the country that he has not acted yet on the roads in his district.

People here called the fifth district road the Abortion Road and the Nautical Highway . Why Nautical, I asked. Because it's like sailing on a rough sea, I was told.

When all these roads are improved this time southern Negros will beat northern Negros in tourism development.

For example, a small island facing Bomber Zayco's beach resort, has more species than the well known reefs in the world. And people there earn income from their “pump” boats ferrying divers to the island.*

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