Baguio City Local Elections 2007 (Part 1)
Believe it or not, Baguio has nine (9) candidates for mayor! And here’s the list:
- Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. - Acting Mayor of Baguio
- Virgilio Bautista
- Guillermo Hernandez
- Ramon Labo, Jr. - former mayor
- Elmo Nevada - former councilor
- Felipe Ramos
- Bernardo Vergara - former Mayor and Congressman
- Leandro Yangot, Jr. - Acting Vice-Mayor
- Braulio Yaranon - suspended Mayor of Baguio
I do not care to list their political parties because, in the Philippines, politicians switch parties all the time. Plus these parties do not stand for any particular political principles or programs of action but are mere temporary alliances discarded very easily based on political convenience.
Do I have a favorite? Nope.
Call me jaded, but I think that anyone who spends so much money to get elected (as is the case in Philippine politics) means to “recover his investment” within three (3) short years. The system sucks, really. And I am still on the lookout for THE ONE who considers himself truly a SERVANT of the people.
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Here are two gentlemen, though, who are considerate enough to maintain blogs. Of course their blogs aim to attract the younger market segment, or maybe the “intelligent” computer-literate voters. I don’t think blogging will be a factor in these elections, but it’s surely a groovy and cheap way of getting their messages across.
Peter Rey or Peds, as Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. is commonly referred to, has a blog. So at least I know what he stands for. The blog of course contains his political messages, and posts that refer to him in the 3rd person, like a press release. His battlecry is “Simple Lang.” He says he just wants to clean up Baguio. He is a scion of the Bautista family that owns the University of Baguio.
- Will cleaning up Baguio mean that he will encourage his family to move very densely populated U.B. out of the very center of town? 15,000-20,000 students (not including teachers and staff) all packed into about 1 hectare of property on General Luna & Assumption Roads (off Session Road), in my opinion, cannot a clean city make.
- If he wants to clean up Baguio, what is his definition of dirty?
Another candidate, for city councilor this time, has a blog also. His name is Jack Carino — yup, a descendant of Mateo Carino, who used to own all the land on which Baguio stands which I believe he sold to the Americans. His battlecry, “Stop the Uglification of Baguio!” I agree. But what I need is for him to say what he considers ugly and beautiful. If he wants to turn back time to say, 1970-1980, good luck!
- If he thinks walls made of unfinished concrete hollow blocks and galvanized sheets are ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks laundry hung out to dry visible all over Baguio is ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks perpendicular signages on Session road are ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks that tarpaulin streamers and buntings are ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks concrete walls and gates so high that a 16 wheeler delivery truck can enter a residence that is probably used as a warehouse or factory on Leonard Wood Road is ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks a gasoline station beside Mountain Lodge on Leonard Wood is dangerous AND ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks the unfinished flyover is ugly (even when it is finished in 2010) is ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks that peddling items on Session Road sidewalks is ugly, I agree!
- If he thinks that pedestrian overpasses are ugly, I agree!
Am I being fair or unfair? At least these guys are trying to take a stand and sending their messages across, which is more than I can say for the other candidates who merely field all those ubiquitous jeepneys with loudspeakers whose messages you can’t really understand because they are just too loud.
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And here are the five (5) out of almost 70 candidates who showed up for the Comelec-sponsored “Peace Pact,” according to Sunstar Baguio:
“Only congressional candidate and Councilor Jose Molintas of the Genuine Opposition (GO), Baguio vice mayoralty candidate and Councilor Daniel Fariñas, Baguio City Council bets Perfecto Itliong Jr. and Jogin Tamayo of the Kilusan ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), and independent councilor hopeful Valentino Saculles attended the assembly…
… where the candidates were supposed to sign a “promise” to follow Republic Act (RA) 9006 (Fair Elections Act) as bolstered by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution 7769 to the letter.”
By snubbing the event, does that mean that 90% of our candidates for local posts intend to violate election laws? I think that to have attended would be have been a show of good faith. So “pogi” points go to these guys who went, even to Danny Farinas who wants to spend P1,000,000.00 to pinpoint areas for the sinister “development” of the Baguio Botanical Garden. And kudos to Joe Molintas, especially, who is fighting an uphill battle as the lone opponent for the Baguio congressional seat held by popular Mauricio Domogan who has occupied consecutive posts as Baguio Vice-Mayor, Mayor (3 terms), Congressman (2 terms).
Stay tuned for more developments on Baguio politics. The winners will determine whether Baguio will continue on its “uglification” path. This is because there’s too much power given to the government in this country, especially by that lousy Local Government Code authored by Aquilino Pimentel. Coupled with men and women in power devoid of good taste yet with all the money and license to dream up of infrastructure projects that do not enhance Baguio as a tourist destination, Baguio’s fragile natural beauty is in great and imminent danger.
i’m sorry but jack cariño scares the hell out of me.
What?! Jun Labo wants to run again? Why does he keep on running?
Seriously, we need a someone fresh and has the best interests of Baguio in mind. When will you run Lisa?
Hi Lei,
Jack kinda looks like a toughie, doesn’t he? But isn’t that how the Baguio men like to look — mustache and all?
Hello Tina,
It seems some of them run because they make money out of campaign contributions. In these elections, the four (4) men who have held the title of “Mayor” at one point or the other are running: Labo, Vergara, Yaranon and Bautista.
To run for public office in the Philippines, one must possess an tremendous ego and very deep pockets and I possess neither, so let’s just keep blogging shall we?
i would not mind it either Lisa if you become the second coming of Mrs. Virginia de Guia. she’s an exemplary figure alright. do i recall she’s ran for office just as ms. lourdes tabanda! like i said you have been a longtime resident, civic-minded businesswoman and would hope to hear your voice be heard soon for the interests of Baguio.
meantime, Peds Bautista for Mayor….. keep blogging ; ) !!!
I believe Mrs. de Guia was appointed OIC of Baguio after the EDSA Revolution. I don’t think she ran for office. Lulu Tabanda is running again, by the way — this time with and not against Peter Rey)
9 candidates for mayor is indeed an uglification of Baguio!
well, i am born here in baguio knowing all our candidates for long time now.. but still i don’t know whom am i going to vote? actually!!
Hi Jane,
I agree. First, so many of them making noise everyday with their campaign jeepneys and loudspeakers and dirtying up Baguio with their posters. Second, so many egos walking around without any real and sincere programs of action lead me to think they just want to milk this uber rich city and add some more concrete “development.”
Hello Renz,
Yup. The ones running are the same men responsible for the sad state of affairs in Baguio so why should we vote for any of them? So I guess we’ll have to choose the lesser of all those evils. Pero sino nga ba?
yep 9 candidates! AND IM LUVIN IT! you gotta be baguio born and resident to really know these peepz well.
i personally still go for YARANON. he was suspended for fighting for the rights of the people in baguio! jadewell doesnt belong here.. he was among the very few(about 3 officials) who spoke out against it, didnt play in-between. even that casino that was supposed to be put up in john hay he declined. i think he has a lot still to offer. age doesnt dictate your ability to speak out. though he really has to take care of himself carefully for his physical health
peter ray bautista is a nice guy also. his goals for a cleaner baguio attracted me. but i agree, he must start first in their infimous school, UB, before being able to claim a sure change. and i think he lacks experience for mayorship.
virgilio bautista, surely i disagree..
jun labo, hehe, he knows he’s gonna lose.
why’d he win before anyway?
leandro yangot has a very impressive backround and good platform too.
he’s my second choice.
nevada? nah…
ramos and hernandez? not fmiliar…
mr. bernardo vergara? c’mon! people! everybody knows he started the mess, corruption and all..(along with his partner in crime)..people arent blind.. from the controversial digging up,, the missing funds in panagbenga, him declaring that street dancers proceed in tha parade eventhough it was raining super hard leaving elementary kids sick after that.., his cut (ka-ching$$$)in approving jadewell and making of casino., that stupid ARTIFICIAL tree he allowed to be built on top of session and claims it spent millions of pesos for it(taking it from gov money).im just ashamed he’s my relative.
lets bring back that old natural baguio beauty…with trees!!!! napansin nu, diba pabawas ng pabawas mga puno tas padami ng padami tao..di balanse na..kaya kapus sa tubig grbbbbbbeeee…dati everyday may dadating na 2big…so vote right mga ka-baguio q..review closely ung mga platforms nila.(” ,)
HEY HEY HEY if you have any good info of councilors pls share im kinda not sure whom to vote for council coz there are 69 candidates!!!!!!!!!!! waaaaa…!!!!
LISA,,keep blogging gurl!(” ,)baguio rocks!!
peace ya’ll
yaranon-i personaly don’t like yaranon because he’s anti social and has lot of explaining to do with his early closure of bars! besides, in the campaign he always mudslings at all his opponents! laklakayan! he should campaign on his strengths and not on the weaknesses of his opponents.
yangot- remember the 190t carnival bribery as filed with the ombudsman. also, he got arrested for illegal possesion of firearms in 2003. a professor in slu also protested he shouldnt take the bar exams coz he cheated in the college of law.
bautista- too young and medyo mayabs eh! dati friend nya ko when we met in a party. now that he’s acting mayor he doesn’t give a shit about me!
nevada- 9 years councilor and no accomplishments! he wasted my vote!
labo- no way. same as nevada!
vergara- lesser evil. he’s done a lot of projects and most qualified. 9 years congressman and 3 years mayor. i hate that concrete pine tree though but if we talk about performance he can do the job. corruption allegations should have been filed in court ifever true. im not a fan of his and i hate some of his styles but he’s the best choice for development.
no way to yaranon!
yangot? the name speaks for itself. rememeber 190k kickback from the carnival operator!
Hi Neszy, Mike and John,
Thanks soooo much for dropping by and telling everyone more about the candidates. I have been kinda holding my tongue waiting for comments like yours to be able to start a lively discussion going.
I did hear about Yangot’s incident regarding waving a gun at the North Expressway tollbooth and getting arrested but could not find any news report about that. But everyone in Baguio heard about it but it seems the incident was hushed! Let’s see if we can come up with more info regarding the Burnham Carnival Bribe. Mike, when you say the names speaks for itself, did you mean that Yangot rhymes with kulang__ or that it sounds too close to “angot” (Ilocano for “smelly”)?
Yep, that million peso Christmas/Pine tree of Vergara’s is worthy of note. It was his project and yet the Baguio folk kept reelecting him afterwards!
The thing about Yaranon is that even when he was mayor already he still kept behaving as if he was campaigning. No to Jadewell, No to Casino, No to Everything. But he never did anything! No projects. I used to refer to him as “Mr. Madik.” (Madik in the Ilocano dialect means “I don’t want”)
Now, as for Jun Labo, I think he makes some money out of campaign contributions. Let’s see.. is he Filipino, Japanese, Australian (or maybe even Russian) nowadays?
I think Baguio needs major change. What if we throw out all the incumbents and replace them with new ones? But we can’t stop there! What if for the next 3 years we set up Baguio Watch and just blog (bug) the hell out of our local officials — like really look into all their projects and how they vote and behave? That should be fun!
There’s something very funny about Jack Carino… so here he is talking about the uglification of Baguio, but it is his clan who actually started it..they gave lands to those people who do not deserve it(da asshole iskwaters…na mayayaman naman talaga)…. yada yada… now, he has the guts of saying stop the uglification of baguio.
A massive depopulation of the non-Baguio people in Baguio is the answer… the outsiders are usually the ones who trash baguio. just look at how they manage their trash..that is so un-taga Baguio
Yaranon..I must agree with you. That old man keeps on yacking but what the hell did he do? Gave tolerance permit to those assholes who do not want to pay PROPER taxes, and who latag their smuggled goods during rush hours… more chaotic traffic…dirtier Baguio… prolifieration of theft of PUBLIC properties like street lights, trash cans… oh god.
Voice of the people? People didn’t like Jadewell, but the REAL people of Baguio didn;t want illegal peddlers, trash, mandurukots, massive water shortage, chaotic traffic as well too… come on yaranon?
Been hearing that mayabs si Bautista…hehehe… It’s weird that he’s been ordering closure of this and that when he can’t even close the karaokehans and imumans at Assumption road(yung tapat nung center..hello school zone..parang Otek street na ang assumption!) which is a few steps from his school and the one right in front of his school >>appears to be that many
businesspeople there do not have business permits>>> fair naman sana pagpapasara niya….(altough I must say na mas maganda cafeteria ng UB kesa sa SLU)
Bautista should also order closure of the second hand cellphone stores… god..kasabwat nila yung mga lintek na mandurukot na yan. He can’t kill the demand but he can do something about the supply! and the RTWs..na puro overpriced rejects naman ang benta.
Baguio should have an APPOINTED mayor to avoid bias…. kasi naman.. sa Baguio lupa ng may lupa pinamimigay ng lintek na nakaupo sa mga hindi taga-dito. My family is a victim of it. Actually, mayayaman naman mga iskwa sa Baguio..they’re just pretending to be poor…siyempre..ang lupa di nag dedepreciate(plus mahal ang bentahan ng lupa dito) … I’m very inclined to believe that the only thing that can save Baguio from damnation is a 1990-like earthquake…why? because there’d be a massive population reduction…not only out of death but repatriation of the immigrants(who make up more than half of the city;s population). Less economic activities will drive these people to go back to their “ili”..not only that.. the sinking areas(usually the most dense areas int he city) will sink! giving the asshole iskwa-nowhere to built their house in the city..leaving them with one choice — to go back to where they came from.
The BLIST proposal is something I am very much against…come on.. is Baguio planning to convert the farmlands in these area to subdivisions just like what Baguio did to itself decades ago? No way… But then, are these people serious about reforming baguio? I doubt it..the first step is to approve the heritage zone petition..but it seems dead now. Come on, the petition will give all the right to the city gov’t to demolish every squatter in the mentioned areas.(uhmm..kankanaeys..having ancestral lands in Baguio?..that’s a BIG joke.. come on..the kankanaeys were never natives of baguio…no wonder the Kankanaey areas never improve…they think that way. )
Jun Labo… the “fake” healer…hehe…
Vergara…. oh pease.. no more white elephants please. He might just want to bring a real elephant to Baguio.
Molintas is someone I can’t stand…I’d rather choose domogan. That Joemol guy is planning to give away other people’s land to the “rich” squatters. Come on..is the urban poor the marginilized? Hinde! The true marginalized people are the taga-Baguios. We pay the taxes but we do not rip the fruits of it..but the people who do not pay taxes… they want to talk about justice? Kahit kapwa pa siya Ibaloi.. I don’t like him..besides.. may issue siya sa Jueteng…
What Baguio needs to do is to close itself from OUTSIDE investment. As a commerce student I can clearly see the non-prioritization of LOCAL entrepreneurs… has the city gov’t helped the heritage businesses( the now closed casa vallejo..star cafe…good taste…rose bowl) come one.. mas -inuuna pa yung mga hindi taga dito na tinatakbuhan ang tax(The burnham trade fair…)! Who the hell are they kidding… the problem with the city gov is it drives away the Baguio people and invites the non-Baguio peeps..resulting to a trash-like Baguio. If I were to choose who’d be the appointed mayor. I’d go for Bobby Ortega.. Just look at how the Ortegas run San Fernando… mas matino pa nga mga trike drivers nila kesa sa mga taxi at jeepney drivers dito.
Hello again BetelNut,
That’s why Bobby Ortega, who was so out of the Baguio political scene since 1992, is coming in such a close 3rd for vice-mayor to Farinas’ and Olowan’s votes. Baguio needs discipline. It has been the coddling of ’squatters’ on public lands that is making it ugly. I always say, it’s so much nicer and cheaper to squat here than, say, in Dagupan. Baguio’s attracting only the most needy, ill-mannered, uneducated type of people. Maybe Ortega should’ve run for mayor instead.
I agree that Baguio is fraught with problems. And I blame it on the mismanagement by the local government officials who keep dreaming up of the most awful looking “projects,” who are afraid to offend illegal vendors. And this is since the earthquake. A lot of these people keep getting re-elected, too. They love trade fairs, carnivals, carienderias on Burnham and all sorts of ugly, unnecessary businesses and infrastructure like fake pine trees, useless flyovers. Baguio used to be much classier than it is now. Used to attract big spenders for tourists. Nowadays, we get overnighters from the lowlands who sleep in their private jeepneys at Burnham Park and use those ubiquitous ‘clean restrooms.’ Also, they’re not wanting to do anything about the little criminal “frats,” except to require registration. We’re turning ‘jologs’ these days. It’s ok to keep prices down but not to cheapen Baguio.
As for the schools, don’t they owe students some fresh air and greenery for all the tuition they charge?
Lastly, about closing Baguio to outside investors. I disagree. If folks want to invest here, game! But why did Domogan and Vergara have to give SM City Baguio a local business tax holiday of 5 years?! In exchange for what? Whether or not they were given a tax break they would have created jobs anyway. Giving them an unfair advantage over others who have been doing business in Baguio for decades. In fact, the longer you invest here, the lower your taxes should be as an incentive. But instead the city treasurer raises your ‘gross receipts’ in her book by 20% yearly. The longer you do business here legitimately, the harder they make it for you. I know this for a fact. If folks want to invest here, as long as the businesses create good jobs and do not have an adverse impact on our environment, why not? To think, all income generated by SM redounds to the benefit of — ta da — Cavite! That’s where it has its head office, that’s where they pay their income taxes. Not in Baguio.
I just discovered this. Maski tapos election, magcocomment ako to clarify issues. Yangot was my classmate at the college of law. There was no incident of cheating on his part. What I know was that he expose the cheating in the 2003 bar exam. You google the net about this.
Hi Vicky, thanks for clarifying things.
I did list him as a lawyer under “occupation” in the candidates list but this was disputed so I left it blank. I know his wife is a lawyer and teaches at UC, and was the one who exposed the leakage in the Nursing Board Exams last year. Of Mr. Yangot, I could not find anything. I never heard anything about cheating in school, as Mike mentioned in his comments earlier.
pssssss…think muna kya…before moving…matanong lang po…are the newly elected officers are ready for the problems of our city…?????…..im just wandering po…maraming nagtatanong ung mga deserving hindi nka pasok…..meron po bang anumalya nung election??????
Hi Eltee, and thanks for your comment. As far as I can tell, the elections were peaceful and orderly. It can be said that Baguio residents in 2007 re-elected mostly those with ‘familiar’ names with ‘track records,’ save for Mrs. Sembrano. Now as far as those track records are concerned, take a look at our city now and tell me if you like what you see. So, in my opinion, the elected officials must rethink whether they love Baguio or whether they’re in it for the power and the perks. Because they must stop cementing everything except the roads, they must take steps to ensure that it is a safe place for everyone, that it retakes its old position as the No. 1 vacation spot in the Philippines. If they don’t want the latter for Baguio, then all the natural beauty of the place will go to waste!
Hi!
The story of Kafagway and its loss still have to be written. Part of the documents pertaining to the swindling cases that led to the US Court’s promulgation of the Cariño Doctrine are with the Cariño Foundation.
The City Hall land, the school campus nearby, and the Burnham Park, among others, were donated by Mateo Cariño to the cause of the Summer Capital of the Philippines.
This was published for six weeks during the election campaign in the Midland Courier.
On the other hand, Mrs de Guia was the vice-mayor of Dr. Jose Maria Cariño, the first Igorot mayor of Baguio. She took over Dr. Pepe when he suffered a heart stroke before the end of his term.
[Ms. Lisa M., Kindly add this, pls.]
For our own explanation on the origins and ideas behind the word “Uglification,” you may refer to the famous blog of Mr. Bill Bilig –
http://igorotblogger.blogspot.com/2007/06/chi-balmaceda-gutierrez-on-uglification.html
http://igorotblogger.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-case-you-want-peter-or-jack-to-be.html
Thanks and may the blessings be!