By Herbert Vego THE last time I had coffee with Aklanon broadcaster Jonathan Cabrera, he lamented the sudden turnaround of Boracay – where his family lives – from an international tourism hub to a “ghost town” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. While he was telling me about the abandoned hotels and near-empty shops and
July 17, 2020
By Herbert Vego JUDGE Emerald Requina-Contreras of the Regional Trial Court (RTC Iloilo, Branch 23) has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Panay Electric Co. (PECO) against her order issuing a writ of possession to MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), enabling the latter to take over the power distribution facilities in Iloilo
July 16, 2020
By Herbert Vego “BAKIT kami kumonti nang ganito na lang?” That was how former actress and now Batangas 6th district Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto reacted to the mere 11 “yes” votes that the House legislative franchises committee rendered on the application for franchise renewal of ABS-CBN Corporation. The overwhelming majority of 70 “no” votes effectively
July 13, 2020
By Herbert Vego THERE is no truth to the rumor that Iloilo City’s top two politicians, Mayor Jerry Treñas and Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda, no longer see eye to eye. Their constituents saw them doing the rounds of malls the other day, checking if businesses were able to revive within the government-imposed health protocols.
July 10, 2020
By Herbert Vego LAWYER Romel Duron, the chair of the committee on public utilities at the Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) of Iloilo, firmly believes that one or more persons could have intentionally short-circuited the power lines of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) on June 20, resulting in overnight power outages in Mandurriao district. All the
July 8, 2020
By Herbert Vego THIS corner finds it ironic that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Republic Act 11479) that President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Friday pinpoints Senate President Tito Sotto and Senator Panfilo Lacson as principal authors. Could the original draft have come from Malacañang? While the bill was still pending approval in Congress, Sotto had said
July 6, 2020
By Herbert Vego CONTRASTING “readings” on why we suffer the pandemic known as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have flooded the social media. The most prevalent among them is that it is one of the many plagues predicted to hit before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. “God is angry,” somebody posted on Facebook. “We have government
July 3, 2020
By Herbert Vego “UNNATURAL!” With that single word, President Roel Z. Castro of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), affirmed his belief that the brownout that pestered residents of Mandurriao, Iloilo City the other Saturday was intentional. Castro was the main resource person yesterday of a fact-finding probe by the Sangguniang Panglunsod’s committee
July 1, 2020
By Herbert Vego FOUR members of Iloilo City’s Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) – Rommel Duron, Ed Peñaredondo, Ely Estante and Jay Treñas — have expressed alarm over the unscheduled brownouts that discomforted residents of Mandurriao district the other Saturday night. As the city’s new power distributor, MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) has fallen prey to
June 29, 2020
By Herbert Vego WHY is the defunct Panay Electric Co. (PECO) so anxious to demolish the credibility of the incumbent power distributor in Iloilo City, MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), attributing brownouts to “inexperience” and “inefficiency”? A PECO official was certainly sarcastic and insincere when he said in a radio interview that
June 26, 2020
By Herbert Vego THE intermittent power outages that hit the entire district of Mandurriao and portions of Jaro, Iloilo City on Saturday night (10:00) until Sunday morning (08:48) naturally enraged the residents who vented their ire through the social media against either MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) or Panay Electric Co. (PECO). MORE
June 24, 2020
By Herbert Vego WHY are we so afraid of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)? To put it bluntly, we are not ready to die. We panic because the pandemic has earned the notoriety of being “incurable” – the same reason why most governments worldwide have imposed massive lockdowns that restrict people’s travels and public exposures. The
June 22, 2020