I am one proud Kagay-anon myself… I miss the place…

Talking about being competitive, I believe we should start with developing a good image as a city first. We all know that we are not that big of a city, but count the vehicles or public transportation and you’ll realize that there’s something wrong. The traffic is like impossible to fix and people are becoming undisciplined.

I have a suggestion which I hope would be taken into consideration.

I’m talking about changing some ways to help traffic (which by the way almost always the first thing that the visitors in our city will notice), specially the problem with the Loading and No loading signs. As you can see, it’s usually placed in a post with a sign and it stand vertical and just about any driver, i f reprimanded, would say that they were not able to see the sign because another vehicle has covered it, or a group of people were and this becomes a habit. I’m not just blaming the drivers, but also the people who would stop a Jeepney anywhere, and drivers don’t really have a choice but to stop coz it’s P6.00 atleast already.

But what if we change the signs. Or better yet, instead of placing poles in the road, why not make a Loading Zone indicated by a very clear colored paint in the road which is easily visible for both the drivers and the commuters. This way, it can’t be moved, they will be oriented and remember what the color and zone means, and they would always remember where it is. And pleeeeeeease be strict in giving tickets or fines to both drivers and commuters. I guess they’ve been warned long enough to give them another warning. But it’s important to take into consideration the range of the zone to comply with other city laws and to be able accommodate a fair number of public vehicles.

Suggested colors: Green or light green (murag RTA)

I believe giving depressed (more likely to commit suicide) people would appreciate having someone to talk to on their down moments, and to think that they are more likely to talk to someone they don’t know personally sometimes, makes this a good idea which I personally believe would help decrease the rate of suicide attempts in our country.

But there’s one thing I’d like to emphasize on this part. I guess the most effective way to cater this idea is to make this entirely for FREE, as long as they have a phone or cellphone, coz otherwise, it would be useless. There have been radio stations doing it, though only by segments which runs for 1-3 hours only, and they are able to help.

If radio stations can do it, then why cant the govt do the same? right?

In September 2007, Cabaluna told Burton and several archaeology students and teachers from Davao, and myself that this pit is a deep well. Her daughter in 2003 called it a toilet.

There is no water in this well or toilet or whatever. And if Cabaluna wants potable water, the spring of Kagayan Resort is very near his house. He used to be manager of this resort, and he is a City Tourism Office employee.

Whatever Cabaluna calls this pit, it is a pit made consciously inside an archaeological area. He was told by Burton to protect it. But he dug there just the same. In countries like Canada, a person making this crime would be subjected to prosecution, and put to jail if convicted. Here, he is described as an employee “in good standing”.

Let me repeat that I didn’t describe the ASP publication as a “mock report”. That would have been kind. What I said was worse: “Debatable and NOT scientific”. Rodriguez and Geefe Alba from Business World have an audio record of my original statement.

ON DEMOCRACY: The election of a person to a government office does not exempt him from scrutiny. When a government official is perceived to be at fault, he has to be examined. Even if he is seen as upright, he has to be checked regularly. Why? Because we pay tax.

In 2003, the HCA filed a case against former mayor Vicente Y. Emano and his contractor UKC Builders, Inc. before the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). EMB decided in our favor. Currently, Emano is facing numerous suits because of financial anomalies repeatedly discovered by the Commission on Audit (COA). If Emano is convicted in court, current law provides that he should be jailed. Execution is no longer an option.

ON VIOLATION OF THE CODE OF ETHICS OF ARCHAEOLOGY: See http://elson.elizaga.net/archaeoethics.html.

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More from Mr. Elizaga. This was sent to CDOKAY last August 28, 2007

Our organization, the Heritage Conservation Advocates (HCA), issued a manifesto of protest against Emano in 2001 when he was still planning to destroy the Huluga archaeological site. HISCCOM was silent. It also didn’t protest when Emano bulldozed Huluga in 2003.

That year, HCA filed a case against Emano and his contractor UKC Builders, Inc. This year, HCA informed the public about the quarrying and treasure hunting in Huluga. We had a meeting with new mayor Constantino Jaraula, who called us “authorities”. He is for heritage preservation. HISCCOM has only issued propaganda.

Under pressure, Emano and HISCCOM commissioned the University of the Philippines-Archaeological Studies Program (UP-ASP) in 2004 to produce a report that would attempt to decrease the archaeological value of Huluga. This goal is indicated by three major acts:

First, UP-ASP violated archaeological code of ethics by not consulting local historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and the archaeologist Dr. Erlinda Burton, who used to work with the famous British-Kenyan archaeologist Louis S.B. Leakey. UP-ASP didn’t even consult the people who claimed ownership of the land excavated by UP-ASP.

Second, UP-ASP ignored a midden known to UP-ASP and the National Museum since 2003. A midden is an ancient garbage site, extremely critical to archaeological work. UP-ASP also ignored the fossils and artifacts found on Huluga surface by HCA in 2003, such as the whale harpoon head, which as a National Museum accession number of X-1991-Q2-484. For a detailed discussion of this issue, put “elizaga trash archaeology” in google. My article is in mindanews.com.

Third, UP-ASP made a confusing conclusion when it declared Huluga as “a habitation site, but unlikely a settlement site”. These terms are SYNONYMOUS in archaeology. One only has to check the online reference-wordsmith.com by lexicographer, linguist and Registered Professional Archaeologist Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer.

Instead of filing a case against UP-ASP for doing unethical and unscientific work disadvantageous to the people of the Philippines, HISCCOM wallow in ignorance, and keep repeating the UP-ASP gobbledygook like a bloated parrot.

Elson T. Elizaga

I am just so happy that Cagayanons are getting more mature as shown in recent elections and did not buy the character assassinations of Mr. Elizaga and Co. . Emano was voted as Vice Mayor with more than 60 % of the votes.

I understand that Dr. Burton is from Xavier University, whose motto is “the truth shall set you free - veritas liberabit vos”. If Elizaga’s group is really concerned about the issue and not about politics, it should go back to the facts and the truth.

I hope the accusers have the courage and the heart to apologize.