I Am Buraot

I was still a kid back then.  I didn’t know anything outside my personal scope. I remember a few years back when a certain Ninoy was shot  dead. Seeing him on TV moments before his death made me realize that this surreality is a signal of a wrong. Something tremendously wrong.

Then EDSA came.

I didn’t know what to do. I can hear the sounds of planes hovering above our rooftops. The number of people outside our street in Dimasalang carrying transistor radios blaring modulated noises are enough to let a kid know that there is something big going on. Continue Reading…

At the start of the new government under President Noynoy Aquino, I do understand that former congressman and secretary Butch Abad is going to have a juicy post. In fact I expected it. After all, he was  Noynoy’s campaign manager at the last election.

On a personal note, I would love to see him back in government. I saw him as an alternative politician capable of running an agency that requires skills without having to abandon a belief that government work need not necessarily equate graft.

I commended him when, along with nine other cabinet secretaries during the time of President Arroyo, they decidedly quit from their posts. I said, “Hmnnn.. even with a bit of political propaganda, some people still knew what the word delicadeza means.”

Then Noynoy became president. By virtue of political gratitude that is not unknown to Philippine politics, it would be safe to assume that Abad was personally asked by the President to take his pick. I was expecting Butch Abad to be his Executive Secretary since to me it would be the most influential of all.  He was appointed as Budget Secretary.

It made me wonder if it’s about the pork. Continue Reading…

By Felicito C. Payumo
Mapping the Future,
Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 19, 2010

In a seminar for Liberal Party Congressmen, I was tasked to talk about the Economic thrusts of President Noynoy’s Administration. I thought that the best way to do it was to go through President Noynoy’s inaugural speech and flesh out the broad strokes on economic reforms and objectives he wanted to achieve.

It was a powerful speech. No soaring rhetoric. The objectives were clear and direct to the point. But more than just a thought leader, the speech showed he was also a feeling leader. Continue Reading…

I got a call from a former comrade, they are now converging on the streets of the EDSA, waiting for the imminent yet another uprising to unfold.

I was inside the former US base where I currently hold my office. It was another period of turmoil and political uncertainty. Then Philippine President Erap Estrada is facing impeachment charges at the floors of the Senate.

I wanted to go to the capital, and join the ongoing protests. But something I felt at that time was out of line. The dreams of the first EDSA never faded. Simply because it never materialized. So seeing another one in the works made me realize my personal reservations on this ongoing second one. Continue Reading…

During the term of Richard Gordon as mayor of Olongapo City, there were at least 26 cases of “salvagings” or summary executions that victimized at least 28 people.

The killings were believed to have been made to cleanse the city of undesirable elements and maintain its allure as the center for the R & R of US servicemen.

Olongapo officials dismissed such as “isolated incidents involving hardened criminals whose death were mainly due to gang rivalry”, it is a matter of public record that the victims were mostly teenagers and one was a woman.

According to records from the Olongapo City Fiscal’s Office, the following are among those who were executed during the incumbency of Mayor Richard Gordon: Continue Reading…

When I came to Olongapo, I was very hopeful. I just had a daughter, her mom is a native Olongapena, and I decided to go there to start a new life.

It’s a bustling city yet with a small town feel. The night life is not as good as Manila but having been a fan of live bands, I almost immediately fell in love with it. The city is host to a few rock bands that became famous.

On a regular morning, you’ll be woken up by an easy to remember child-like music coming from a moving vehicle. At first, I thought it was some music coming from a rolling candy store, but really it was coming from the garbage trucks. Continue Reading…

Here they come again. I knew what I’m about to take when I decided to write personal experiences about my life in Olongapo, or at least parts of it. Heat. I’m about to take some unnecessary heat.

Of all the searches online regarding the 2010 presidentiables, presidential wannabe Richard Gordon had the most positive posts online, according to ABS-CBN reports published March 18.

They were right. In fact if you try to do a search, all you see are links to his bio and how great and wonderful the man is. Except to articles made by me here at the barrio, on my site, and by other sites who have picked up the story. Continue Reading…