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Boholanos
the world over will drop shovel and pen and re-arrange Christian
Sunday duties in order to witness yet another Bohol boxer
become a world champion today at the Arco Arena in Sacramento,
California.
His
name is Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista, only 21 (Candijay)
with a sensational, spotless 23-0 win-loss record as he trades
hammer-sledge punches against WBO super bantamweight champion
Daniel Ponce De Leon, 26 (Chichuahua,Mexico) with a respectable
31-1 record - 26 of them by knockouts.
Bohol's
boxing pride - the more polished and scientific heir apparent
to world great Manny Pacquiao, Bautista was an even bet choice
(from underdog) as they weighed in yesterday. Currently ranked
No. 1 challenger to De Leon, "Boom Boom" will try
to avenge the painful loss of Cebuano sensation Gerry Peñalosa
to De Leon few months back.
More
importantly, the "Big-time" HBO Boxing Event called
Boxing After Dark will determine whether the Main Event will
produce the second Boholano world champ after (Talibon's pride)
Nonito Donaire knocked out a cocky Australian pugilist to
become International Boxing Organization/IBP super flyweight
king a few weeks ago.
Golden
Boy Promotion's top honcho and boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya
predicted our boy will be champ even at this tender age like
de la Hoya who won his first world crown at age 19. HBO had
described "Boom Boom" as the "most dangerous
of the 122-pound boxers who can knock out opponents with both
hands." A rarity indeed.
But
lest we slacken in our prayers and raise our expectations
too high, the opponent Ponce De Leon is not a patsy. A silver
medalist in the World Olympics boxing in 2000, he lost the
gold narrowly to Ukraine's Vladimir Sidorenko. The brutish
26-year old Mexican slugger has won all but one of his professional
fights.
He
first won the title in 2005 over then unbeaten Thailand's
Sod Looknongangkon. He had defended his crown thrice - one
via second round knockout, another via one punch in the first
round knockout. No mistake about, Ponce De Leon is a monster
- and his fellow Mexicans are also praying to their God like
we do.
Certainly,
Boholanos will be united in our prayers, cheers and excitement
especially since another Boholano AJ "Bazooka" Banal
will battle former WBC super flyweight champion Mexican Eric
Ortiz in the same card.
As
a matter of fact, "Boom Boom" will be the captain
of the Team Philippines made of six boxers pitted against
Mexican ring gladiators - an extravaganza that will have the
honor of having the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world
Filipino Manny Pacquiao at ringside.
Aside
from their individual purse, the team (RP vs. Mexico) who
wins more bouts will get the fabulous US$500,000 (about P22
million) gold-and jewelry studded World Cup trophy and the
Philippine National Anthem played worldwide as country winner.
Sports enthusiast Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim is in
California to personally give moral support to the Boholano
pugs in this sensational boxing event today.
Of
recent vintage, Boholano boxers have inspired many youth out
of the streets and drugs into the manly world of trading punches
with gloves inside the ring and gym. All the Boholano youngsters
punishing themselves in training at the Ala Gym in Taloto
will have wide-eyed looks glued at the television screens
today.
World-wide,
it will have the benefit of an HBO viewing while ABS-CBN is
the exclusive TV network for the Philippines. Are the fearsome
boxer-descendants of Dagohoy and King Caloy Garcia in tip-top
shape? Are we ready to rumbbbbllleeee?
"Boom
Boom" and "Bazooka." Wattan "Ear-Full"
Sunday today!
MODERNITY
VS. THE ENVIRONMENT
The
clash of Modern Living of the 21st Century and Environment
Preservation is happening in our lifetime. Just look around
you - people in Loon, Tagbilaran City and Albur.
Let's
start with the oil exploration issue. The sneaky Australia-based
oil explorer (Otto Energy Ltd) mother company of the even
sneakier NorAsian Energy Ltd proudly announced it had discovered
potential commercial oil recoverables in the Argao-Cabilao
in the amount of 270 million barrels. Fine.
The
Department of Energy quickly gave them a deadline to start
drilling and end by March 2009. Fine.
But
wait a minute. Wasn't this the same consortium that - after
having agreed with the stakeholders of the issue: fisher folks,
LGU, environmentalists, tourism defenders that no seismic
survey will be done without resolving issues - did one anyway
on the sly -with a little help from scheming and public-insensitive
officials and judges?
And
hey, has any Bohol official looked at the fine print of the
LGU sharing agreement in the oil find so that the terse complaint
aired by the Palawan governor Joel Reyes over Station DYRD
that his province never got its fair share in the deal leading
to a pending case in the Supreme Court - will no likewise
happen to our beloved Bohol?
One
cannot be termed over-critical when past facts and antecedents
point to grossly irregular ethical behavior of certain companies,
industries and officials. What NorAsian did in the sinister
seismic survey and the highway robbery of Palawan are not
the imaginings of the fertile minds of paranoid environmental
warriors. They are all well documented.
Everyone
is well aware that an oil find as it did in Texas many years
ago -exploded commerce beyond every Texan's imagination.But
they paid precious little price for it.
What
about elsewhere?
Oil
explorations and rigs can cause oil spills -that is a grim
possibility. Let's not go too far and see what has happened
to Guimaras island -victim of the country's largest oil spill.
Because
of the spill , the Barangay Tando, fishermen who used to catch
30 kilos a day (average) - now Mang Ambo can hardly get two
kilos.
The
fish has gone.Some folks were compensated P 14,000 which could
not even buy a boat and fish net. The BFAR could not even
say if the shell in the area is edible.
Tourism
had suffered when for months the blue was murky with greyish
black ink - though most have settled in coves nearby. Mangroves
were destroyed and the seaweed industry was crushed. Even
the mango population was threatened because water under the
ground was contaminated costing millions of pesos in disinfectants
to the government. For a while water was not potable. We know
because we have met some of the suppliers of the disinfectants.
It
is a worst case scenario, true - but it can happen. We have
prided our Bohol to have tourism as our flagship industry
- is it endangered now? Who is seriously looking into this?Despite
denials, scientific proof had surfaced there were already
negative effects of the seismic survey on marine life and
biodiversity.
In
the same vein, Rep Edgar Chatto (chair of Tourism in the House)
should explain in detail and reconcile how the handsomely
presented International Cruise Port in Cabilao island (in
the same town of Loon) - engineered by the Philippine Ports
Authority - will fare with all those oil rig structures and
barges crisscrossing the sea path once the oil exploration
begins in 2009.
This
is serious matter that capsulizes the ongoing struggle between
modernity and the environment as this editorial postulates
as a title. Public vigilance must continue.
What
about the promised Water Treatment of City Mayor Dan Lim to
prevent the cascading of waste and impurities to the clear
Bohol waters of Tagbilaran Bay and the city sea port? Where
is it? Has the city SP prepared a budget for it? This the
mayor must give this importance because the Bay serves as
a showcase to all visitors who after all give business to
the city and the province.
The
Water Treatment project may not be as thrilling and visible
as a spanking new Agora edifice in downtown CPG but the long-term
impact on the environment -and tourism in general - of such
project cannot be overstated.
Finally,
we must find a closure to the Sanitary Landfill debate over
the Albur location.Modern living creates waste every day -whether
we like it or not -and we have to dispose them. A city and
a prime island tourist destination like Panglao without a
regular sanitary landfill is unacceptable.
The
issues of just compensation, water protection of Albur sources,
and a fair billing system for users should put the issue to
rest. We can start being less parochial in our thoughts, perhaps.No
town is an island - sufficient unto itself. Shalom.
For
Comments: email to
bingo_dejaresco@boholchronicle.com Or editor@boholchronicle.com
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