News from Home: Leyte Hosts Palarong Pambansa 2009

The Province of Leyte hosts this year's Palarong Pambansa, a competition among elementary and high school student all over the country in various sports starting April 27 to May 3, 2009. More than 20,000 delegate, coaches and school staff are set to participate this year and different schools and government facilities will be used for their accomodations. The Leyte Sports Development Center (better known as Grandstand) has been spruced up to the tune of millions where most of the sporting events such as swimming, track and field and volleyball to name a few will be held. For other games, the Badminton Republic, a private facility for paying members, the Leyte Park Hotel grounds, and the basketball gym over at the Provincial Capitol were utilized for the badminton, softball and basketball events, respectively.

Today, is the grand opening, although the games already started yesterday, with no less than Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Guest of Honor. Various cultural presentations representing the different towns of Leyte over at the Grandstand are expected to be culminated by a fireworks display in the evening at the RTR Park.

With all the fanfare, a fireworks of a decidedly different kind has been brewing between the DepEd, the lead government agency in charge of the event and Tacloban City officials led by Mayor Alfred Romualdez. Sol Matugas, the Regional Director for DepEd, this Region, was told by Sanggunian Panlalwigan in a signed resolution to explain, her comments on a national daily saying they (presumably the DepEd) would not need a permit for the parade on grand opening. It will be recalled that Mayor Romualdez opposed the holding of the event in the city and in fact declined to being co-host with the Province of Leyte.

With the huge number of delegates and other visitors including parents and chaperones of the athletes, Tacloban City is the direct beneficiary, economically speaking, of this year's hosting of the Palaro with all the hotels and lodging houses fully booked for the duration of the sporting competition. Bars, restaurants, coffee shops started showing a significant increase in custoners as early as a week before the start of the games when some of the delegations from the different regions started arriving. Jeepney drivers are more than happy with fully packed jeeps of commuting athletes and other delegates. And not to forget, the much needed publicity and opportunity for promoting the city and the province to the national landscape as the venue of a national event. All these make the hosting of this year's Palarong Pambansa worthwhile nothwithstanding all the backyard political feuds.

The Failon (Etong) Family Saga Update

Trinidad Arteche Etong, wife of ABS-CBN newscaster and DZMM talk show radio host, died Thursday night at exactly 8:50 in the evening, just minutes after two of her sisters and a brother were forcibly dragged away from the hospital where she was confined and brought to a Quezon City court for inquest proceedings. The manner that the Arteche siblings were arrested (without warrants) was captured on national television and elicited widespread sympathy for the family and outrage at the seemingly excessive force used by the Quezon City police in making the arrests. The scene of a grieving family pleading before the police that they be allowed to continue to be at the bedside of their sister who was battling for her life seemed to have had no effect on the arresting officers. As of this posting, those men in uniform have been suspended by the National Police Commission and investigation over the death of Mrs. Etong has been turned over to the NBI.

Yesterday, a forensic expert interviewed over television declared that forensic findings all point toward Mrs. Etong committing suicide. The entry wound, according to the expert, who was commissioned by Ted Failon to accompany the police gathering evidence at the scene of the "crime", was on the right side of the head of Failon's wife judging from the edges of the wound which curved inward and the exit wound was on the left side as its edges were turned outward. He also said that the gun was pointed perpendicular to the face of the victim bolstering the suicide theory as most suicides with a handgun is made that way.

The remains of Mrs. Etong lie in wake at Arlington Funeral Homes and shall be cremated this week.

News From Home 1

"Ted Failon Suspect in Wife's Shooting"

This is one of the trade-offs of seeing your daughter happily clapping away at Walt Disney's Cinderella cartoon movie, not watching the news and missing the hottest and latest headline -grabbing story of the month. By 3pm, she has the television all to herself and Mama will just have to wait until B___ finds another diversion.

What was the story? Oh yes, suicide or foul play? That is the most nagging question on everyone nowadays as Ted Failon's wife lie in a hospital somewhere in Quezon City for injuries sustained from a gunshot wound in the head. Both the helpers of the Failon household and Ted Failon, a newscaster on one of the major television networks, say that it (gunshot wound) was self-inflicted with a sucide note apparently left by his wife to prove it. Police, however, state that it was a mere sorry note and could not be conclusively be taken as what it was claimed to be by Mr. Failon,

Based on the stories of the household helpers and Ted Failon, Trinidad Etong was found slumped 15 April 2009, Wednesday morning in a bathroom of the Failons' house bloodied with a gun at her side. Her husband, who just came from the radio station where he had his early morning program, along with his driver and his wife's sister brought her to the hospital where she is now in critical condition. Recent updates have reported that doctors have now declared her as "brain dead".

Police noted certain inconsitencies in the statements of the household helpers and is currently conducting further investigation. As of posting time, Ted Failon has not yet been cleared of his wife's shooting and his driver and helpers has been charged for obstruction of justice for cleaning the bathroom which was the scene of the alleged shooting as well as the vehicle which was used to transport Mrs. Etong to the hospital.

Ted Failon is actually a Waraynon, a native of Tacloban City and was a popular radio broadcaster in the city in his earlier years before he hit it big time in Manila. He was known then by his true name, Larry Etong. He ran for Congressman in the First Congressional District of Leyte against the incumbent Alfred Romualdez, who is now the present city mayor, during the 2001 local elections and won. He opted, however, to return to newscasting over at ABS-CBN and forego re-election where he has been up to this time and can be seen on its daily evening news program, "TV Patrol World".

(source: http://www.philstar.com/, http://www.inquirer.net/)

From Sweet to Bittersweet

I just came from court this morning and while waiting for my case to be called, I got to hear the testimony of a husband in a protection order case. I was seated beside the wife in the gallery section as the lawyer's table was already full and I was able to observe her demeanour as her husband talked about their marriage that had gone sour. Her face was blank and expressionless with a grunt every now and then with what I surmised was her disbelief at what was being said on the witness stand.

They had a teen age daughter who looked very much like her father and was also present in court that day. I wonder how she felt hearing him say such unsavory things about her mother in front of so many people. Her face was also bereft of any emotion, as if it was but a stranger who was now testifying and she a mere observer and not his child. Was it a front, or was she just so used already of the usual animosity between her parents? I could only guess as I have not read the records of their case nor heard previous testimony. But it is more likely the latter as they would not have gone to this point if it was otherwise, to have the dirty linen of your private life put on display for all the people who go to court to hear.

After his testimony, I watched the husband as he got down from the stand and made his way through the gallery. He had to pass by us, me and his wife as we were seated at the edge of one of the benches. Both avoided each other's glances and if I had not known any better I would have thought they hardly knew each other. Such apathy on faces which in earlier and happier times showed so much love, I would like to imagine. For what other reasons is there for one to enter into a lifetime convenant? Yes, lifetime here in our country as divorce is not legal and judging from the influence of the Catholic Church on our political affairs, might never be, at least in the immediate future.

I was quite sad for them both and their children who had to suffer the indignities of such a public scuffle. But that is life and marriage, a series of both right and wrong choices and the children become collateral damage.

Welcome to another day of drama in Family Court.

Lent, the Essence of Christianity

Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, sinners, so we can be redeemed and this Lenten season we are reminded of that supereme sacrifice of the Lord. This week is one of reflection and before you hit the beach or take that long ride out of town for some r and r, perhaps it would do us some good if we enrich our spirituality first. Attending a retreat or recollection is recommended as great food for the soul. Now is also the time to realize the meaning of sacrifice even as for some it may go as easy as foregoing meat and for others as extreme as self-flagellation.

Visitas Iglesias, which is doing the Stations of the Cross in seven different churches, starts tomorrow. Then on Friday a re-enactment of the crucifixion is staged in the town of Palo, Leyte which has become a tourist attraction as much as a religious event.

Right now I'm still at the office, hoping that my "mag-ama" gets home in time before the big rush of everyone off from work.