Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Uy-Brillantes reconcile By Ben O. Tesiorna
COMPOSTELA Valley Governor Arturo "Chiongkee" Uy and Monkayo Mayor Manuel Brillantes Jr. formally announced their reconciliation Tuesday morning right before 235 barangay chairmen who were attending a consultative assembly called for by the province.
Also present in the event were former congressman Prospero Amatong, Reps. Manuel Zamora and Rommel Amatong, Vice Governor Ramil Gentugaya, all of the Provincial Board members, and the other 10 municipal mayors.
Calling the event a "miracle," the elder Amatong said he never expected that the Brillanteses and the Uys would finally reconcile after years of being rivals in personal, business, and political aspects.
In his short speech, Uy expressed his deep appreciation to the people who made the reconciliation possible. Special mention were Army's 1001st Brigade commander Brigadier General Carlos Holganza and police provincial director Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa.
He also thanked Mayor Brillantes for accepting his hand of reconciliation and vowed to work with him for the benefit of the people of Monkayo and Compostela Valley.
"Thank God, I now have all my children with me," Uy said comparing their situation to that of the prodigal son parable in the Bible.
As a sign of their new friendship and cooperation, Brillantes and all the other mayors of the province forged a memorandum of agreement with the province to work together in the "Lusong ComVal" program of Uy's administration that aims to hasten the repair and maintenance of provincial roads.
The municipal governments vowed to do their share in the repair and maintenance of provincial roads located within their respective municipalities.
As a goodwill gesture, Zamora also pledged a P1 million donation to the municipalities within his district (1st district) to be used for the fuel of the heavy equipments that will be used for road repairs.
As a token, Uy gave each mayors and congressmen a miniature heavy equipment model as token for their pledge to help in the Lusong ComVal program.
Despite the formal reconciliation, their effort to maintain and sustain the unity is however far from over.
Zamora warned that there are still some groups who will never stop their efforts to make the Brillanteses and the Uys fight again.
"Kamong mga miron nga dautan ug intension, dili na mo makakwarta sa amo-a," Zamora said.
Amatong urged Comvaleños to remain vigilant against rumormongers and strive for peace and unity in their province.
Uy admitted that there is much work to be done after their reconciliation. He said they have started this with their cooperation in the Lusong ComVal program and vow to have an open and constant communication with each other so as to prevent another misunderstanding in the future.
With the reconciliation of the two stalwarts in the Diwalwal mining operation, Mt. Diwata barangay captain Franco Tito said he expects Diwalwal to be more peaceful.
Tito took his hat off to Uy for his effort to extend a hand of reconciliation to the Brillanteses.
The village chief said that with his barangay now expecting peace and harmony, he can now pursue his dreams of becoming a lawyer. Tito revealed that he is planning to take up law at a university here in Davao City soon.
