COUNCILOR Hanz Abella’s heart might really be into labor arbitration. Imagine, he is now dumping his political career, even a future as a congressman.
Consider this. The good councilor is the most promising Abella (the biggest clan in Cebu City’s south district) in politics today. After former councilor Gerry Abella Carillo, Hanz is the Abella who is in a position to become the district’s next congressman.
A second term councilor and a BOPK pillar in the south district, Abella has also quietly been helping the pro-Duterte Kilusang Pagbabago. I think one more term as a BOPK councilor should have been enough for him to consolidate his position.
By then, Rep. Bebot Abellanosa might even endorse him. Past contenders werere allies. Carillo is family. He ran with Atty. Totol Batuhan in 2013. Wa na siyay kontra.
The Abella clan deserves a political leader like Hanz. But the councilor is abandoning all this because his heart is into labor arbitration. And because he got the NLRC post with the help of a BOPK detractor, following his heart also means burning bridges.
From where I sit, Hanz is making a colossal career mistake even as he disheartens the Abella clan. But then, he loves labor arbitration more.
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Kudos to the family of Em Alipe for its community program called “Kaon-Tuon” or “Kat-On.” After successfully testing the program in Barangay Luz to help tutor high school children and thus help bring down the drop out rate, Kat-On will now be expanded to several other barangays in Cebu City and Mandaue City.
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Fr. Ed dela Torre, a rebel priest during the Marcos years, is now into community organizing and empowerment. He is in Cebu to help strengthen the community empowerment efforts of the Visayas chapters of the pro-Duterte Kilusang Pagbabago.
This developed after several Kilusang Pagbabago leaders were appointed officers of the Office for Participatory Governance (OPG), which is under Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco, another former rebel priest.
I understand the movement, composed of pro-Duterte campaigners during the presidential campaign, is now carrying out the administration’s social development agenda through participatory governance.
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I dropped by the Palm Grass Heritage Hotel at Junquera St. before August ended because of its unique heritage features – the dedication to portray and enshrine the heroism of Cebuanos during the Philippine Revolution.
The plan was to immerse myself in the memory of Cebu’s heroes who led Cebuanos in winning the fight against Spanish colonialism. I made it a point not to let August 2017 pass by without devoting some time reflecting about our heroes.
I’m glad the heritage hotel has begun transforming Junquera from its red light image into one dedicated to making us remember our heroic past.