CabSec Jun Evasco rallies KP launching in Iligan

By Jun Enriquez (A documentary report)

Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco standing before the crowd. (photo by Ely Dumaboc)

Iligan City –It was the first time since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte elected into office visited Iligan City by one of his Cabinets. On Octber 15, 2016 the KilusangPagbabago (KP) was launch at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) gymnasium, Tibanga this city. the event started at 9:30 A.M. and was ended at past noon. Cabinet Secretary (CabSec) Leoncio “Jun” B. Evasco, Jr. was the guest of honor during the event. There were about 5,000 people attended the event, composed mostly of the “poorest of the poor” sectors from the fisherfolks, farmers, women, youth and those from impoverished barangays from the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Basilan and Sulu Delegates were also present during the event headed by Lugus, Sulu Municipal Mayor Hadar Hajiri, a strong supporter on federalism under the hugpong federal Movement chaired by Celso Tizon. Just recently on October 12, 2016, Mayor Hadar hosted a very successful Summit on Federalism in Lugus town attended by 4,000 participants coming from the 17 Barangays of the said municipality under his watch.

Upon the arrival of CabSec Jun Evasco in the boundary of Iligan City in Barangay Dalipuga, he was escorted and convoyed on the road by the group of Karancho riders numbering to at least 50 motorbikes headed by Karancho Jong Jarilla, Chairman, Iligan City lone district.  The KP is the movement that is envisioned to strengthen the president’s infrastructure for participatory governance while making sure that all of his programs reach and effectively sustained at the grassroots. The Kilusang Pagbabago is organized by the Office of the Participatory Governance under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) of the Duterte Administration now headed by Secretary Leoncio "Jun" B. EvascoJr..

In his welcome message, Vice Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz requested for a help to CabSec Jun Evasco about the status of the case of Mayor Celso Regencia that he is still in jail for a review of his case. Vera Cruz said that Mayor Regencia was just a victim of the alleged corruption and illegal drug syndicates by his political adversaries. 

The crowd inside the MSU-IIT gym. (photo by Bam Gimena)

In his message of MSU-IIT Chancellor Sukarno Tanggol said that the stand of MSU-IIT administration is also adopting change for development with President Duterte. He said the MSU-IIT will have changes on research, extension and instruction. He hopes to achieve genuine change for the good of the people and nation. He cited the Institute of Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM) is an Extension office in charge on peace advocacy. He thanked that there is a President who is seriously committed in serving the Filipino people and likewise he urged the people to help the President.

L-r:Chancellor Tanggol, CabSec Evasco, Vice Mayor Vera Cruz & Mr. Libres

Mr. Joselito Penpen Libres, chief of staff of CabSec Jun Evasco introduced the latter.  CabSec Jun Evasco is a native of Maribuhok, Bohol living in a very simple and ordinary family. He is a former priest and detached from his priesthood to join the revolutionary activism for change and reform the system of the political society in the country. He was arrested during the time of the Marcos regime was jailed and tortured while in prison. Despite the challenges in life he still stands on his principle for change. He was freed through amnesty in 1986 and became the chief political adviser of the then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte now the President of the Republic. He was the political strategist for 23 years under the then Mayor Duterte. After the time has passed by he goes back home to his hometown in Maribuhok to run as Mayor and won for 3 consecutive terms serving the people satisfactorily for good governance.

Mayor Hadar Hajiri with CabSec Jun Evasco 

Supposedly he had a big chance for the governorship in Bohol province but he preferred not to do so because he gave his all-out support to the candidacy of now President Duterte. CabSec Jun Evasco was the number one political strategist during the election campaign of the then Presidential candidate Duterte, not a conventional but unorthodox strategy. A strategy that is unusual form in the conduct of political campaign to counter the traditional type of campaigning with structured political machinery using huge amount of money for vote buying. President Duterte have won his Presidency in landslide through the campaign leadership of CabSec Jun Evasco, gained massive support from the people and Duterte garnered at least 16 million votes to achieve power. CabSec Jun Evasco is the founder of the Kilusang Pagbabago (KP) and committed to continue the campaign for the real change for the good future of the Filipino people.

CabSec Jun Evasco in his message said being a native of Bohol , the reasons why there are many Boholanos presence in Mindanao because of economic constraints and life is miserable living in Bohol. He said the just concluded elections, the elected President Duterte was started in a small round of talks on Federalism as early as October 2014. In December 2014, there was a conference in Davao with the discussions on Federalism. One of the invited speakers was Dr. Sukarno Tanggol but was not able to come due to hectic schedules. There was no mentioning on politics but the only issue discussed was federalism with the presence of former Senator Nene Pimentel, Atty. Reuben Canoy and other federalistas. During the event the participants requested the then Mayor Duterte to continue the campaign on federalism because some of the pioneer advocates have already died and others are already old enough and no more energy to carry out the campaign. The continued campaign of federalism by Mayor Duterte will inform the people as a solution to the big problem of the country such as corruption, governance and criminality by shifting from Presidential system to Federal system of the government. The then Mayor Duterte was the Guest Speaker of the Graduation rites in MSU-IIT last year.

During their campaign on Federalism nationwide they can also listened feedback from the people about the many problems encountered in the respective localities. They found out that the country needs a strong leader to address problem hampering the progress and development. The people need a strong leader to fight against illegal drugs and criminalities in the country. CabSec Jun Evasco said that 92 percent of the Barangays nationwide was affected on the problem of illegal drugs. He reiterated that people need a strong leader that will head-on the problem on corruption in the government and organized criminals within the government. In totality the people in the countryside need a strong leader without fear. The campaign in the last election was focused only in three major issues, the anti-drugs, anti-corruption and anti-criminality.

There were people in Manila telling them to stop talking about drugs, corruption and criminality because it’s non-sense issues, but the people will not stop talking the sensibility on those issues until the solution will not come which a dream of all the Filipino people nationwide. The call of the people during the political campaign is change that’s why President Duterte won the Election in a big margin.

CabSec Jun Evasco said change is not automatic, President Duterte is now in Malacanang working for change especially on corruption. He said corruption was embedded in the system of government and deep-rooted vertically and widespread horizontally. He said corruption became a culture in the system and some people say it’s already normal. He said It’s in the negative notion that if you are in the government you are corrupt from Malacanang, congress down to local governments that corruption is normal. Evasco said that one third of the national budget goes to corruption. He said the Duterte administration submitted a budget for 2017 amounted to three trillion pesos. If the notion is true then one trillion pesos will not serve the people but it will goes to the system of corruption. CabSec Jun Evasco said the government has no capacity to change by itself. He said if the system of corruption benefited the individuals in the government then they will not stop, that’s why change is not automatic. Change will only be realized if the people participate in governance under the “Kilusang Pagbabago”. He said without the participation of the people corruption business as usual in the government.

CabSec Jun Evasco said corruption is connected to illegal drugs and criminalities. If the one trillion pesos will not benefited to the people it always remain for the people living in poverty and poorer. He said that there must some kind of mechanism that would force the government for change and that is people’s participation in governance.

CabSec Jun Evasco said the “Kilusang Pagbabago” is a social movement of the people who long for change, a vehicle for change and development. He said “you must go with the KP so that the benefits will properly goes to your community and if you will not join the KP you will left behind for the change.” He added “we will work with a mechanism that will benefit from the programs and projects in governance and will undergo the process of the KP.” CabSec Jun Evasco said that those proposals and recommendations will be summarized and submitted to the different Departments of the government in Region 10 for proper implementation. He said if the concerned department will not act on it, the department head will be expecting to go out on his job through the recommendation of the KP. However, on the contrary otherwise, department heads will be appreciated by the KP.

CabSec Jun Evasco said during the Aquino administration they always saying that the country experienced the favorable macroeconomics high rate on gross domestic product (GDP). However, the high GDP rate during the Aquino administration did not benefited the people in the countryside because the people especially the Urban poor said during their campaign there was no change of their living because they remain poor. The only people benefited the high GDP rate during the administration of President PNOY are the group of oligarchs in the country such as those owner of big malls like SM malls and many others, but the poor became poorer because the poor people in masse was used by the rich for their personal interest.

There are four key strategies in the development plan of the Duterte administration with the following: first, it is collaborative that all departments will give focus for community development to study the status and prevailing problems and address the same immediately; second, is to identify the area of concern not to replicate programs from one place to another because each area have different concerns and problems; third,  it is a development prioritizing first and foremost the at least 42,000 Barangays nationwide. He said if there were people became richer during the PNOY administration are those people who are rich and became more super richer and the poor became more poorer; fourth, the KP is a watchdog of the bureaucracy that every now and then KP members will report to the office of the Cabinet Secretary for those people in the government that did not hear the word calling for change.

Evasco said that President Duterte mentioned about the mobile hot line number 8888 is still on process to install the system. This will become workable soon and will let the people send text messages for free direct to the office of the President. He urged the people to continue their watch to the government. Evasco said that President Duterte adviced all the different Secretaries to live simply and not to use the privilege car plate number 6 because the people are not happy to look at it, and even President Duterte doesn’t want to be called the title of His Excellency but he preferred to be called Mayor in the entire country. He said the President also adviced them not to use luxurious and expensive cars because the people will not believe that (Secretaries) can buy high cost of expensive cars.

 

The black ladies of Karancho.

CabSec Jun Evasco said during their first Cabinet meeting of Secretaries, the President told them that he (President) will not believe that they (Secretaries) will do corruption in the government. What worries the President is the corruption under them in the departments. If this will happen and reported to his office he (President) will call the culprit and will reprimand in front of the tri-media.

Evasco said that the President will reinvent the campaign on illegal drugs into anti-corruption and two things will happen. That it is the same as the culprit on illegal drugs will be killed because they resist forcefully against the police or they will be killed because of shame to the Filipino people. Evasco said no one can prevent President Duterte what he wants to do for the good of the Filipino People. Evasco said that the President repeatedly saying that if he will be killed in this campaign that is his destiny but if he will survive for the rest of his six-year term definitely there is change. Evasco said there are some sectors unhappy on the campaign of anti-drugs, anti-corruption and anti-criminality such as those sector lost in the last elections. They cannot accept that a “Pobinsiyano” won the elections especially from Mindanao that a person always bombarding harsh words. Evasco said that adversaries of the President are trying their best to press the issue on extra judicial killings (EJKs). Evasco said that there was no ordered from the President on EJKs. He said the order of the President is to arrest criminals and drug pushers. The killings transpired only when the culprits resist forcefully and the police acted on self-defense. Evasco said that if the police will be killed it is very expensive because the widows or widowers and their children will be paid of their pensions and educations, respectively. The government spent so much on the police force including the military for the protection of the people. Evasco said if no one will claim on the dead bodies of criminals after the shootout it is still helpful to donate it to the medical school for laboratory experiments and produce good medical doctors.

 

From right, PSSUPT Roy Ga & Col. Enriquez, PA

During their consultation in the entire country the people are very satisfied on the government’s campaign against illegal drugs and encouraged the President to continue. Right now this is the reason used by the US, EU and UN in unison reacted the issue on human rights and the President told them not to interfere the internal affairs of the Philippine government’s campaign against illegal drugs because Philippines is facing on narco-social problem that will damage the country if not acted upon.

Evasco cited the Philippines as a Sovereign and Independent State will have to change its foreign policy to have an independent foreign policy or to support power foreign policy. He said same as the US is an independent state but the difference is they are rich country and the Philippines is poor? Evasco said the raw materials of the many industries in the world including the US came from and extracted in the Philippines. He said Philippines is not poor because the US and the rest of the companies of the world benefited the minerals in our country. Being rich does not give American government the prerogative to dictate the Philippine government on what to do. Likewise, the Philippine government do not interfere the internal affairs of America. Evasco alleged that the US had plenty of cases of killings of black people and Muslims in the Africa and Middle East countries because they branded them as terrorists. The Philippine government did not question the US including France on that case.

Evasco said the President pronounced “from now on this will be the last ‘Balikatan’ the war games between the US and the Philippine armed forces”. In that war games they will test new weapons and give few of it to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), then later on the Philippine Government will buy more weapons from the US. Accordingly as part of “Balikatan” agreement the US will give weapons to the Philippines for free but here comes the war ship of World War II worth Billions of Pesos was only refurbished, reconstructed and rehabilitated. Since the money was not enough to pay for the full amount they only give the war ship without the weapons. It is how deceitful the Americans, alleged Evasco. That’s why the President was feed up and said “from now on this will be the last balikatan in our country in order not to continue of becoming like a mendicant in a very little amount of things we need”. Evasco said that President Duterte strongly pronounced “from now on I am your President to restore honor and dignity for the Filipino people”. Evasco alleged that US government branded the Moro as terrorists. He added that the truth of the matter that the biggest terrorist in the world is the US government and that’s the reason why the president decided to detach with the US because they are terrorist.

CabSec Jun Evasco alleged at the turn of the century there are many people killed by the Americans in Buda Hu, Sulu. The reason of the killings it’s because the Moro in Sulu resisted the orders of the Americans that’s why they massacred the Moro people. In fact the .45 Caliber was invented in Jolo because the weapons of the Americans during that time had no knocking power. The Americans had encountered many casualties of the war against the Moro “huramintados” in Sulu using “kris” or bolo only as their weapons. After the invention of the .45 caliber no more “huramintado” can kill Americans. In Balangiga, Leyte, the Americans massacred 8,000 waray people because the latter resisted and fight against the Americans. Evasco alleged that the Americans protected us from the Moro terrorist and was written in Philippine history which was the most blatant lie that we received through our education. The Americans accused the Moro leader Kamlon in Sulu that he was a bandit but Kamlon was just stand firm inhis commitment to fight against the Americans to protect the rights and dignity of the Moro people.

That’s why in view to this the President advice the US not to interfere the internal affairs of the Philippine government because they have their own problem and likewise the latter do not interfere the internal affairs of the former. Evasco said the European Union (EU) also wanted to interfere the internal affairs here in the country. He said the EU also waging war in African countries. The Philippine government again did not interfere their affairs of waging war in other countries. That’s why Evasco said the calling of President Duterte that they should not interfere the internal affairs of the Philippine government. The President in many of his pronouncements invited any human rights investigation but ordered them to talk first with him to clarify issues and concerns.

 

Mass oath taking of KP members

During the event a mass oath taking to all the participants as members of the KP administered by CabSec Jun Evasco as the Founding Chairman of KP. Mr. Abel Moya, KP coordinator in Lanaodel Norte and Iligan City facilitated the submission of proposals, resolutions and recommendations from the different areas in Region 10 for peace and development programs to Cab Sec Jun Evasco.

Highlights on major issues and concerns in Iligan City, submitted by the local government and the civil society organizations (CSOs). First, is about the status of the case of Mayor Celso Regencia requested a review for proper disposition. Second, is the reoperation of National Steel Corporation (NSC) with pending debt obligations amounted to at least ten billion pesos on taxes and loans.Third, is the enhancement of the Bottom-up-budgeting (BUB) process into “Participatory budgeting process” originated from the people in the Barangay to be facilitated by the CSOs and project implementation shall also be monitored by the CSOs.

It was also recommended the investigation of the “Pantawid pamilya pangkabuhayan program” or 4Ps. The 4Ps is a national program with an annual budget to at least 40 billion pesos, is a financial assistance intended for the poorest of the poor but there were individuals receiving 4Ps are even active in government service and some are working locally and abroad.

Another recommendation is to stop the kidnapping in Lanao del Norte. It is recommended that the national government shall crack down the organized kidnap-for-ransom group and other extortionist syndicates in Lanao del Norte and continue implement equitable distribution of peace and development programs especially to the conflict affected areas. In Camiguin they recommended to stop the political dynasty in the province. In Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Occidental recommended the implementation of the Agrarian reform program.

CabSec Jun Evasco said that his office will study all those recommendations and will delegate it to the different departments for proper implementation. He said that government’s campaign on illegal drugs will continue. He added that the one billion peso donation for the rehabilitation was coming from the group of businessmen in the country to fund the rehabilitation centers for the illegal drug dependents nationwide.

After the event CabSec Jun Evasco visited the detained Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia at the Iligan City jail in Tipanoy this city where he was detained as the alleged suspected mastermind of the ambush of former Congressman Vicente “Varf” Belmonte, Jr., on December 11, 2014, killing 3 persons and wounding 4 others resulted to the 3 counts of murder which is a non-bailable offense. Atty. Leo Zaragoza, City Councilor Huertas and Vice Mayor now Acting Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz including detained Mayor Regencia briefed Cab Sec Evasco on Regencia’s case. The Lawyers of Regencia is working in court to allow their client to post bail. In the same place CabSec Jun Evasco also had a chance to talk with the relative of the kidnap victim Clarita Belisario of Linamon, Lanaodel Norte who was kidnap on September 12, 2016 at her residence in Linamon. Local Police Chief, Police Inspector Moamar Solog said that the victim was identified to be somewhere in Poona Piagapo town. With reports & photos by Ely Dumaboc & Bam Gimena