by: Mike Baños

April 22, 2006 - Our inaugural article

Many a present day Zamboangueño is not familiar with the story about the Monkeys in Zamboanga with no tails. Many because of their youth, otros mas because they are immigrants and came into La Bella Ciudad de Flores after the American occupation when the song gained its notoriety.

But judging from the proposal to convert Zamboanga City into a province, seems there still appears to be some truth to the saying, mostly maybe from those who are behind this retrogressive move.

Many a time it's been said that when everybody is against you, there's a good chance that you're wrong. Many public officials have come out against the proposal, including mi primo Celso el mayor y mi classmate antes na Ateneo si Congressman Erbie Fabian.

Habla si primo residents should not be deluded into thinking because their city would be subdivided into many municipalities, it would mean more progress for these cut-up areas. I agree with mi primo. One only has to look around the region to see how many municipalities lag behind Zamboanga in progress because of their physical size.

No mas era pensa el mga proponent de este subdivision que el Internal Revenue Allotment lang solamente el razon para resibi mas mucho pondo desde'l gobyerno nacional. Politicians will tell you, even the amount of IRA an LGU receives is a function of the leadership of that locality and the foresight and industry of its constituents. Sipag at tiyaga, as Sen. Manny Villar is wont to say.

Si Erbie tamen ya hable que bastante ya el dos congressional districts del ciudad to ensure a fair and even distribution of progress and development.

Deberasan, si seryoso el mga proponents de este proposal para man convert con el ciudad na dos o mas municipalidad, I have yet to see a positive side to it. Perhaps the people behind it would care to come forward and tell us more about it? Baka gane tamen falta lang kita informacion si porque sila taman propose este na de aton Mirada seemingly suicidal move to cut up our beloved city.

We hope they consider our humble forum worthy of their wisdom so that those of us not in the know can be properly enlightened on the rationale behind this proposal.

Meantime, to the "Nuevo" Zamboangueños who still don't know the story behind the "Monkeys without tails," pabor ya lang anda bisita con Tourism Director Ric San Juan for more information. Muchas gracias, compoblano! Mira lang vosotros con el mga Kano aqui na retrato, bien grande al mga risas con el de aton mga chonggo daw nohay rabo!