Zamboanga City: Bad and Good!

By: Zamboanga.com Editorial  -  January 26, 2003

Let's start with the bad thing first.

It is often necessary, if not mandatory, to properly investigate and divulge all possible angles of a news source.

Case in point was the recent public education city councilor Juan “Kim” Elago gave to the population of Zamboanga City on live radio earlier this month.  He said: "The elected officials and employees are part of the corporate body called the city government of Zamboanga, constituted by virtue of a charter, just like any corporation."

Now, let us for a moment expound on this key word, Charter, which Kim Elago so judiciously made reference to, in order to bestow upon everyone his form of reasoning.  In The American Heritage Dictionary, we looked up the formal meaning of such a word and came up with this:

• Charter (n.): 1. A document issued by a sovereign, legislature, or other authority, creating a public or private corporation, as a city, college, or bank, and defining its privileges and purposes.

With this meaning, it could be discernible where the enterprising councilor Kim Elago simply focused his understanding of our City Charter into a “private corporation” setting, and based everything he does for the city and its people in such a “business-like” manner.  This angle of reasoning sounds like a very profitable one indeed.  It reflects the corporate benefits its officers have bestowed upon themselves.  This type of charter meaning is also reflective of similar public governance used by the Communist government of China, and the previous elected government of Ferdinand Marcos.  The dictates of their respective form of corporate-type charter is and was clearly evident.  Correspondingly, there is another word whose meaning befits the type of action these business practices are accorded, as defined by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International: corruption - the abuse of public office for private gain.

However, we ventured to give the vocal city councilor Kim Elago a benefit of the doubt, in hopes that he may be one of the few who have actually read the Charter document that created the City of Zamboanga, which was signed into law by former President Manuel Quezon in Malacañang Palace on October 12, 1936, duly establishing The Philippines' Commonwealth Act No. 39.  We did not want this possibility to be thrown at our face in ridicule.  We needed facts.

Thus, we requested assistance from our veteran news editor friend Felino to see if he can get his hand on a copy of the city charter from city hall:

The end result of Felino’s search was almost comedic.  The reporter he sent to get a copy of the city’s charter document was told by the (1) City Administrator Antonio Orendain Jr. that they didn’t have it, then directed the reporter to go to the (2) City Tourism Office because that was were it was being hidden, then, upon getting there, was told by a Tourism Office employee to try and search for it at the (3) Ateneo ICSWM and the (4) City Library in Pasonanca Park.  The reporter ended up with a document alright, for all that effort, courtesy of city librarian Emilia R. Natividad: “Souvenir Program del celebracion del Dia de Zamboanga del February 23, 1987.”  Needless to say, there was no evidence of the city’s charter document from any of the reporter’s interesting stopping points of possible repository.

How could councilor Kim Elago quote the city’s charter document as substantiation of his public opinion when no copy exists?  How could he boldly lecture the citizens of Zamboanga on why they do what they do, as elected city officials? 

It then became evident to us, as would a case be when presented to a sovereign judge, that city councilor Juan “Kim” Elago, an established practicing attorney himself who has his own private practice, has committed public perjury!

Kim Elago quoted the city’s charter as his legal basis for their running the city as a private corporation.  What does this finding exactly mean in local lingo?  Nothing!  It’s business as usual for the locals.  Equally, it’s business as usual for Mr. Kim, the local attorney who can muster public perjury in front of everyone’s face, and then walk away unscathed.  Hey, everyone!  Welcome to the new politics of the Zamboanga City charter.  Que sera, sera…

We wrote a responsive editorial to Kim Elago’s radio comments on January 11, 2003.  It was a chilling experience to read the type of public lecturing done by Kim Elago, an elected public official, but it probably went into deaf ears from the general population who are more concerned with earning a living.  However, there were some acute listeners who did not allow that type of behavior to go unchecked. 

Now, after our charter research project, we are ready to proclaim that city councilor Kim Elago is a bumbling local attorney who has committed public perjury, and subsequently certify that he is a bonafied idiot.  Welcome to your corporate world.

Moving along…

Once the initial charter fact-finding mission was accomplished, we then set out on a quest to see if we could find a copy of the actual charter that established our city, for the benefit of showing it to all Zamboangueños.  With the onset of our initial inquiry about the whereabouts of the city charter documents, we have stumbled into a Pandora’s Box that is unleashing a subsequent global search for the existence of this founding document of our beloved city.  It is a part of our history, and it deserves to be exposed to all.

So, we went on our quest to find it.  Our first attempt was the global data mining of the internet, which resulted in nada.  Then, we set out to request from the vast information resource of the United States Library of Congress a search for the charter copy, as the Philippines was then a commonwealth of the U.S.:

We were not too thrilled with the finding of the Library of Congress.  Nevertheless, we will venture to bring a few important details of the city’s charter, and try to place it in a relevant perspective on the storied history of Zamboanga.  The finding of this charter document would undoubtedly be a substantial addition to the growing awareness of our city’s history, but its non-existence should not detract from the known facts of our beloved city.  For all we know, the charter document could have been destroyed during the WWII decimation of a once beautiful downtown Zamboanga.  The fact that the city government is now making an effort to find any semblance of its charter document is hopeful and welcome.

Moving along…

Now, for the good part.

Since there is no evidence of the original charter document of Zamboanga and its historical contents, we will bring to light another unknown aspect of that historical day of October 12, 1936.  It was evident that the local Chavacanos of that time period were very well aware of the importance of their city, and its place in the annals of their region’s history.  Their city was long established before the Americans purchased the ownership of their country from the Spaniards for a mere ten million dollars in 1898.  With the proclamation of the US Congress designating the Philippines a Commonwealth state, the local Chavacano leaders wasted no time in putting the city back into its historical place of prominence.  Hence, the thirty-ninth act of the newly established commonwealth presidency was to sign into law a charter, legalizing and bringing back the city of Zamboanga.  This presidential act not only reinstated the city of flowers, but also made it the capital seat of government for the islands of Mindanao and Basilan, including the Sulu Archipelago.

Fist come, first served, and no. 38 served very well, in front of many followers.  The members of our local delegation that made it happen were great visionaries and leaders!  Their efforts are remembered by many citizens who call Zamboanga home.

Interestingly, our good friend Felino pointed out to us two hardly know facts about the historical signing of the charter of Zamboanga:

1.    There exists an old photo, in sepia, in city hall that recorded the signing of the city’s charter at Malacañang Palace by former Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon on that historic day of October 12, 1936, creating the City of Zamboanga, the same day we celebrate our Fiesta Pilar, and:

2.   One of the members of the Zamboanga delegation who witnessed the signing, and is present in the above sepia photograph, is none other that a very young lass who is the current Mayor of Zamboanga – Caling Lobregat!

This revelation is a little known fact amongst Chavacanos, and we would like to share it with everyone in hopes that they will memorialize it for future generations.  As such, we made a special request to our friend Felino if he can ask from city hall a good scan copy of the sepia photo of the signing of our city’s charter, so that we may publish it in our web site for all Zamboanguenos to download a copy for their memento.

Whenever we get the scanned copy of the sepia photo of the city’s charter signing ceremony, we will publish it for permanent display on our web site.  We hope you can appreciate it.  If the search for our city's charter document does not bring forth its existence, the city should turn its efforts into the only living person who evidenced the signing of the actual charter, and try to have her recreate its contents the best way she can remember.  By the way, the city council should not worry about this proposal as it will have no legal bearing on the city's operation.  It will however help the people remember what Mayor Caling's experience was at that time, and provide everyone a window into their place in history.  What do you say, Ma'm?

In order to consolidate the many facets of Zamboanga’s place in Philippine history, we want to concentrate on two things that symbolize its storied existence.

In the beginning, there was the grand fortress of June 23, 1635, and its rebuilt form, that created a prominent symbol in:

1.) el Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragosa, established in 1718, and continues her miraculous oversight of the city and its people, as its patron guardian, and then came		2.) el Honorable Señora Maria Clara Lorenzo Lobregat, born April 26, 1921, and her iconic leadership of the city and its people as their Mayor.

It is interesting to note, according to our friend Felino, that one of Mayor Caling’s favorite sayings is: "Reza kita con el La Virgen del Pilar”.  Come to think of it, that is quite appropriate.  Imagine, two icons converging together in a prayer - a prayer for the benefit of their beloved city and people.

It is only befitting for us all to pay tribute to these two great ladies of Zamboanga City.  They are true icons of our city.

Our Mayor Caling is now 82 years old, and our Lady of Pilar is 285 years old.

God knows they have both touched so many lives in so many different ways, and we want to thank them, on behalf of the grateful City of Zamboanga and its Zamboanguenos and Chavacanos around the world.  Let us all join together in a prayer in honor of their existence.  May they both live long and prosper in our city’s life and history.

Muchas gracias, Señoras!

Bien vida.

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