Leyte 4th district – the Codillas

There were hints of it six years earlier and then three years later, in 2004. But it was only during this political season that the Codillas of Ormoc finally made it as a political clan to reckon with. Probably they are not yet in the same league as the Romualdezes of Tacloban or the Loretos of Baybay.who have been building their respective dynasties decades earlier.

But the Codillas of the 4th District of Leyte may now be considered “made” by our local standards. They hobnob with the big names in Philippine politics and do their wheeling and dealing for mega-buck projects. And they usually get their share of the national coffers from Malacañang being a close ally of the president. After all, they were able to deliver votes for GMA in 2004 versus “da King” himself. And so, in gratitude, the miniature occupant in that palace by the river has graciously rewarded them in return.

The strength of a politician is usually measured in numbers: his political machinery, his following, the votes that he gets in an election season relative to his opponents. All these the Codillas seem to have in abundance. Note how they scored against their rivals. At the district level, the clan patriarch Eufrocino Codilla Sr. routed his arc-rival Carmelo Locsin by more than 33,000 votes, while 90 percent of their political allies under the Lakas-CMD-Kampi political parties also won hands down against their rivals.

Two of his mayors, Eric in Ormoc and Elmer in Kananga, likewise routed their rivals. Eric had a 12,000 comfortable margin over Kag. Gregorio Yastorza, while Elmer enjoyed a 3,700 margin over mayoralty hopeful Vice Mayor Marciano Nahine. And to think that Elmer had only recently transferred his residence to that town to qualify to run for the mayoralty.

If there is any political dynasty in district 4, this is it. Now the family pulls the switches for projects for the district with the patriarch calling the shots. With Eric very much in control of Ormoc city, the dynasty is alive and well. The city has money for its infrastructure projects running into hundreds of millions. And it is common knowledge that projects provide fodder to the cannon, the necessary material base usually computed as a percentage of the gross worth, the capital by which a politician-investor may run his future political campaign. And you wonder where all that money to buy votes came from? Your guess is probably as good as mine.

Without money, your campaign is a dud. You lose steam in the final stretches and your leaders leave you after a few enticements from the opposite camp. This is what probably happened to the camp of Locsin which has been short of ammunition since the start of the campaign. The money now flowed from the Codillas who were very generous to their watchers and ward leaders and sometimes even leaders of the opposite camp. It did not seem a big surprise when a number of Locsin’s leaders failed to deliver at the last minute. The enticements were simply too strong to resist.

The fight of the Codillas against the Locsins dates back to the post-Ormoc flood years when issues related to relief goods for Ormoc were raised against the reigning Locsins. At that time, Vicky Larrazabal Locsin was the mayor, while hubby Carmelo was in Congress. The perceived failure of the Locsins to answer the flood-related issues paved the way for the patriarch Eufrocino Codilla’s initial ascent to power. His three terms as city mayor had shored up his manpower and resources to adequately respond to whatever ammunition the Locsins subsequently threw at him.

Huge infrastructure projects, plus Ormoc’s share of the IRA, gave the city a huge boost in funds unprecedented in its history. These projects became landmarks attributed to the old Codilla as the city’s claim to progress and modernization. From then on, the notion of “progress,” of new buildings infrastructure projects, became a Codilla trademark. To one who had long-term plans of political domination, this was important. I don’t know if they consciously cultivated it in the public mind, but if they did, that was an excellent game plan.

It started with the Gaisanos leasing a government-built building for 25 years and putting up what many considered much better than Tacloban’s own Gaisano version. Ormoc was at the doorstep of a consumerist society with Gaisano leading the way. Then came the superdome, another multimillion infrastructure designed to host big-league games, with state-of-the-art facilities. Old ordinances had to be amended to legalize the structure and silence critics. Finally, Ormoc’s market underwent a facelift, with a design that was patterned after some Metro Manila markets. The staggering cost of the buildings forced the government to make a loan from the Land Bank. It didn’t matter if the city pays millions in interest to the bank annually.

Local contractors and suppliers, especially those with close ties to the administration, enjoyed their golden years, and a few became instant millionaires. Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, who was still a Codilla by marriage to the eldest son of then city mayor Eufrocino Codilla Sr., made sure each one had a share of the large pie, with their favorites getting the largest slice. Biddings were done deals. That way, things were smoothened, with the switches firmly in the hands of the administration. The plans and their implementation were the handiwork of the sophisticated Gwen, who inherited her talents from her father, Rep. Pablo Garcia of Cebu.

If their allies became richer from the boons in infrastructures, the Codillas could not have fared badly themselves. The family is a major supplier of lumber and construction materials. With the projects normally using up more than 60 percent of project costs in construction materials, a supplier of sand, gravel, cement, lumber and steel bars could easily have profited tens of millions from Ormoc’s big projects. That plus the usual 20 percent “under-the-table” take equals unprecedented millions and prosperity to those who control the switches.

Now you can stop wondering where those sacks of money come from on election day. Three years is ample time to prepare, something which the Codillas do not seem to waste. With Kananga recently added to their territory, two more towns in the next elections seem fair game to the enterprising family. The patriarch still has potential mayors in his family who must by now be planning their own ascent to power. After all, who is going to oppose them?

This is how politics is being played in the district. Whether or not the practice is helpful to our democratic institutions is another issue altogether. Ideally, every man and woman should be free to choose their leaders. This situation may still hold true at the puroks where the participants are limited and the choices are not blurred by material and monetary considerations.

But when this is played out in a bigger field, say a municipality, other factors come into play. A political leader must reach out to a bigger audience, the majority of which do not know him as a person. So they have to depend on secondhand sources of information as basis for their decisions – the radio, posters, leaflets, brochures, rumors, TV, etc. In most cases, the information is inadequate, and people have to rely on their gut feel to make their choices. This is where things become blurred and confusing. With money and other factors involved, our so-called “free elections” gets farther and farther from the ideal. The freedom remains only in name, but the vestiges of external control are evident. In the last elections, those who had the bigger cash outlay trounced their rivals.

Indeed, politics in the district (as elsewhere) has become easy prey to those plotting out their hold on power. The formula is really simple. Money can generate numbers, create a well-oiled machinery and pay off the leaders of your rivals. It can even alter election results when the going gets rough or ensure the right names are written and the scores are in their favor. But consider your expenses as an investment. Local officials have three years to recoup expenses and enrich themselves. The more projects, the bigger the take and the better for one’s image in the public mind.

Remember that projects connote “progress, prosperity, modernization.” You can’t lose with infrastructures so long as you can check your own greed. A 20-percent take ain’t too bad. (But how true is it that the going rate is 40 percent?) Be sure to leave some for the boys. Loyalties are usually bought that way.

As I said, the Codillas of Ormoc are now a clan to reckon with in political circles. They have probably been using time-tested political practices, Except for the patriarch’s advancing years and the slowing down of reflexes, I don’t see a kink in the armor.


(This article was recently published by SCOPE, a regional monthly magazine)

What the Fatwa says

By Jean Justimbaste

A Fatwa is an Islam edict similar to the Encyclicals of the Roman Catholic Church. It is done democratically in that it is widely consulted before being widely circulated as the Fatwa.

In the case of the Fatwa on Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Dr. Tato Usman who is a member of the Darul Ifta (the house of Islamic opinion or verdict) of Central Mindanao, which is based in Cotabato City, volunteered to do the legwork of democratic consultations.

This was done because there was a wide belief that Family Planning is not allowed in Islam and that the Muslim husbands do not approve of Family Planning and because Muslim women are so dependent on their husbands’ decisions on Family Planning.

Foremost of the legwork done was to gather all the “most senior” and “key influential religious leaders” in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in regions 9, 10, 11 and 12. A series of meetings ensued. The discussions in those meetings were on Reproductive Health and Family Planning relative to Islamic principles and teachings. In those meetings, the Islamic religious leaders did not leave any stone unturned so to speak.

Related Fatwas from other countries were reviewed. Opinions of Islamic scholars from Al Azar University, the oldest Islamic University which is in Egypt, was sought. And the drafted Fatwa was then endorsed by the Grand Mufti in Egypt. The Islamic Grand Mufti is equivalent to the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican.

The resultant Fatwa concedes, “birth spacing is a method allowed by the Shariah (Islamic Law)”. The Fatwa also believes that birth spacing “promotes the health of the mother and the child” and therefore “enables the couple to ensure the well being of the family, education of the children, and quality life”.

The Fatwa except vasectomy and az’l (withdrawal) methods allows all modern methods of family planning. The prophet Mohammad does not allow the two methods for lack of medical advantage, anyway.

Because of the Fatwa the Society for Family Development and Education of the Philippines, Inc. did not hesitate to train a team of trainers and spokespersons in every province in ARMM on Reproductive Health and Family Planning. They developed training materials. They involved the aliyma (women religious groups), the community leaders and the health providers in the dissemination of the information on Reproductive Health and Family Planning. Actually, they involved everybody including the madaris (Arabic schools).


SOFDEPI also is now able to correct the misinformation on Family Planning methods and the negative attitude of some of their Muslim brothers and sisters towards the Family Planning program of the Government. The organization is addressing the lack of Family Planning services.

It is heartening to note therefore that Islam takes consideration in the promotion of the health of the mother and the child through the Reproductive Health and Family Planning Program of the government.

BRINGING ART TO THE MASSES

Ormoc’s beautiful people Caren Torres-Rama, Imelda Sacay-Berndt, Claire Lagado, Edwin Codilla and Billy Pomida.
Nune Alvarado and his angels Dulze Cuna, Klerisa Yray and Reina Mae Beslig

By Reina Mae Beslig

ORGANIZING a public exhibition is a lengthy process, for an art enthusiast like me; it is at the same time a diverse learning experience. The lack of an art gallery need not be a problem for one could always find alternative exhibit space where viewers can see the freshest, newest, most experimental, most innovative work of an artist. It also has the potential to become a pillar for contemporary art in their respective communities.

At times these art venues can be inexperienced, experimental, naive, and without context; but at the same time they can also have a strong sense of authenticity, rawness and newness, a sense of vigor, enthusiasm, and dedication that most mainstream venues never seem to attain. An alternative is by nature a risk, an untested course. But as an artist, Nune knows it is experimentation and risk that can lead to a breakthrough.

The cozy Bebidas Coffee Bar which became one of Nunelucio Alvarado's favorite hangout places during his brief stay in Ormoc, and Tacloban's Red Hut Restaurant offered a different and refreshing ambiance for the action painting activities and art exhibition by the prominent Visayan artist.

Entitled "Paintings & Drawings," the exhibit opened last June 23 in Ormoc with Imelda Sacay-Berndt, Edwin Codilla, Carla Dolores-Go and Caren Torres-Rama as guests of honor. The ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by a simultaneous art talk by Dulce Cuna and Nune Alvarado's action painting. It is the artist's aim to initiate art movement all over the Visayas and help uplift the cultural profiles of places such as Ormoc and Tacloban by letting the locals partake in an exchange of ideas through these art-related endeavors.

The second event dubbed as “Nunelucio Alvarado in Aksyon Painting” was held at a quaint little place called Red Hut last June 27. The activity was fluid and seamless, a vibrant interaction of the different aspects of art. It was a multimedia presentation participated by Kulahig (Kulay at Himig) band which provided mood music accompaniment for Ofelia Miralles and Leah Ramos' poetry reading, Dulce Cuna's performance art and Klerisa Yray's interpretative dance. The diptych which Nune Alvarado made would be donated to Ma. Delia Peregrino Go Foundation's Center for Psycho Social Healthcare.

Our special thanks go to the people who helped Syano Artlink make these events possible: Jan, Claire and Marvin Lagado of Bebida’s, Belman, Ormoc media and many others who selflessly assisted this project

Momentz 2: On a higher plateau

Those who went to their first concert in Ormoc say Leyte’s singing priests had “considerably improved.” That concert was a pleasant surprise because priests, in the perception of the laity, are not supposed to be singing those bawdy love songs. You hear them in canta misas only when they intone their Kyries and Pater Noster. Very few among the laity hear them sing lusty songs in their tipsy moments because their drinking buddies are often only their kabaro.

Thus, singing secular songs in a concert is a liberating moment both for the laity and for the priests as well. Here we, the laity, begin to see their human side, and then we start to realize they are just as flesh and blood as you and me, capable of emoting feelings of love and frustration, of happiness and of despair. It is often said that when you sing from the heart, the spirit of the song always comes out in its fullness, and you cannot help but sing very well.

That much was evident in the first concert, albeit tentatively sometimes. But in last Monday’s second Momentz concert, the singing clerics, who have called themselves “Peter’s Chord”, appeared to have ripened to full maturity. Their voices – from the rich baritones to the high tenors – had blended more harmoniously, thanks again to their highly gifted musical director and arranger Melvin Corpin. From the very first song I Believe and onwards, Peter’s Chord struck the right resonance with the predominantly mature audience at the St. Peter’s College gym.

Concert theme

How Deep is Your Love, a Bee Gees original circa ’76, defined the concert’s love theme. To the disciples of the Bee Gees, there was a lot to applaud. I suppose the SPC gym that Monday evening teemed with members of the Bee Gees generation otherwise they would not have cheered so loudly Two other songs followed, then a short break. The short interval showcased another gifted singer, Carla Corpin, Melvin’s other half.

In her first number, she did an unfamiliar jazz piece like a true professional, but it was her second number, a duet of the piece Broken Vow with Fr. Fabian Mariano of San Lorenzo Parish, that brought enthusiastic cheers for the pair. (One however strongly suspects Fr. Fabian had lots of parishioners in that crowd last Monday evening. Right, father?) But to be fair to Fr. Fabian, he held his ground with the veteran Corpin, clutching on the lower notes of the song in its finale in perfect blending. Apparently, he would not be intimidated. Well done, padre.

Pop idolatry

The next batch of pop songs demonstrated another dimension in the group’s wide repertoire. It was beginning to look like the group’s musical director would not leave any song unturned. If they could tackle easy ballads, pop songs would be just easy stuff, with their simple, repetitive melodies. These are the types that would appeal to the mass audience. So Peter’s Chord opened up its second period with Awitin Mo/Tayo’y Magsayawan, a popular Hagibis repartee in the late ‘70s – complete with swaying hips and falsetto, to the crowd’s delight. Hugyaw gayud!

Two more songs and then the Beatle anthology. Earlier in the evening, Pais Boy Laurente had tipped me of this Beatle medley. I could only anticipate a few of the more popular ones, so that when I finally heard the Peter Chords’ version, the element of surprise was gone. But my seat mates, those in the 40-50 age bracket especially, were lipsing Beatle hits like A Hard Day’s Night, Imagine, Yesterday, When I’m 64, In My Life and Let It Be, the last being the most eloquent rendition of Beatlemania. At least four voices were blending harmoniously with the Beatle masterpiece, ending in a beautiful symphony of notes. The allusion to “Mother Mary” in the song fitted well with the priestly voices. They might as well have performed in the Westminster Abbey with Her Majesty, The Queen of England, and His Holiness, The Pope, as their audience. They might have fared just as admirably and flawlessly.

OPM addicts

The next medley of current Filipino pop songs was like a smorgasbord of delightful tunes to the crowd of Ormocanons already bursting with the evening’s musical treat. If the earlier numbers could induce singing, the next round told them to dance with their priestly ministers to the tune of Totoy Bibo and Otso-otso. Who wouldn’t after watching Frs. Raymund Mazo and Rey Caravalla twisting their hips and grinding their torsos in happy abandon. Ang galing mo gumiling, ‘dre! The two sets of bass drums that Corpin brought along with his 10-man band, pounded relentlessly to the rhythm of the songs, telling you it was alright to stand up and do your “maskipaps” (that’s for maski papaano) sort of dancing if you don’t know anything else.

The next batch of melodies would prove beyond doubt that these clerics can match your pop idols anytime, anywhere – and even better them in their delivery of similar tunes. Have you heard Eraserhead’s Toyang applauded on its second line? Well, last Monday evening, the Ormocanons at the SPC gym did just that, pleasantly surprised that the opening lines, “They try to tell us we’re too young”, gleefully continued with “Bahay namin….”

Toyang presaged a sequence of other pop songs that are the current craze of the young and not so young:. Cueshe’s Ulan, Kamikazee’s Narda, Orange and Lemon’s Pinoy Big Brother theme song to cite three of the more popular ones. By now, the crowd was in a frenzy. It was like a powder keg ready to explode. The effect of the songs was simply electric. The younger ones in the crowd were on their seventh high that evening as they savored the songs that had taken on dreamlike qualities. Now suddenly these same songs were being sang right in their presence by a group of men least likely to sing them! Think of the emotions these are likely to induce among true believers!

Back to the classics

To demonstrate that their group is not all that pop-eyed, the evening’s penultimate numbers tripsaid on the classics. Fr. Joseph Diamante’s Italian piece Amore Nel Cuore, rendered in rich soprano, had one thinking there was a Pavarotti onstage that evening. Fr. Djaran’s love of the classics is not difficult to understand. He used to be rector of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Palo, a strict stickler for academic excellence. Now you know where his heart and mind are.

Fr. Mazo’s Circle of Life from the Disney movie Lion King served notice to everyone that here was a tenor who would not flinch even when the notes are an octave higher. Fr. Mazo’s full control of his voice betrays the hours of singing he must have invested in the training of his vocal chords. Even musical geniuses require prodigious amounts of perspiration to produce a masterpiece, right, padre?

All for good causes

As I said in the opening lines of this article, many of those who saw the two concerts of the Peter’s Chord said the second one was “an improvement” of the earlier affair. I’d say, the second concert had risen to a higher ground of excellence. One can observe this in a lot of aspects – the selection of songs, the rendition, harmonics, orchestration and back-up sounds, a better sound system. But that is not an issue here.

After all the enjoyment and fun, everything in this concert boils down to economics. Did the organizers of this event earn enough to support poor but deserving students of SPC? Did the good fathers earn enough for the repair of the dilapidated buildings of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Palo? It is against these causes that we must measure the impact of Peter Chord’s concerts now and in the future.

We learned that the group will most likely be sent to Cebu and Manila for similar performances. With the Archbishop’s blessings, of course. Well, lots of luck to you, padres. I’m sure you’ll earn enough for the seminary’s needs – besides projecting yourselves as Leyte’s newest stars. Well, who knows.

Momentz 2 was organized by the Sanctus Vincenzus Foundation, a group that provides scholarships to poor but deserving students in SPC college department. The group is now headed by Dra. Eliza Laurente. It was founded by Sr. Mary Vincent Feliciano about three years ago.

The members of Peter’s Chord are: Frs. Raymund Mazo, Lotlot Pepito, Rey Caravalla, Romy Murillo, Joe Boy Buñales and Joseph Diamante, who are all assigned to the seminary in Palo; Frs. Bong Tiu, Fabian Mariano Arnel Sanico who are here in Ormoc; and Fr. Isagani Petilos who is working at the Archdiocesan Chancery in Palo.