ESTANCIA ILOILO: MASS SUICIDE PLAN?

Mayor Rene Cordero  with his Sanggunian  Bayan team who voted for Gaisano Grand to take away our public market square, in spite of its questionable voting procedures, are endangering the future lives of its people. One can analyse the gravity of  future destruction of Mayor Cordero’s MASS SUICIDE plan for Estancia, Iloilo in a simple glance of the scheme ( as I have illustrated  here).

The islands facing Estancia

HOW CAN YOU DISPLACE YOLANDA STRICKEN  VENDORS BACK TO THE SEA? 

The new government regulation is to move people away with set back not less than 40 meters from the shoreline for reasons of first and foremost, safety and easiness of evacuation. 

Second, the  reduction of environmental degradation of our marine resources. 

Third, the decongestion of our  the coastal  areas whereas Mayor Cordero will  build more landfilled to create nature imbalances. We know climate change  already  killed hundreds of Estanciahanons. What more by creating more reclamation areas and put people there? He will move innocent vendors from POINT A to B, at the ledge of the ocean.

LOOK, MA, OUR LEADER IS DRIVING US AWAY. 

Ergo, the poor marginalized public vendors of fish, vegetables, farm produce, crafts, and owners of  carenderia, repair shops and trading commodities, many are senior citizens, will be innocent helpless fish baits to future tragedy  by moving them to BAGSAKAN (  a word which means dumping site normally for un-organized objects thrown on space) nearer  to the edge of the ocean to be inviting to be  killed with the next super typhoon.

HOW CAN AN INTELLIGENT MAYOR HUG GAISANO INTO HIGHLY DENSED AREA WITHOUT URBAN PLANNING? Looking at Mayor Cordero’s Mass Suicide Plan as I  see in my eyes, the heart of town is  host to probably over 70% of  the town’s 50,000 population ( excluding magnanimous influx of traders and tourists to the town)  seeking to breath air, clipping their elbows un-rubbed  and findings ways to walk without their legs hit by a hot tricycle engine pipe. 

We will miss this local town scenario of Estancia folks at the public market square. Though their stalls be modernized and unified, one can not remove the soul of its people through our tradition.

Gaisano wants these small- decades- old- one- way –public-streets as their parking haven. These streets are deteriorating big deal and the Mayor can not even clean them up. The  stinky garbage decorate the future parking area of Gaisano where  our little school children pass everyday to go to our public elementary school and where our mothers go to the rural health center.

The robust fish port

WHY GAISANO WANTS OUR PUBLIC PLAZA? Gaisano does not like trees. They only like a concrete mass of a building in cities. They only like to use wasted energy in their aircon and cash in people’s money never mind waste solid management. Track record basis.

 If they have sustainable plan for Estancia, they should show to the town folks. We will appreciate the gesture, though, we will hold on to our public market.  If Gaisano is a sensible, authentic business with social responsibility, it should tell the people. But then the municipal officials are not transparent,too,  and they will hide the true story. Vultures are patient animals, but when they attack, they are merciless as they will eat even ones eye balls, even if they are already rotten.

OUR BONDOOKS WILL WELCOME YOU.

Both the coastal and lowland areas of Estancia have no trees, meantime, the upland is sprawling and so much space there. These spaces are gate ways to other towns to add accesses to more costumers for Gaisano. This is where the likes of PLDT,  national chains of  appliance and furniture stores are now--why can't Gaisano join them there?

 This is the time to zone the town properly. The heart of Estancia is trading for fishing gears and traditional goods for island folks. Will we imagine fishermen in their sleepers and sandos go to Gaisano to buy their fishing nets ? Surely, Gaisano does not sell fishing nets.

 Nowhere else in Iloilo where boats in Estancia come and go as often busy with trade and tourism

SENSE OF PLACE. Go to other destinations in the world, the unique character of the place will show it soul. Not a generic mall like Gaisano----much more  build it in a place with sentimental value to Estanciahanons. It will hurt our pride forever in Estancia. No, it wont hurt Batad or Carles or Concepcion. Much more Sara. 

I personally do not like edifices which do not reflect the history and aspirations of its dwellers because they should embrace their culture and heritage. Malls are  western culture, public markets are Filipino culture.

SHOCK VALUE. Our town will be shocked. Many of our island citizens are simple folks who will and only be comfortable to buy in the “bangketa”. 

Typical fishing boat in Estancia. Background is the famous island, Sicogon, made popular in a film " Pinamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Hayop ( The Most Beautiful Skinned Animal on Earth ) by the first Miss Universes from the Philippines Miss Gloria Diaz.

To them Gaisano is already for the elite. We all know how much poverty there is in the island? Some lost soul says, Gaisano will create the jobs Estancia needs. What? 100 sales girls? That is all. We have thousands and thousands  of fishermen, farmers, traders, fish processors, repairmen and resort operators to sustain with livelihood than Gaisano can offer while importing their goods from China.Gaisano will not even pay rental, how can our poor people be helped that way when our local government has been duped?
Coastal produce livelihood in Estancia helps the local fishermen survive.

WHY GAISANO DOES NOT LIKE TO GO BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL PLACE?
 Gaisano was offered a land behind the Municipal Hall ( labelled No.2). Why does it want our public market? They want the entire public square because of  greed.  And yes, greediness is allergic to humanity. Gaisano can also find place in No. 3 space or No 4 as I have illustrated here. If not,  Gaisano can go to Sara, Iloilo,  as many Estanciahanons know what it means.

DECEMBER 15 DEADLINE TO VACATE..
NO DEADLINE TO CLEAN THE OIL SPILL. 

The irony is Mayor Cordero gave the vendors a deadline to vacate. But he has no deadline to clean up the oil spill. 

The whole town is already complaining.

GAISANO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL RELEVANCE TO ESTANCIA. 
Not now when the town is in deep distress. Not ever, when we Estanciahanons want our tradition with our public market preserved.  Our dignity of our race as Estanciahanons is to preserve our heritage, not to embrace a billionaire conglomerate.

WE NEED OUR SCHOOLS BACK, WE DO NOT NEED A MALL. 
Until now our schools are ghost towns. Our Mayor’s priority is Gaisano. Not a single carpenter is in site at the college campus NIPC putting back our badly battered school back into its shape. 
Gaisano can not bring back thousands of our  students to schools. Many parents worry that in the long run, malls will damage the rural ways of the youth lured to malls with its gaming centers.

WE DO NOT NEED GAISANO, WE NEED SUSTAINABILILTY.

The unexplained burning of our public market and left to deteriorate was prepared to give way to Gaisano not as an opportunity to rebuild it but to destroy with the Mass Suicide Plan in place. 

Because I am now in the middle of this, I will personally volunteer with my sustainable colleques to redesign the public market square pro-bono with eco-correct buildings, green energy, hosts to social welfare services, some parks and areas for well-being, basic provisions for ethical and fair trading, Filipino aesthetics and sense of pride of who we are as Estanciahanons. 

But most of all, we can design a comfortable home to fishermen, farmers and traders  where they can sell local produce with ample water supply, better lighting, awesome garbage disposal and happy “kasimanwa” greeting and hugging them with big smiles because we have restored their sense of belonging to a dear town we call Estancia.  
( PLAN AND ILLUSTRATION COMING UP NEXT)

IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO SUFFERED AND DIED. The public market may be rebuild with a corner to remember those who perished from the wrath of Yolanda in Estancia, the many poor isolated Estanciahanons in the islands  who suffered so much and the thousands who fled the oil spill. No, Mayor, we do not want the statue of Gaisano  there.

KNOW MORE ABOUT ESTANCIA FROM WIKIPEDIA