Ang Pahayagan

Write, Write While Still Alive

Back to the written words this 2026 after being sidelined during the last months of November and December cause by unreliable WIFI connection with the PLDT network, no it’s not the network fault but the overactive monkeys that attach our wirings. Although PLDT repairmen do repair works, the “Tsongos” that ransack garbage swing at the power wires and dismantle connections.

During the period I became a frequent visitor the PLDT office near the Spanish Gate until the first week of this month. I became beholden to the customer relations crew, hoping that a long term service connection at my place in Binictican ensue.

I am already an Octogenarian fellow, at 83 struggling to cope up with my journo path and journalism as the only career I was expose from my journey’s from Tarlac to Manila, Bataan-Zambales and back to Manila and later to Olongapo where I decided to settle for good. I departed from the traffic woes of Metro Manila although I acquired two houses at BF Homes Parananaque and a condo unit in Makati. I shied away from the daily habit of attending coffee talks at five star hotels and in favor of quick chat at boutique places inside the Freeport Zone.

Speaking of the Freeport Zone, many are seeking my observations on the accomplishments of various SBMA leaders from Gordon to incumbent Engr. Ed Alino. Earlier I wrote that I considered Bobby Garcia as the best SBMA head for solving the financial trauma of Subic by paying off the foreign currencies loans of the agency which was incurred by the Gordon administration.

No doubt Gordon needed funds to wage a massive marketing campaign of the newly government investment area, abandoned by the withdrawal of the US military. Tong Payumo took over after ERAP became president of the country.

There was no peaceful turnover of leadership but a bloody siege were Payumo’s supporters stormed the former US Naval base facilities. I did network chores with some members of the Supreme Court in favor of Payumo. But much as Payumo wanted to move forwards and clean the mess of the Gordon administration, his finance guy Barinquela, a former DBM Usec was more concern safeguarding COA negative measures over Payumo’s spending.

After Payumo, former PGMA broke the twin positions of chairman-administrator of the agency, naming Cakoy Licuanan as chairman and banker Freddie Antonio as president, in violation of RA 7227, the SBMA Charter. Licuanan who just retired as head of Ayala Land is not well verse with the workings, the same with Antonio a retired banker. Both appointees lacked the political maneuverings of a government agency.

After the Licuanan- Antonio experiment, the Salonga- Arreza came into the scene. Salonga used to market maritime products to SBMA while Arreza was a true blooded Gordon man. Arroyo appointed both as peace offering to the Magsaysay Family and Gordon. Salonga benefactor was Gov. Vicente Magsaysay. Nothing much were considered accomplished but more of scandal was reported.

When Nonoy Aquino became president, the SBMA board of directors was reorganized and when the term of Arreza ended Garcia was nominated by his colleagues to head the agency. Reviewing the organizational and financial structure of the now 33 years’ agency, Garcia together with Ex banker Joven Reyes instituted radical funding system that directors were picture of disappoint as their per diems were structured and out of pocket expenses disallowed. But the reforms improved the financial standing of the agency from red to black.

To be continued…