Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

The Long Queue At Akelco

On Friday, December 19, I got several text messages which informed of their anguish of waiting. The messages came from some people in Akelco office, Andagao, Kalibo. Almost all the messages informed me of the delay in paying their respective electric bills. One text message told me, “I’m at Akelco paying office since 9:00 in the morning and until this 11:00 A.M., I’m still waiting for my number to be called to pay.

To verify the truth of those text messages, I took time to visit the Akelco paying office in Andagao, Kalibo. I found the truth.

At 11:30 A.M., people, fully occupied all the spaces at Akelco waiting lounge for their turn to pay. More than 100 people, some chatting, standing, yawning and waiting to pay their electric bills. I went to the pay windows and found only one teller was serving. There are four (4) paying windows, but the three were empty.

I looked for the big boss of Akelco Andagao. I was referred to Mr. Allan Iguban, the Branch Project Officer. He is a kind officer who readily admitted he lacks teller.

According to him, his office is serving Kalibo and New Washington consumer–members who are numbering 23,000. Moreover, some clients from other towns like Banga, Balete and Numancia sometimes pay their power bills in Kalibo. And is this allowed? He admitted, yes.

Calculating the more than 23,000 clients to serve monthly, the four tellers cannot readily provide satisfactory service.

According to Mr. Iguban, he has made repeated requests to the Akelco management to increase his tellers, but until that Dec. 19, management has not responded.

Mr. Iguban and Akelco Management must find ways and means to reduce the waiting time in paying power bills at Akleco Andagao. For the 23,000 people to wait for an average of two hours to pay their electric power bills is a tremendous loses of man man days.

“I Am Not Sorry”

I am not sorry, said Sen. Mar Roxas in his privilege speech delivered in the Senate session. He spoke about his speech delivered during the Anti Cha-Cha rally delivered on Friday, Dec. 16 in Makati City.

According to Sen. Roxas, several people were surprised of his emotional speech, some were angry, some said he was wrong. Malacañang attacked him using their propaganda machines.

“Like last Friday, I will speak straightly”, Roxas said. I am not sorry for speaking my mind and telling the truth as it is to be. I am not sorry for expressing my real feelings and my rage in behalf of my people whom I love. Those who gave their opinions, I respect them. I hope they will respect what is in my mind and the things I am fighting for. I’m not plastic”, Roxas stressed.

“Why should I be sorry? If I apologize, as if we, the victims of corruption apologize like the farmers who were robbed of their fertilizer. Which is more painful? The hurting words or bad work? The simple truth or real lies, dirty mouth or dirty hands and conscience?” he asked.

Sen. Mar Roxas quoted a famous Filipino poet, Amado Hernandez who wrote:

“Kung wala mang maglalamay sa gabi ng pagbabangon
Lumuha ka mang lumuha’t ang laya mo’y nakaburol
Kasama ng taum-bayan”.

Bolante’s New Years Resolution

Mr. Jocjoc Bolante has all the time to tell the truth on the matter concerning the P728 million fertilizer fund scam. Bolante, must think of the Filipino farmers who lost their money to the people who do not need those. It is hard to imagine why the Department of Agriculture which officers and employees steal the farmers money. They are the most depressed members of the Filipino society. Bolante may choose to tell the truth. He may tell the truth as one of his new years resolution.

I worked with the DA for 40 years. I retired when Fidel V. Ramos was the president of the Philippines. I was with DA since the presidency of the late President Carlos P. Garcia. At those times, DA was one of the departments with lesser budget, but there was no thieves in that office. Unlike today, in the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, corruption and thievery had developed well. They are stealing the money of the poor appropriated for food production. Let us pray that the people in the DA will be honest to spend the money, the budget for the purpose it is appropriated.

Let us pray that Mr. Jocelyn Jocjoc Bolante will include in his new year’s resolution to reveal the truth surrounding the P728 million fertilizer fund scam. /MP