Last year, prominent was PhilHealth as the subject of discussions because health matters most to our fellow Filipinos. We stressed many times how insensitive, callous and incompetent were its officials.

Aside from that, the rice issue was highlighted as we cited that then candidate PBBM was given the wrong info on the price, that it could be had for P20. Anyway, Marcos Jr., through DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. is taking the initiative and consistently striving to bring down the price, though still in limited quantities.

We didn’t just criticize the government inadequacy in responding to what the President wants on rice prices but The Bridge also forwarded some concrete suggestions to address the concern.

But there’s a New Year good news, we believe, as we write this. The efficient and responsive Agri Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said recently that the Department will come out with Sulit Rice and Nutri Rice varieties. “Sulit,” a 100-percent broken white grain, will be sold at P35-P36 a kilo, while “Nutri,” the well milled brown rice, will be available at P37-P38 per kilo. At least, we will now have options.

As planned, Assistant Secretary De Mesa said, the Department will try to multiply the number of facilities and stores where the relatively better priced rice stocks will be available for those in need. We believe the Agri spokesperson when he says this development appearing in various media won’t be mere talk and press releases. By the way, on certain days, he agreed to host in tandem with us the PTV Tulay TV show which is coming up soon.

On the local scene, we continue to be disturbed, frustrated and disappointed with some LGU officials who ill-govern their political subjects. Instead of aligning with the aspirations, programs and goals of the Marcos Jr. administration and succeed later, the Bohol political lords and the Balilihan and Loboc local officials within the tarsier province prefer to abuse the power Juan de la Cruz lent them instead of serving their constituencies. Their motto appears to be, “What are we in power for.”

Poor Boholanos. Suffering from the lack of a potable water supply in most municipalities and even Tagbilaran City proper while Governor Aumentado, the Chattos, and Loboc Mayor Raymundo Jala don’t do anything positive to alleviate the plight of their constituencies. These officials instead present legal impediments and apparently anything under the sun to derail the initiative and effort of private parties to meet the water demand.

I am really disturbed that we have officials like I’ve cited here. Why were they voted into office in the first place? This May 2025 elections there is absolutely neither logic, sense, nor reason to vote for these officials. People who have the right to put individuals in power, in authority, should even campaign against them if the sense, the goal is having a good government, a responsive one and officials who serve.

Other than that, we call on DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla (we were together in the Provincial Board Members League in 1998-2001) to intercede and take appropriate action to break the impasse and ill-governance occurring in Bohol.

Of course, it goes without saying, PBBM has the imprimatur to straighten things out in the island province.

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