The resilience of Boholanos

Six months after the destructive 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the people of Bohol province have recovered and are going about their lives as if the temblor took place many years ago.

Damaged churches and government buildings have been restored.

Earthquake cracks in public buildings have been plastered over.

Power has been restored and business has gone back to normal.

The vaunted Boholanos’ resilience is evident in the way people go about their daily lives six months after the earthquake.

Even the toppled church of Loon town will be made a tourist attraction.

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If the Boholanos—or Bol-anons as their fellow Visayans call them with a snicker—have gone on with their lives after the killer temblor, which killed more than a hundred people and toppled homes and public buildings, why can’t the Muslims in Zamboanga City do the same thing?

Thousands of people in Zamboanga City, the scene of fierce fighting between government troops and members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in September last year, still live in refugee centers more than six months after the incident.

Why don’t the Zamboanga refugees rebuild their homes and go on with their lives like what their compatriots in Bohol have done?

The reason is simple: The Zamboanga refugees want to be “babied” by the government while those in Bohol don’t.

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No wonder, in many parts of Mindanao where the hardy Bol-anons have settled down, most of them are more materially comfortable than their hosts because of their hard work and frugal ways.

Despite having taken root in their host towns or cities, the Bol-anons still go back to their hometowns in Bohol during town fiestas.

All Filipinos should imbibe the Boholano spirit.

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If the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proceeds with the recall election in Puerto Princesa City, former Mayor Ed Hagedorn may get back his post from the current mayor, Lucilo Bayron.

The Comelec has found the petition for the recall of Bayron sufficient in form, but lacks the money to hold the special election.

The majority of Puerto Princesa residents are disenchanted with Bayron’s administration, which has been marred by rising crime and declining tourist arrivals.

Much of the city’s earnings come from tourism.

In a recall petition against Bayron, petitioners garnered 40,409 signatures of qualified voters in the city, which was 21,074 more than the required 19,335 signatures needed for the election to be held.

If the recall election against Bayron would be held, it would be the second in the city’s history.

In 2002, city voters ousted incumbent Mayor Victor Dennis Socrates and reinstalled Ed Hagedorn.

Hagedorn ran against the now-fugitive Joel Reyes for provincial governor, but lost to the latter.

In the last election, Hagedorn, whose three terms as city mayor had expired, ran for the Senate but lost.

This might be the second comeback of Ed Hagedorn as city mayor via the recall election.