Almost a year since I stopped blogging, here I am again with
my favorite topic – the tyrants of Batangas City… and so I also reposted the
otherwise removed posts during the elections of 2013 in my pages (kindly scroll down to see).
There is a brewing new kind of
people struggle in the capital city of Batangas, cradle of noble heroes, and
bedrock of nationalism in the not so distant past.
For about 26 years, this city is
ruled by one family – the Dimacuhas, led by patriarch Eduardo, who was temporarily
replaced by son Dondon at the end of his first term limit of 9 succeeding
years, and then him again, then the wife. After controversially winning in the
last elections, and now reportedly seriously ill with Alzheimer’s and has very limited
lucid moments, Eduardo runs the city hall by proxy – son Reginald, infamously
called “RD.”
 |
| Look closely and see if he is indeed in control |
Because the elder Dimacuha could
no longer perform his duties, his son and minions run the city hall’s affairs
with distaste to what people expect from public officers. They play deaf and
dumb to more pressing concerns of governance such as attending o the suffering
populace because of a destroyed Calumpang Bridge that connects the city center
to its eastern communities, which happened to be the center of commerce as
well. Batangas suffered a great toll from typhoon Glenda.
Instead of listening to the pleas
of the people, RD has priorities of his own – market development (does he own
business there as well, or is he favoring some landowners)? The cost of the
market building in barangay Cuta is P200 million, more than enough to construct
a bridge.
The middle class started to feel
the pinch of the dynasty when it arrogantly adopted by way of the majority of its
minions in the city council, a whopping 20% increase in real property tax.
People started to raise howl and verbal protests. But the elder Dimacuha could
no longer understand that. Legal questions have been raised, and the Department
of Justice (DOJ) sided with the petitioner, losing mayoral bet Jose Tolentino,
that the tax ordinance is illegal and void.
But that will not stop the family
from insisting on what they want, as they are used to. An appeal was raised to
the Court seeking to overturn the DOJ’s decision.
Now the middle sector realizes
that the City is indeed going down the drain, with the dynast entrenched in
power. But can they wait until 2016?
Today, a few brave men and women
have started the unthinkable under a Dimacuha dictatorship – gathering like
they will just have some chats, but in style.
At Plaza Mabini, Tolentino,
businessman Noli Atienza and estranged daughter-in-law and City Councilor
Kristine Balmes led the RED SHIRTS (people wearing red shirts) to show defiance
to the dynasty. And they say this is just the beginning. The battle cry is
simple – TAYO’Y MAGBANGE – a Batangas slang for grilling party. But they don’t
grill pork or fish, but certainly they are grilling, rather slowly the
Dimacuhas.
The "Bange Movement" actually started in social media about the election period of 2013. And so far, it has multiplied into many forms, including the precursor of Red Shirts - the Reject RPT Movement - which is a call to reject Ordinance No. 20 seeking to onerously increase the real property taxes in Batangas City. Of the many social media accounts that mushroomed, many prefer to hide their identities for fear of reprisal. Some who are brave enough get contented by creating lampoons or memes of the father and son, and mother too, dynasty.
