Tagoloan's politicos come into their own

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

(Note: This is hopefully the start of a series of articles that I will write on local politics. Photos by Jong Casino Photography)

IN the course of my media work that started in late 1993 I met most of the politicians in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental. 

For purposes of this personal treatise I would like to confine myself to the officials from my hometown of Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.  It's interesting that a number of these “politicos” in Cagayan de Oro City--the capital of Misamis Oriental--came from Tagoloan town.

In the course of this writing you will be surprised that there are politicos who were known to me in the course of other works in my past life or their names are familiar because I knew them in school or they were told to me by my parents or other relatives. 

I asked a town mate named Exequiel Casin who also happens to be the brother of my classmate Emmanuel  to help me in writing about these politicos who either brought honor or shame to Tagoloan. 

But it depends on the reader or those familiar with these political figures to decide if they were good or bad. I did not bother Gerva Tagapulot-Celeredad as we have other projects to do in the future that involves Tagoloan.

So without further ado, here are the politicians in my hometown of Tagoloan: 

1) Arturo Casino. When I was maybe six years old I heard my grandpa Engge Quilang Naelga and my father talking to a person whose features I could not ascertain. 

They were talking big and the only word I can remember was “para sa kabag-ohan” (for change) and the word “mayor.”

When that visitor was gone, my mother (Nanay) and Lola (Grandma) Doring and me tagging along out of curiousity joined the men and they talked about the visitor.  I heard Grandpa said it was Arturo Casino. 

When I was already at Central School I would have a chance meeting with Casino who later  became mayor of our town and he would always be present during commencement exercises.

Since I am an honor student I got a chance to shake his hands every year. Casino was tall with dark hair and spoke clearly. He was not tired shaking hands with the graduates and honor pupils. 

Later when I was already working with the provincial development staff (PDS) of the province during the time of Governor Concordio Diel and until the time of Vice Governor Rosauro Dongallo (because I think Diel was appointed to a national position) I had the chance to meet with Mayor Arturo Casino as he was introduced to me by Engr. Modesto Babaylan (Provincial Development Coordinator) who told Casino that I was from Tagoloan town. 

He asked me who my parents were and I introduced my parents as well as my Grandpa. His memory was good as he at that time remembered my Lolo (Grandpa) Ingge. 

We always bumped into each other during meetings of municipal mayors in the province.  Arturo Casino was a lawyer. He was to me a good speaker and would always stand out among the giants of the province that time. 

Since I was the information officer I would see to it that I would do news about Tagoloan and Mayor Casino. I was proud of him. 

I was still at the PDS when he passed away and I mourned his untimely death. If death did not claim him early I'm sure he could have been one of the best leaders we have in the province.  

If he did not die he could have been the governor of the province since he was well liked by other mayors. 

2. Arteo Arting Valdehueza. I did not meet Valdehueza in the course of his political career.  I met him after he lost the elections to then mayor Vicente Emano in the early part of the 80s as I was already employed at the 6th Municipal Circuit of Tagoloan-Villanueva, Misamis Oriental under the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

I knew Atty. Valdehuesa because I knew him to be the classmate of my late Tita (Aunt) Julia Naelga-Laluna who was their class valedictorian in elementary school. 

Tita Julie Lalu as we called her is the eldest among my father's sisters and brothers.  I have no idea what kind of mayor Valdehueza was since I was not yet back to Tagoloan that time. 

Mayor Arting was the vice-mayor  and assumed as mayor after Mayor Casino's death. 

I can only tell how good he was as a judge from the way he handles the court and the people involved in the court proceedings everyday. Since he knew the parties involved (or the parents of the parties unless any of the party are new to Tagoloan (dayo/visitors) then he would buy peace by exploring the possibilities of amicable settlement. 

It was all like a political exercise. If my memory serves me right, after he lost to Vicente” Dongkoy” Emano in the early 80s, Emano helped Judge “Arting” get the position as Municipal Circuit Judge after it was vacated when Judge Antonio A Orcullo was appointed to City Court. 

Helping Judge Arting get the judgeship of Tagoloan Villnueva was a good strategy to prevent Arteo from running again and solidifying support from the clans and families in my town. 

I kept on thinking about that recently and I think it was the first action that would make Dongkoy a great politician in the province. The move also looked good among the old guards and families in Tagoloan. 

The appointment of Judge Valdehuesa solidified Tagoloan. It was meant to silence the minority which was assumed to be represented by Valdehuesa. 

Judge Arteo embraced his judgeship and never entertained again the idea of running and stayed with the judiciary until his retirement. 

I noticed that he was still interested in Tagoloan town affairs and would give his opinion every now and then with staff after hearing cases in court. 

This is true when his younger brother, the late Nong Pablito, would tell him about the latest developments in the town and discussed the moves undertaken by Dongkoy. 

It was at this time while working at the court located on a separate building from the Municipal Court that I noticed how busy the municipal hall was at the time. 

Mayor Dongkoy would arrive late in the morning or early afternoon except Monday morning when it was the flag raising ceremony. 

Emano was surrounded with bodyguards and supporters including media that time. I recognized Radio Mindanao Network's Bill Henson, Ernie Coloma and the late Bingo Alcordo. There were others too but I could not place them in my memory card already.  
  
3. Vicente “Dongkoy”Emano. Of course before  he became mayor of Cagayan de Oro, he was the governor of Misamis Oriental.

Tagoloanons were proud of Dongkoy Emano and he was considered a demi-god. Even I was proud of him- he was the first governor from Tagoloan. 

But the umbilical cord of Dongkoy's political career was in Tagoloan when he became the town’s mayor.   Mayor Emano then was known to me as Mayor Dongkoy while I worked with Judge Arteo in the 6th Municipal Circuit Court of Tagoloan-Viilanueva, Misamis Oriental. 

The court was under the Supreme Court but Mayor Emano would always expand his jurisdiction over the national employees.
   
(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who worked as a nanny and is now employed as a sub-teacher and a part-time teacher assistant in one of the school systems in the Carolinas.
Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com and at http://www.blogher.com/myprofile/spdennis54. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.
You can also connect with her through her email susanap.dennis@yahoo.com as well as her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)