PERSPECTIVES IN ANTIQUE
By Jun Escalona, Antique Bureau Chief

Education, No.1 in Gov. Perez's priority list

This may be late news to people in Iloilo, but to most Antiqueños, this is still news. What is important is that they are aware of our fine athletes that, provided better training support and facilities, may fare competitively with other teams in the region.

For the first time in decades, Antique finished 3rd in the over-all team standings, a good enough feat, in the 2005 regional athletic meet at the Iloilo Sports Stadium.

It garnered 9 gold medals, 11 silvers and 23 bronzes. Vernice John Andico of Cubay North, Bugasong garnered the most, with 3 golds, the fastest runner in the 100m, 200m, and 400m dashes. Other gold medalists were Jella and Marian Capadocia in Lawn Tennis, Mark Acub (Boxing) Joemarie Pava and Jorge Lotas (Taekwondo); Karmel Familiar, (Individual Archery Girls); Karmel Familiar, Mae Furio, Pamela Gernade and Ma. Carla Tating in Team Archery Girls. Governor Sally Z. Perez, San Jose Mayor Fernando Corvera and Dep-Ed OIC Division Superintendent Mrs. Corazon Brown consequently honored the young Antiqueño athletes in a simple ceremony at the EBJ Freedom Park on May 2, 2005.

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Small and Medium Entrepreneurs in Antique can now avail of loan assistance from the P10 million loan portfolio provided by the President. It hopes to create new products with potential markets and the expansion of existing manufacturing enterprises to improve income, create employment and foster economic growth.

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Education must be number one in the priority list of Governor Perez. Laua-an and Libertad became the newest addition to municipalities that were recipient of TEEP and SEDIP school building assistance. Laua-an Mayor Acer Baladjay acknowledged the construction of 3 units of school buildings in his town, one in Lindero Cadajug, Guisijan, and Oloc.

Another recipient of assistance of SEDIP, (secondary school) was Libertad in Northern Antique. Mayor Mary Jean Te received the P1 million check during the town's Banigan Festival which was attended by Governor Perez in March. She said it will be used for the improvement of educational facilities of schools in Libertad.

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There are some of our brothers in the media who seem to view their work as passport to competition with other institutions of society, and this includes the government. As a fourth estate of society, there is no more noble purpose than to help improve the performance of government, but to interfere with its decisions and priorities, is an act of ignorance and worse, desperation.

A radio commentator kuno assailed the decision of the appointing authority in the provincial government to hold in abeyance and reconsider the promotion of an employee who turned out to be wanting in preparation to head an office. And like a loyal friend, this commentator came to the rescue without knowing the circumstances surrounding this minor miscalculation of management.

What's worse, because of the intervention by the uninvolved, the employee will suffer the consequences of bringing this minor complaint against management to the media. One lesson to remember, one's minor indiscretion may affect a friend for better or worse. In this instant case, we can only surmise and until the time comes, we can only guess and keep that within the confines of our private mind, but never speculate.