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One event that virtually caught everybody’s attention the past week was the break-up of friendly relations between City Mayor Dan Neri Lim and the Dejaresco Family-owned Bohol Chronicle and DYRD.

The “war” is very, very serious that the very popular Mayor’s Report every Saturday at DYRD was “pulled out” and “resettled” at the rival station DYTR.

Last Saturday, City Mayor Dan Neri Lim started his “Ang Mayor sa Dakbayan” program at DYTR on the 7:30 to 10 am slot.

* * *

As expected, Mayor Dan Lim unleashed mouthfuls against the Bohol Chronicle, DYRD and the Dejaresco brothers Peter and Bingo, the latter mostly.

He also said Tagbilaran Vicar General Jeffrey Malanog has intervened and sought a “ceasefire of hostilities.”

In deference to Msgr. Malanog, Mayor Dan Lim refused to discuss his reply to the scathing 2-page Editorial of the Bohol Chronicle last Sunday.

* * *

Actually, there was a lively interview with Mayor Dan Lim in Kwentas Klaras over DYTR last Monday morning.

The topic was about the Chronicle editorial.

After that interview, we called up Peter Dejaresco so he could also express his side of the controversy.

In the two interviews, both Mayor Lim and Peter Dejaresco said “walang personalan.”

After our interview with Peter, Mayor Dan Lim again called and answered the points raised by Peter.

* * *

As near as I can remember, Peter said they are just after the drainage issue, there’s nothing personal about it.

Since Mayor Dan Lim is the sitting mayor of the city, naturally, Peter said, he gets hit when the drainage issue is tackled. And so far, he has done nothing to address this problem, he stressed.

Peter said Mayor Dan promised to disconnect the alleged 38 illegal connectors. And he has done nothing on his promise, he even said he would wait until the project is turned over by Hanjin before he would attend to the disconnection problem, Peter said.

* * *

Mayor Dan Lim said that he indeed promised to attend to the disconnection problem but this should be in coordination with the DENR.

His assistance, he said, was voluntary, if only to assist the DENR in removing the illegal connections.

But he did not promise to do it alone, he emphasized. Minus the DENR, he could not proceed with the disconnection.

The city mayor also said minus the turn-over of the project from Hanjin, he would not proceed with the disconnection.

This supposed “backtracking” of the city mayor got the goat of the Chronicle.

And they came out blasting their way thru their editorial last October 5.

By my reckoning, that was the longest Chronicle editorial so far.

And by the city mayor’s reckoning, that was the most-read editorial, so far.

He said the editorial was read over DYRD several times in a day, in English and in local dialect.

* * *

“Kon silay motubag sa issue, okay lang. Pero kon ako na ang motubag, maot na dayon ko,” lamented the City Mayor.

He also observed that so far, he is the only mayor of the city who took particular notice of attending to the problem of flooding in the city.

“Unya ako na hinuon ang molabas nga bad boy,” the mayor said.

* * *

The mayor said he is “hurt and wounded.”

“Gibuyboy god ko nila,” he said.

“Human ko nila buyboya, mobalik pa diay ko sa akong programa,” he replied when asked why he pulled out his Mayor’s Report program in DYRD.

The city mayor was apparently reacting to that part of the editorial where he was reportedly “issuing his bitter tirades against the management and staff of the Chronicle-DYRD- using the very radio facilities (Station DYRD, yesterday) he was cursing.”

* * *

Actually, I suppose his reply to the editorial would have been very “interesting.”

Listening to him later after our radio interview, I learned “a lot of enchilada.”

Meaning, things that ought not to see the “light of day” because they were “below the belt.”

But he respects his good friend Mons. Jeffrey Malanog so he is willing to extend his patience.

* * *

Meanwhile, Boy Guingguing of Sunday Post was also agitated in last Monday’s Kwentas Klaras after reading (twice, he said) the controversial Sunday editorial.

There was mention in the editorial about “other newspapers” being “owned or supported by politicians” while the Chronicle does not “owe any politician - especially not Mayor Dan Lim – anything.”

BG said he hoped his paper was not being alluded to because he would also feel slighted if that’s the case.

And he’s ready to join the fracas, he said.

But of course, BG was just being businesslike. He was mindful of the fact that if his paper is involved, it would sell like hot cake.

* * *

In yesterday’s Ang Mayor sa Dakbayan, the city mayor was in high spirits.

He got calls and received text messages expressing full support to his decision to transfer to his new “home.”

But one particular call that got his full attention was that call from a listener near the airport road telling him that her lola who’s 97 years old already was wondering why she got no cake from the mayor during her birthday last Friday.

The caller also asked the mayor to greet the celebrant who was listening to him over the radio.

And the mayor gladly obliged, with a promise to bring not only cake but also ice cream and pang-tulak.

And not only that, the mayor also promised to deliver these goodies personally to the celebrant.

The “soft side” of the city mayor, no doubt.

* * *

But when he tackled the “personal attacks” against him, he was unsmiling and terribly intimidating.

He even issued a challenge to Peter Dejaresco to “come out in the open” and not resort to what he called as “proxy war.”

Frankly, that got my full attention.

I could not imagine a politician displaying such bravado openly against somebody who’s considered as a “titan” in the local media.

But of course, we are talking here of Mayor Dan Neri Lim.

And he’s angry. And hurt as hell.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cong. Adam Relson Jala (Bohol, 3rd district) is brimming with confidence that he could ram into the throats of most Boholanos his solution to the swertres problem.

He wants to introduce the small town lottery (STL) in the province. With STL, he is confident that he can stop swertres dead on its tracks.

Either he’s naïve or he’s just plain stupid.

And I don’t think he is.

So confident is he of his STL project that he did not think of getting the support of his fellow congressmen Edgar Chatto and Ondoy Cajes. He did not also consult or seek the support of the governor or the vice governor. And he is planning to set up STL in Bohol, not just in his district.

See, he is that cocksure about this STL.

And he expected the opposition from the church, his father said. But he has a simple solution to that.

Let the mayors decide.

Why so?

Because I suppose the mayors have been told that they would “control” the STL operations in their municipality. That way, they will get their share of funds. And when you are looking at the funding requirement for the 2010 elections, the STL can very well be your “manna from heaven.”

Under this scenario, do you think the mayors will oppose the STL of Adam Relson Jala?

More when we return, stay tuned for more. Comments, suggestions, write to salvadiputado@yahoo.com