MASBATE CITY — The capital of Masbate province is the Bicol region's gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao. Sitting on the main island of Masbate facing Albay and Sorsogon in southeastern Luzon, it is the province's main commercial center, seaport and aviation hub. Due to its strategic location, Masbate City has become a melting pot of diverse cultures in Central Philippines. The Masbateño language is closely related to the Capiznon and Hiligaynon of Western Visayas, as well as the Waray of Eastern Visayas. The Bicolano and Cebuano languages are also spoken by some Masbateños. The city is blessed with mangrove forests and marine sanctuaries that are ideal for sustainable tourism and environmental preservation. The local government unit (LGU) of Masbate City is a recipient of numerous awards from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture. Over the past decade, it has also received the "Seal of Good Housekeeping" several times from the Department of Interior and Local Government. Outside the city, the most popular attractions are Buntod Reef and Sandbar at the adjacent municipality of Mobo, and the Catandayagan Waterfalls along the coast of nearby Ticao Island. Elsewhere in the province, mining and cattle-raising are important industries. In fact, the country's biggest gold producer is based in the town of Aroroy. Cattle ranches can be found in at least 10 municipalities of Masbate Island, as well as in Burias and Ticao islands. For its annual cattle-centric competition, Masbate has been hailed the "Rodeo Capital of Asia." Despite its rich natural resources, however, the province of Masbate still has a high poverty incidence rate of 25.8 percent in 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. But the office of Masbate 3rd District Rep. Wilton Kho disclosed that it had gone down from 36.9 percent in 2018, which he credited to the provincial LGU headed by his father, Gov. Antonio Kho. On the other hand, members of the Masbate Quad Media Society Inc. (MQMSI) recently filed plunder and graft charges against Governor Kho and six other provincial officials of Masbate for alleged "ghost infrastructure projects" in 2022. In turn, the Masbate provincial prosecutor filed two murder cases against the whistleblowers from MQMSI for killings that have been attributed to the communist New People's Army, which, in effect, red-tagged the media workers as members of a terrorist group. Masbate Regional Trial Court Judge Teofilo Tambago subsequently dismissed one of the red-tagging cases for lack of probable cause. He cited conflicting statements and glaring inconsistencies made by the complainant and witnesses produced in court by the prosecutor. Yet, in another twist of events, two of the whistleblowers were slapped with 17 cyber libel cases last week by the provincial LGU officials, whom they had accused of graft and plunder. The two whistleblowers are calling on the Office of the Ombudsman to issue a preventive suspension on the provincial officials to stop the harassment of the media members. Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) commended Judge Tambago "for granting the urgent motion to recall the warrant filed by the accused in the interest of due process and equitable justice." PTFoMS Executive Director and Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez said "the reprieve granted by the court is also a triumph of the rule of law." Undersecretary Gutierrez raised the possibility that the latest cases were meant to distract the whistleblowers from pursuing the complaints they filed before the Ombudsman. He reminded the provincial prosecutor that the PTFoMS is the national government's mechanism to protect all members of the media, and it is chaired by the secretary of justice "with the full support of all attached agencies of the Department of Justice, including the National Prosecution Service." In the meantime, it's a pity that Masbate's potential as a tourist destination is being hampered by the lack of extensive road networks to make its beaches and rolling hills accessible to travelers. What a waste that this province is still largely underdeveloped, and a quarter of its population remains impoverished vis-à-vis its more prosperous neighbors in Panay, Negros and Cebu. The author is the chief finance officer of Asian Center for Legal Excellence and vice chairman of the Finex Ethics Committee. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Finex and The Manila Times. #FinexPhils www.finex.org.ph
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