LET THERE BE LIGHT!!

Regular recipients of the articles sent by the aging lion should be familiar with the names Andoy, Jimbo, Eben, and Pilo, the four fishermen who, together with their respective families, reside at the lion tamer’s backyard. Of course they are not the only fishermen in the area but the names of the others do not deserve mention as unlike the four, water and electrical connections were already installed in their respective places of abode.

Let the lion now tell you of this unique story.

Last November 3, the lion tamer woke up early as usual and said she will go with her ‘Nang Baby to Tagbilaran, and therefore the lion can freely roam around the place while she is out. But while doing so, would her now almost-toothless pet be solicitous enough to go to nearby Jagna where the office of BOHECO II is located and help facilitate the application for electrical connection of Pilo that it be approved? She said Pilo will soon sell his pig and with the proceeds, wants electricity in his house installed, only, the processing of the required papers appears to him complicated. Also, his three other neighbors are as desirous to have electrical connections in their respective houses but funding still had to be secured and therefore, would the lion also explore this angle??

Without much ado the lion proceeded to BOHECO II at Jagna and after congratulating Mr. Eugene Tan, the Resident Manager, for receiving the Most Outstanding Award from President Gloria Arroyo when she recently visited Bohol for leapfrogging from a Class D to Class A+ Electric Cooperative, the lion tactfully explained his purpose. Two problems were at hand: (1) is the loan that was previously being granted to applicants allowing a 25% down payment for materials and the 75% balance payable in installment still in effect thus allowing the three to also apply for electrical connections? and (2)would BOHECO install the needed electric posts since Pilo’s house is located at the farthest end reckoning from the street where the main line is located? The lion justified the need for electricity by mentioning that the four couples have seventeen children among them most of whom are already of school age and since the thrust of the government is to light the countryside and thus enable its citizens to moved onward for progress sake, then doing so will serve this noble purpose.

The first problem, Mr. Tan said, is no problem. The loan, while suspended previously, was recently revived. But of course, the lion had to sign as co-maker. The second, he said, can be remedied by declaring the work as “upgrading” which in effect will entail realigning the existing electrical lines of the residents in the area and thus justify the installation of the required electric posts. And since he is the Resident Manager, then the problem is as good as solved, and forthwith instructed three of his staff to accompany the aging lion to his residence at Guindulman and survey the needed job so that the work can immediately proceed. On the company’s staff car, of course!

On the way, Lito, one of the staff, said that what will complicate the installation of the posts is the possible need to get the consent of the landowner into whose lot the electric posts will be erected and the trees that must be felled as a consequence of the installation. The lion said the problem would not arise if the posts and connections are placed inside the perimeter of the lot were they reside. And that’s it!

Two days later, the lion tamer accompanied Pilo, Jimbo, Honey and Vivienne to the Jagna office with the two ladies alternating for their respective husbands. Honey served as proxy for Andoy as the latter is a “thumb-mark specialist” (in plain language, neither reads nor write) while Vivienne took the place of Eben because at the eight o’clock departure time, the latter’s pumpboat hasn’t as yet docked at the mooring site.

That afternoon, the group went home in high spirits. The seminar was very educational, they said. Eugene Tan, although already on the road bound for inspection trip when they arrived, saw to it that they are comfortably accommodated at the seminar, and their questions satisfactorily answered. To save on installation cost, Luis, one of the employees residing in Guindulman, suggested that the town’s electrician, although not licensed, hence not officially listed as authorized installer, be contacted for the job. To the consternation of Manoling, another employee from town, who insisted that the job be done “by the books” only to be admonished by the former whose functions at BOHECO rank higher that it would be alright because of the special relationship of the lion with Mr. Eugene Tan.

On going home though, the group wondered where to get the needed funds for installation as it was only Pilo who had. At home, the lion tamer asked his aging pet who could only mumble the following reply:

“We have already poked our fingers on this project, I guess there’s no use turning back. We’ll just have to fund it with our own and hope they can repay us back. Later, that is.”

The next day, November 6, was the lion tamer’s birthday. The lion contacted the Loloy, the town’s electrician and requested him to prepare the bill of materials for the four houses so that the estimated outlay may be determined. He was also asked whether he would accept the standard P350 installation job per house for half the price The task, after all, was the lion’s gift to the light of his life (the lion uses this phraseology to describe his tamer once a year), a gift not her own to physically savor but for the four fishermen and their respective families who have now become part of their lives. The electrician said yes.

`The electrician made the estimate, and whoooh!, the total cost amounted to P9, 166 with P3,957 to be paid in advance before electrical connections get underway. Fortunately, Pilo can defray his share, so that the lion had to shell out only P3,100 right away!

Monday came and the lion tamer posed another problem to her pet that almost stunned him. She said, “it appears we still have to shoulder the P1,050 cost of the electric meter”. The lion barked back: “I hope not because if it we do, then the project will be bound for the waste basket because P4,200 is an amount we can no longer spare!” Glad a quick check with Eugene Tan over his cell phone confirmed that the electric meter will be installed for free.

The next day, the lion returned to Jagna and after paying the P3100, followed up the status of the electric posts that had to be erected. Mr. Tan promptly ordered his crew to proceed posthaste to Guindulman and installed the two galvanized steel electric posts of about 30 feet in height and the attendant wires attached where the live electric current are to pass through and provide electricity to the neighborhood. To the awe and wonder of the residents and even to the lion for a job done faster than the wink of an eye. But the connection inside the houses will take a week or two to be done as the needed materials are still to be ordered by BOHECO I from Tubigon town which is about 50 kilometers from Tagbilaran or 125 kilometers via Ubay town and delivered to the intended users.

Then, Monday again. But it is the Muslim Ramadan and therefore there is no work in the offices in the entire archipelago. The next day, the lion phoned BOHECO but was informed by the secretary that Eugene was in Cebu en-route to Manila where he will be there for a week. The lion therefore requested her to follow-up the progress of the work and was informed that purchase of the materials will be on November 25 yet. So he instructed the lion tamer to send the following text message to Eugene:

“Will appreciate if you can hasten purchase of materials and installation of electricity on four houses. UR Sec said purchase is on Nov 25 yet” and received a text reply that he will text his staff accordingly.

Then November 22, another Monday, came. The lion asked his tamer to call Eugene Tan and follow up the status of the materials and was informed that it will be ready by November 24. But the materials had to be picked up from Jagna, he said.

. The lion overheard the conversation and immediately barked back that he will pick it up himself. Whereupon Eugene retorted that he will just send someone to deliver the items rather than for the lion to pick it up and two days later the requisitioned items were promptly delivered.

The next day, Thursday, Loloy, the town’s electrician, took over. Methodically, he installed the materials starting from Pilo’s house which was at the farthest end, and then to Jimbo’s then to Eben’s and finally to Andoy’s completing the inside wiring on Saturday. As he was not licensed, he approached a friend who will sign the papers needed for the permit and unexpectedly asked for money which more than ate up the discount that was previously agreed upon. The lion tamer was naturally furious because his basis for asking for more was because he learned that a neighbor paid another electrician P500 for the installation, and thus felt that he was unduly shortchanged in the deal, BOHECO’s standard rate notwithstanding. The lion tamer was finally able to impress upon him that she will just spend an additional P200 for the needed signature of his licensed electrician friend.

Then, another Monday came. But the needed permit could not be worked out as GMA advanced the observation of the National Heroes Day from Tuesday to Monday, which made the lion silently muse: “one of these days, GMA will just transfer the religious observation of Holy Friday to a Sunday. Ha, ha, hah”

Then Tuesday. To her consternation the electrical permit that will earn for the government only P55 per house will instead cost P550 with ninety percent going to the pockets of these municipal shenanigans. Professional and other processing fees not subject to the issuance of receipts, they said. That, the lion mused, is graft and corruption at the grassroots. No wonder this country can never not move forward.

Delegating the task of doing the actual follow-up to the lion tamer but giving her definite instructions on how to solve the dilemma, she worked her way out of solving the municipal red tape and managed to spend only P150 per house for it without actual inspection being made. The experience that she gained by interacting with the town’s officials through her various charitable projects paid off as most of the municipal officials are also active in church affairs. But the lion wonders, will these petty graft experts ever change?

The next day, December 1, she personally went to Jagna and presented the papers. Upon being told that a P100 connection fee still had to be paid, she requested the Finance Manager, Mrs. Daisy Cadavez whether the said fee can be added to the loan else we again will have to foot the additional bill, and fortunately, the lady said yes. The paperwork done, Mrs. Cadavez personally saw to it that final inspection be done the same day and since the staff assigned for inspections are already out, ordered the Materials Manager, the one who personally brought the materials to the site a week before and instructed him to do the job without delay. The lion tamer therefore went home towing along the BOHECO employee for the needed inspection who forthwith declared the wiring fit for the final connection and next day, December 2, BOHECO’s linemen arrived and finally lit the place. To the jubilation of the children and the four poor appreciative fishermen.

But the lion wonders. Surely its aftereffect will entail a repeat of the Christmas gathering that she organized last year (copy of the article is reprinted below). But with the meager funds of the lion now approaching rock-bottom, can a well-meaning brother from out there sponsor at least a part of the financial outlay required for the stipend of the officiating priest, the raffle prizes, the decorations and the special food baskets for the noche buena of the four fishermen and their families which last year amounted to about P5,000 or roughly a hundred US dollars ?!

And the aging lion leisurely rests its now-weak and limping paws!!

POSTRCRIPT

If you think the lion works with determination and dispatch, read what the lion tamer did on her own.

Last November 10, when Alice, the wife of Pilo gave her P1,000 as their share in the down payment of the electrical connections, she also added P2,000 with the specific request that the lion tamer put it aside for safekeeping as the said money was intended for the water connections further explaining that the money might just be spent unwisely. Whereupon the lion tamer asked if they are really desirous to have the water facilities installed, and received a nod for a reply.

The next day, the lion tamer approached her godmother who has a strong say at the water utilities firm and convinced the latter to have the connections installed immediately under her personal guaranty. Needless to say, it was done in a matter of only three days as all the paperwork and the attendant connections were completed on November 12 at a cost of P3,400.

Good the proceeds on the sale of the pig fully absorbed both costs, otherwise the lion most likely would have shouldered the deficiency. And the water connections of the three other houses, she opted to remain silent else it would have created a financial crisis to the lion that is worse than what President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did to the entire country!