It was an endgame nobody expected.

The promise of a memorable goodbye given the hype of the Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan (TBTK) was punctuated with fire and brimstone from disgruntled players of the grand homecoming. Held every three years, this year's edition was marred by reports that it was poorly attended; the medical, surgical and dental mission lacked coordination and lastly the lament of a former beauty queen being deprived of her grand prize, the equivalent of a round trip ticket to the US. All this formed part of the sad spectacle surrounding the grand reunion of Boholanos all over the world. Built around the acronym TBTK, it was billed beforehand that it was the biggest assembly of Boholanos gathered together every three years to make a grand homecoming to their birthplace. The unkindest cut of the TBTK hoopla was the behavior of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan where it took upon itself, the role of looking into the controversy surrounding its 2009 staging here. Taking the cudgels to those who expressed convulsion over some lapses of the worldwide activity, the SP chaired by Vice-Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera wasted no time to step into the reported mess. It was Board Member Asther Apalisok Piollo who blew the whistle on the reported irregularities of the affair citing complaints she received from outside sources who were as concerned as to the success of the big event. At least four SP committees scrambled to treat the endgame issue. The planned probe was lodged before the four committees — appropriations, tourism, women and culture/arts. Herrera chairs the appropriations, board member Ester Corazon Galbreath of tourism while Piollo and board member Amalia R. Tirol chair the women and culture/arts, respectively.

SP FIRESTORM

In its session last July 28, Piollo's call for an inquiry virtually sparked a firestorm when he quoted a newspaper report vis-à-vis the complaint of Loida Tiza Lagonoy, 2006 Miss Bohol International. The Post broke an exclusive story detailing the complaint of Lagonoy about a grand prize that never was. In a video presentation last week on the occasion of the coronation of the Miss Bohol International 2009, the pageant winner broke her silence about her failure to enjoy the round trip reward. While it was reported that she was able to secure a visa to ensure her US trip, she blamed beauty contest organizers for not doing good enough to have her airplane ticket replaced after it expired. In bringing her complaint to the attention of the SP, Piollo qualified that she was not out to ruin the spirit of the TBTK but she just wanted to put things in their proper perspective. She said all she wanted was for the next TBTK to be devoid of any messy observations.

MEDICAL MISSION

In the same SP furor, the lady board member also took potshots to alleged non-coordination of key participants of the medical, dental and surgical mission. According to information she gathered from reliable sources, the medical mission was only used as smokescreen for the rest and recreation of participating stateside doctors, nurses and other volunteers. According to the board member, the duty of carrying out the task of extending medical, dental and surgical mission was left mostly to local participants while their foreign counterparts were out there enjoying every minute of their visit to Bohol 's tourists spots. The local volunteers came from the Gov. Gallares Memorial Hospital. But Carlita “Liklik” Schroeder debunked Piollo's pontifications about the US-based volunteers' behavior while in Bohol. As overall coordinator in the US for medical volunteers to participate in the medical mission, Schroeder said they cannot be faulted for enjoying their stay here because in the first place the participating medics paid for their own trip including fare and board and lodging.

The Boholana who is married to an American, however, confirmed that when the US volunteers did arrive at the medical mission site which was the Bohol Cultural Center , they found to their surprise that they were treated like bystanders instead of being key participants. Describing what she heard about the lapses in the medical mission, the complaining board member said “those who were members of the medical, surgical and dental missions only come here in order to have a good time. She said what she was expecting were hands-on volunteers because they were supposed to attend to the needs of indigent Boholanos especially so that a financial assistance was extended by the provincial government. .

On the issue of Ms. Lagonoy, where she did not receive her prize of an all-expense trip to the US , Piollo said the pageant organizers should have done something to help the poor girl. “The winner of the beauty contest, after the crowning does not have any clear obligation in order to represent the culture of the Boholano people. They are supposed to be ambassadors of goodwill of Bohol ,” she lamented. Lagonoy confirmed this and expressed disgust for being cheated of her title and award she deserved when she bid farewell during the coronation night. She was succeeded by Carlene Pepito Yap as Miss Bohol Inter-national 2009.

The Lagonoy family is willing to appear before any of the SP committee looking into the TBTK mess if only to aid its side of the controversy. This they confirmed in a text message to Herrera. The text said that the family was grateful that the SP was concerned to the flight of the family member who was treated not like a beauty queen. For her part, Pureza Veloso Chatto, wife of Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st district) in a radio interview and one of the organizers of the pageant, denied the allegation lodged by Lagonoy, . TBTK chairperson Betty Veloso Garcia reportedly said she's ready to face the investigation, saying TBTK has nothing to hide. The homecoming of the Boholanos gave an opportunity to Bohol 's tourism industry to generate earnings as most of the visitors stayed at resorts, she said.

Also in a radio interview, Veloso was asked if she would be willing to attend the inquiry, which Piollo labeled as “in aid of legislation. Saying she was living anytime soon, Veloso said she would probably let somebody based here to appear in her behalf to clear the air of any malicious insinuations regarding her role in the TBTK. Veloso who had since left this city for the US is the president of the Confederation of Boholanos of the United States and Canada (CONBUSAC), the host of the TBTK.

POO ATTENDANCE

Another “blot in the escutcheon” of the 2009 TBTK was its poor attendance as shown by the dismal registration report. Reports said that only a handful of TBTK members registered compared to more than 300 in 2006. Gov. Erico Aumentado told the media during his Governor Reports program last Friday that he was informed there were only 40 plus registrants. It was reported that an opposing camp to the present TBTK leadership did not bother to participate in the TBTK election of officers because of the past “rift” between the two groups that remains unsettled. Against this leadership breakdown, Garcia still remains as president. She was reportedly re-elected by a handful of participants gathered in an election at Metro Center here.

NEGATIVE REVIEWS

While the medical mission yielded negative reviews, Fancy Baluyot, social and health consultant of the province particularly on the medical missions, denied that balikbayan doctors and other medical professional did not participate in the missions that benefited a lot of patients. She said that she's willing to face the SP inquiry if called. For his part, Herrera preferred to call the SP action as “consultation” in aid-of-legislation. He added that the SP, being the highest law-making body of the province, has also the duty to monitor the activities because the province is also actively involved in it. The planned “consultation,” which is expected to start anytime, will be convened soon and called on the people concerned to provide vital information for the lawmakers. For his part, Gov. Aumentado said in his weekly Governor Reports media program there may be a need to look into this. “Kon aduna may sipyat, angay susihon,”. But the governor cautioned the probers to do it in a way that it cannot intrude into the privacy of some TBTK individuals. “Maayo tingale nga tarongon sa pagsusi kay dili man maayo nga ipakita ang tumang kaanyag sa atong mga kandidata,” referring to the “indecent” portrayal of Miss Bohol International 2009.

The governor acknowledged that it was a sacrifice on the part of the TBTK organizers to host the homecoming. He added that the inquiry must be acted in accordance with due process so that it may not “strain” the TBTK because of its expected financial aid to the provincial government. But he admitted that the provincial government has spent a “little” in welcoming TBTK balikbayans as a sort of an inspiration to pour their resources in the province. The province had spent a total of PhP293,650.00 for the holding of Medical Missions and TBTK activities held three years ago, based on the certification issued by assistant provincial treasurer Primitiva Ontong and noted by provincial administrator lawyer Tomas Abapo, Jr. These expenses in the form of catering services provided by the Bohol Tropics Resort Club in this city are just recently settled. (With reports from Ric Obedencio)