Ever since an article on the Bernidos came out in a national broadsheet, we had been receiving comments, some of them complaints on the description of Jagna as a town “poor and remote” The emails and texts came from several places so we decided to find out why and who those people are. To be fair, we will first take up the why. If any high school student in Cagayan Province, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Antique, Palawan or Tawitawi is asked where is Jagna they would say they do not know. In the first place, geography, whether Philippine or global is not a part of studies from elementary, high school to college in our educational system. Not even a college graduate in those places may know unless he takes pains in trying to look up this town in Bohol. Perhaps some in Masbate, Romblon, Southern Leyte and the Mindanao provinces may know since Jagna had been a port of call of the ships of the Escaño Lines plying the Gingoog - Manila route before the establishment of the Davao - Manila Highway.

Then, Jagna never figured in any historical event in the Philippines. Magellan was killed in Mactan, the Blood Compact was in Tagbilaran and the massacre of civilians by American soldiers during the pacification was in Balangiga. But ask any student where is Balangiga and one will get blank stares. Since the two previous events were international and the last was local in impact, only the two would get the attention of patriotic Filipinos. Jagna like any other bigger than average Philippine town would not figure in the minds of average Filipinos. Any less than erudite writer would not find Jagna in his geography so he will term it “remote”. And since it is remote, it could be considered “poor”. In his mind it follows. Unfavorable comments on the “poor and remote” news had been many. Since it came from various directions and has only having one tenor, we decided to take a look. Sketchy information gathered that writers are all expat Jagnaanon professionals working in various places of the globe. Knowing that they cannot always be in Jagna, they decided to take Jagna with them. And since their lucrative jobs spanned over most part of the industrialized nations, they decided to form an association and communicate with each other through internet.

Established June 19, 2009, by Jilson Cadeliña Espinosa, president, they number at present 613. Their administrative officers are Malu Villacastin Ongtawco and Chingbee Acenas Bayron. They scan the internet for Jagna news. When the Post had a Jagna section, they diligently followed whatever was written. Through their Facebook, they exchange vital information such as job opportunities, news from home and other useful items. No wonder when they read the “poor and remote” item in the national broadsheet, they went into orbit. If one holds an important position in a foreign country, he will refuse to be pictured as one who grew up in the boondocks from ancestors who just climbed down from the trees. He would have to exert more effort to show his capacity and capability to the natives. Good if the country he is working in has lower living and educational standards than where he came from. Perhaps, the coffee table book Jagna at 375 Years would help them. It has plenty of important information, history as well as interesting pictures of their beloved Jagna.