Tubigon Mayor Marlon Amila and Vice Mayor Virgilio Fortich took turns in a radio interview last week in pushing for the relocation of the municipal hall to a new location about 800 meters from its old site in the center of the town. According to Mayor Amila his position on the town hall relocation was premised on the decision of the Municipal Development Council, the policy making body of the local government. This was seconded by V-Mayor Fortich who said that the MDC decision to transfer the town hall was approved by the Sangguniang Bayan whose approval is needed to legalize the proposal. But it appears that the planned transfer is not enjoying an overwhelming support from prominent personalities of the municipality.

Though understandable that he has a political stake in the municipality being a former mayor, William Jao registered just the same his opposition to the relocation of its planned new site. According to Jao, the new location is in a congested area in a so-called government center where the streets are so narrow that it only measures about six meters wide. Asked if it is possible, Jao, in a radio interview, to expand the narrow streets, he said, no way, because houses are located side by side. He said, in the event that the town hall is going to be relocated, it should be along the highway in barangay Potohan, the place where it will be relocated anyway. On top of the mayor, vice mayor and ex-mayor positions of the town hall relocation was the feeling of betrayal of other town residents as vocalized in hushed voices in informal conversations. It is more vocal in social media where the proponents are denounced in no uncertain terms saying they felt betrayed by their elected officials for demolishing Tubigon's heritage town hall and mulling to replace it with a commercial building without any public consultation.

Calling themselves as sons and daughters of Tubigon, they used the social media in appealing to their officials to restore the glory and heritage of the town. “I studied the legal implication but ended up being asked the sentimental value and cultural value of the Municipal Hall,” said Julius Gregory Batausa Delgado, a Manila-based Bol-anon lawyer who serves as one of the legal counsels of Mar Roxas II. "It represents the grandeur of our beloved town. It is an imposing edifice which greets you pag-abot nimo sa pantalan. It symbolizes the town, its culture and its people," Delgado said on a Facebook post. Delgado's statement was an offshoot of an earlier Facebook news detailing the transfer of Tubigon's municipal hall to a new location. Following the unfavorable story, a public outcry, condemning the town hall's eventual demolition, had spread like a wild fire on social media sites. “I am saddened by the thought of another heritage building destroyed in the name of development and progress. People never learn,” deplored Marianito Luspo, a cultural icon in Bohol and a Holy Name University's think-tank in the field of arts and culture.

Luspo lamented: “Wala nay old church ang Tubigon, wala na sad ang karaang kombento, karon wala na sad ang munisipyo. What else can Tubigon offer to visitors? It doesn't even have a decent hotel or even a place to eat. McDonald's does not matter to tourists, it is found everywhere.”

Delgado said he once saw a picture of Tubigon dated 1924 with only the town plaza and the old municipal hall visible amid a barren land. The image made him conclude that old town hall was “an important cultural property,” and was covered by the National Cultural Heritage Act, or Republic Act No. 10066. “Why rehabilitate the building? I saw some pictures in the tourism office, and the municipal hall's been standing there long enough. I agree with you Atty. Delgado, it (the town hall) represents grandeur and elegance of Tubigon... I hope National Heritage Commission will help rehab the building, it's a landmark,” echoed Hanz Coquilla. “Pinaghirapan yan sa atong mga ninuno, tapus isang saglit ibinta kaagad without public consultation, consultation to all people of Tubigon,” said Eden Jao. In a nostalgic tone, Delgado rued: “Daghan gyud ang gasakit ang dughan. Adto sa town center ron, bati-on kag kamingaw, ug kahingawa sa edipisyo nato kaniadto. Wala na gyud daw ang Municipal Hall patag na. Ang mga katigulangan nato medyo sentimental gyud. Mao man gud toy nahimong simbolo sa Tubigon. Very imposing ang Tubigon Presidencia.”

The sadness of the people of Tubigon may not have a place in the hearts of the town officials, but the people's sorrow is reverberating in all corners of the world. Maria Yroll Lacaba Labella, a Tubigon resident now living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has this to say: “I am currently living in Dubai and what I admire most here is that, bisag unsa cla ka advance, and one of the finest countries in Middle East as well as a well-known country around the world, "THEY'RE KEEPING THEIR ROOTS." In encapsulating the modern cities in the Middle East, Labella said: “Gihatagan nila ug gibug- aton ang ilang ancestors, ang ilang pagkatawo. It doesn't mean advancement is about enhancing what is best but to give importance also from where we came from.” “I live in the heart of Dubai and mostly high-tech ang naa sa palibot but would you believe that ila gi-preserve what is left. The old town, the pavement, the culture, the people are in touch with their roots. They honor the places and pay respect to their heritage,” Labella said. (MIKE ORTEGA LIGALIG)