What is it in a name that sometimes it provides a consistent measure of character? I am referring to one of the most enduring and ubiquitous names in Philippine history: Macapagal.
One would be amazed at how often some Macapagal from Pampanga would surface periodically at critical points in Philippine history. However, the Macapagal record is not that stellar. For, anywhere and anytime that someone with that name appears, the air would always reek with the stench of treachery.

The first Macapagal in history is a datu from Arayat, Juan Macapagal. A grandson of Lakandula, Don Juan was among the principalia during the early Spanish era. He betrayed his own people by assisting the Spaniards quell the Kapampangan and Pangasinan Revolts of 1660 and Ilocano Revolt of 1661. By his handiwork, many natives died. For his services he was handsomely compensated with an encomienda — a.k.a. license to steal, cheat and plunder — and named Maestre Campo General of the natives of Arayat, Candaba and Apalit.

Two centuries later, the murderous tradition lived on to wreak havoc on the Philippine Revolution of 1896. This time, the Macapagal victim was none other than the venerable Supremo of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio. On May 10, 1897, Col. Lazaro Makapagal (Filipino derivative of the name) marched a wounded and hogtied Supremo and his brother, Procopio, up the rugged mountains of Maragondon, Cavite and shot them to death.

Indeed, duplicity is the Macapagal trade that many decades latter, another scion of the clan, Diosdado Macapagal, even managed to double-cross a master schemer, Ferdinand Marcos. In the 1960s, Diosdado promised the young (then) Senator Marcos the Liberal Party presidential nomination. In return for Marcos’ support, Diosdado declared that he would not seek re-election in 1965 in order to give way to Marcos’ candidacy. However, he reneged on such assurances later. The scheme backfired, however, when Marcos bolted the Liberal Party, joined the Nacionalista and soundly defeated Diosdado in the presidential elections.

Meanwhile, another Macapagal would have been in a perfect position to salvage the clan’s honor. Felicisimo Macapagal, unlike the rest of his clan, started out as a socialist revolutionary. He eventually rose to become the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas’ (PKP) Secretary General. However, DNA proved unalterable when this Macapagal ended up as a capitulationist. In 1974 he signed a compromise with Ferdinand Marcos to cooperate with the dictatorial regime.

Then several decades later, the same pattern continued. This time, the country is led by the daughter of Diosdado and a direct descendant of Don Juan. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became President through electoral fraud. Her administration is steeped in scandals involving plunder of the treasury and murder of innocent activists.

Sometimes some things do not change. It is either the Macapagal name is accursed or the country is accursed by having such treacherous brood appearing and re-appearing throughout the pages of its history.

http://yoopee.multiply.com/reviews/item/99

*******************************************

It’s been that way before any of us were born. Will stay that way for many more years to come.

This only works for districts with a sizeable middle class, which are few in the Philippines. The idea is you can tax them and use the money to pay for communal public goods.

As it is it’s OFWs and the business community, ie you and me, that subsidizes the poor. I can sense your sarcasm but seriously, the poor have to stop breeding.

See, when Dinagat was made a province, it comes with pork barrel and projects were poured into it – airport, schools, highways, etc… that is the advantage in the new district.

The loser is the old district with lesser pork share – which happens to be the Surigao City in Caraga Region. Since Congressman Matugas is arch enemy of the Barbers of Surigao City, Matugas spend the pork less in Surigao City but in Butuan City where he resided. There is only one airline going to Surigao City while Butuan City enjoyed the air traffic with different carriers.

It is like the people at Surigao hit by 2 typhoons. The only viable solution is to get rid of the Barbers and joined the winning family -Matugas.

Redistricting, pork barrel, etc – goes to the winning family. Democracy is only a name but jobs, projects and livelihood even temporary are more important to the residents – the art of politics.

The Ecleos of Surigao had played second banana to the Barbers in power struggle in the Surigao Del Norte province. To chart the future for her sons following the death of the PBMA founder, the matriarch of cultist PBMA Glenda Ecleo joined Arroyo’s party and passed a bill to carved Dinagat as separate province from the Surigao Del Norte for her sons.

Never mind that the population of Dinagat Island did not even met half of the 250,000 population requirement, RA9355 was passed followed by a plebiscite – the final hurdle for the claim.

See, there is an agreement among thieves after all – you cannot take what is mine. The plebiscite is a fair game and the Barbers were confident that the people of Surigao del Norte especially the Catholic bishop are opposed to the cultists.

That was the 1st time there was plebiscite in the province. The cultists went massively out to vote for yes with 92% turnout in cultist controlled areas. In Surigao City and in other areas, the turnout is less than 44%. Even though the NO votes won outside the cultist areas but when all the votes were tallied, the cultist YES votes made the difference edging the NO votes by only 6,914 votes.

The cultist finally had their own province.