by Ven Rebo Arigo

Harsh criticisms usually bordering on lies and deceit against Gov. Arthur Yap and insults Boholano intellect has drawn contempt from the rank of Bohol’s mayors.

All of a sudden, a lady mayor poured out, via online, her disgust, telling one rabid detractor of Bohol‘s leadership to stay attacking because the destructive critic does not help in any way.

The low-profile Valencia Mayor Ma. Katrina Lim on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, stunned, not just the Capitol but her town constituency as well, when, on Facebook, she posted a sharp piece tearing a certain Willy Ramasola down.

Ramasola has been senseless and indecent in his offensive spree on social media against Yap and his administration, even tagging the top provincial official as a “demon.”

“Nobody is forcing you to like, support or pledge allegiance to our governor. We do not need people who are too busy trying to find mistakes from his administration,” Lim told Ramasola.

She further told him, “We have a good number of true and trusted friends and supporters. They are already enough for us. You can go on with bashing and being arrogant.”

Ramasola has been identified with the ruthless propaganda group who campaigned for losing gubernatorial candidate Leoncio Evasco Jr.

The group had constantly attacked in equally merciless fashion then Gov. Edgar Chatto, now First District congressman, and his administration. Yap and Chatto are political allies.

The propagandists had made fun of Chatto’s physical defect and aired remarks about Yap’s Chinese descent.

Ramasola has reportedly been residing outside of Bohol.

FALSE CLAIMS

Among his latest false claims and intrigues pertained to the alleged distribution by the governor of only six (6)kilos plus of rice( insread of eight(8) kilos of rice to each family in Jagna early last week. 

Danny Lusica, barangay captain of Looc, Jagna, exposed Ramasola’s lie, uploading a video of them actually weighing the stitched, closed bags of rice containing eight (8) kilos each.

The barrio official said if there is any complaint, they would weigh the rice again but the bag should still be intact, not opened.

On social media, Ramasola lashed at Yap: “Diyos ko Gov pati ba to dadayain nyo?“ 

Ramasola claimed someone privately messaged him on the alleged inexact amount of rice distributed in Looc, although he could not name his supposed source.

Many in the provincial government believed it was another fake news by the familiar detractor.

Captain Felix Mejorada of barangay Canjulao said they did not receive any complaint, “of such fake news here in Jagna.”

Jagna is also a Third District town and a neighbor of Lim’s Valencia town.

The same bags of eight (8) kilos of premium of rice for each family had been delivered by the governor to a number of towns and barangays in the province.

There was no complaint until the anti-Yap social media user Ramasola posted the allegation.

Prior to the incident, Ramasola castigated and called Yap “evil” involving the sweeper flights for the locally stranded individuals (LSIs), overseas Filipino workers / returning overseas Filipinos (OFWs/ROFs), and authorized persons outside residence (APOR).

He insinuated that the plane fare is expensive because it goes to the official‘s pocket.

Ramasola also dragged Dauis Mayor Marietta Sumaylo, president of the Bohol mayors’ league who worked hard for Bohol to have sweeper flights for returning Boholanos amid Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

Reacting also on Facebook, Sumaylo urged Ramasola and his likes to to better inquire from the airlines why their sweeper fares are high.

The head of the mayors said they had then even asked Malacañang to intervene for the returning Boholanos on sweeper trips.

THREATENED?

The governor had the rice allegation investigated for possible charges against the author of the fake news.

Reacting as swiftly as he could accuse, Ramasola again went online, this time charging the governor with “threatening” him.

In her rare statement, the Valencia mayor said she does not personally know Ramasola but she personally knows the governor.

She scrapped the thought that the governor, “a known public servant, would stoop this low to ‘threaten’ people who, obviously, maligns his administration for purposes other than being the ‘voice of the Boholanos’ kuno.”

Lim said Boholanos are wise people who “would know if somebody is just trying to impress them so he or she would gain popularity.”

According to the mayor, Yap as governor has done what he could for the Boholanos to survive the pandemic.

‘PROVE OR YOU

REMAIN FOOLING’

The mayor asked Ramasola to support his issues with evidences or “your posts on social media will remain as baseless allegations.”

If Ramasola does not show any concrete proof, Lim said “it will be your word against ours.”

She continued: “‘Ours’ I say, because just like you, we also swear under oath, that the governor is not guilty of all these nonsense accusations.”

Lim told Ramasola that if he is true to helping his fellow Boholanos, then “you should address your concerns to the proper authority in a way that best fits the kind of ‘respectable’ person” that you are.”

She asked, “If you are really a fair person as you claim on your post, then how come all of your posts are against the governor’s programs?”

Ramasola is “only trying to find loopholes just to be able to defame his (the governor’s) works for the people,” the mayor said.

Lim reminded Ramasola that “to be fair, sir, means to also appreciate the good things that somebody has done.”

The governor is always open to healthy criticisms, but critics like Ramasola just do not go way below the belt because it would be another story, the mayor said.

RESPECT NOT EXPECTED

More Boholanos have seen the governor’s sincerity and he has gained their trust and respect, which “we will not be expecting the same from you,” Lim said to Ramasola. 

The mayor expressed confidence that the Boholanos will speak for themselves.

Ramasola is not expected to say good, according to Lim: “We know that whatever the governor would do for Bohol, you will always have something bad to say about it.”

“God bless you, sir. Praying for you,” Lim, one of Bohol’s youngest mayors today, concluded her unsolicited statement.