The issue of whether or not the Amanzara foam party should proceed is already moot and academic. The party date is already history and what is very much alive now is the people’s state of perplexity and doubt whether the issue at hand is all about the resort’s alleged protocol violation or Gov. Arthur Yap and Panglao Mayor Leonila Montero’s head on collision course just like two vehicles that are moving directly toward each other ready for anything just so one survives or both are destroyed.
At the surface, this issue may be about the protocol violation of the resort, but the recent spate of events is telling us an entirely new story: a story where Yap and Montero seem to be using the issue as an arena for them to ventilate long kept concerns and wage battle against each other, may it be political or personal. And observers, brilliant analysts, or even rumor mongering groups are very keen about their impressions and suspicions of what’s going on.
There is a huge reason to believe that two of Bohol’s political titans are grinding their respective proverbial axes to be used against each other.
The two political figures hugged the limelight last week as they traded barbs in relation to the Amanzara foam party.
There are some observers, including Montero’s advocate, lawyer Johnson Hontanosas, who say that the governor is meddling with the way the Panglao local government unit (LGU) handles its affairs, particularly about the Amanzara Resort issue.
In his online column, Hontanosas wrote that while the governor is showing a strong stance on the issue against the Panglao resort, he raised the question regarding the actions on the alleged protocol violation at Cafe Racer, back in Feb., 2021.
Lawyer Hontanosas is also raising in his Facebook column the matter about exhorbitant fares for the sweeper flights.
This question brings to the fore some basic concerns of Boholanos like: Who was really in-charge of the sweeper flights? Was there anybody who earned exhorbitantly from the sweeper flights considering the allegations that the fares were exhorbitantly high?
Moreover, Hontanosas raised the question regarding the governor’s action on the alleged protocol violation committed by Jagna Vice Mayor Theodore Abrenilla, who is a Yap ally.
Until now, the public awaits for the action taken on the alleged violations that happened at Cafe Racer where members of media were not allowed to witness the investigation and were only invited after the investigation proper to witness the inspection of the Café Racer site..
Meanwhile, Jagna mayor Joseph Rañola took the cudgels and filed charges against Jagna’s vice mayor for allegedly violating Yap’s Executive Order No. 54 series of 2020.
This, as the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF) insists that no complaint has been filed before the task force as far as Abrenilla’s alleged protocol faux pas is concerned.
The Amanzara issue started to rage further when prior to the conduct of the already done “foam party” in the resort over the weekend, the governor suggested to Panglao mayor to issue a cease and desist order (CDO).
Montero refused to give in to the suggestion of the governor; instead she gave a green light for the foam party organizers to continue with the event, assuring one and all that the activity will be under the watchful eyes of the mayor and designated authorities.
As a last ditch stand, the governor explained that Amanzara has no business operating because it is allegedly not a Department of Tourism (DOT)-establishment based on the pronouncement of Shalimar Tamano, DOT-7’s regional director.
Still, the foam party pushed through as scheduled and now part of Bohol’s history.
The governor refuses to give up on his stand on the Amanzara issue, and last night, Mar. 13, 2021, he released a statement posted on social media, telling Montero that the latter missed the point on his position regarding the resort.
“Amanzara does not have a fire clearance, has no business permit, and has no DOT accreditation. Why is she [Mayor Montero] allowing it to operate? Is it not her duty to uphold the law? Her defiance is not in defense of Panglao tourism. She is actually endangering her municipality, the whole Boholano community, and the entire Province of Bohol, by failing to enforce the minimum health standards,” the governor said.
However, Montero, the mayor of Panglao authorized to issue business permits to enterprises based in her town, told The Bohol Tribune in a telephone interview yesterday, that Amanzara Resort has a business permit and is considered an LGU-regulated establishment. She even posted this statement in her Facebook account wall.
BISHOP ABET IN THE MIX
The top honcho of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, Bishop Alberto Uy made his presence felt when he castigated, via his recent homily, a “politician”, whose name and origin he did not mention, believed to be receiving a payola of not less than P20 million a month from different sources.
Listening to the timber of the Bishop’s voice when he spoke about this payola, would convince the listener that the money was really counted to the last centavo to make it TWENTY MILLION PESOS – a month! Who could this politician be? Where did the Bishop get the figures? Why did the Bishop discuss the topic among the Boholano audiences? Is the politician alluded to, proximate to the province/town/city where the Bishop’s pulpit stands?
Then, in another homily, the bishop condemned what took place at the Amanzara resort, referring to the alleged lewd event where a lady pranced around, at the poolside, without a top garment. Lamenting about the situation, a group of concerned citizens has issued a Manifesto expressing a call to action against the matter. The Manifesto is published on page 9 of this paper.
This begs the question: which issue carries the graver sin, the corrupt politician or the lewd dancer/show at Amanzara Resort?
THE MANIFESTO
The groups representing various sectors of Boholano society are taking a firm stand to protect and preserve the health, cultural, and moral values of the Boholano people by way of issuing a manifesto.
As stated above, a copy of the manifesto can be found on page 9 of this newspaper’s issue and paid for by the signatories of the said manifesto.
The manifesto calls on Panglao LGU to promptly act on the breach of health protocols and the scandalous act committed during the event.
They called on the authorities to be uncompromising in the efforts to safeguard the health and moral integrity of Bohol.
BACKGROUND
The Amanzara Rssort foam party over the weekend was the object of the trading of barbs between Yap and Montero.
The controversy stems from a foam party held in the said resort, which according to Montero, happened in the last weekend of February 2021.
There were videos of the foam party at Amanzara Resort where one video material showed the party goers violating health protocol by not wearing face masks and not observing social distancing.
Another video taken during the Amanzara foam party in February 2021, showed a lady who stepped on the edge of the resort’s pool, took off her blouse and pranced around the pool without a top garment, exposing her private parts.
This video scandalized a number of people in society.
According to Montero, the lady already apologized for her actions and the mayor forgave the lady.
As for the resort, Montero told The Bohol Tribune, that based on Municipal Ordinance No. 7 series of 2020, the penalty imposed on a first-time offender of a health protocol violation is a “stern warning”.
And the battle goes on, we believe.