• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria yesterday called for unity and healing, as he led the 125th Philippine Independence Day celebration at the Capitol Forecourt in Dumaguete City.
Let us be united to change the face of Negros Oriental and tell the whole world that we, too, have the freedom to move onwards, Sagarbarria, who recently assumed the post of governor of Negros Oriental, following the death of his predecessor, the late Gov. Carlo Joan “Guido” Reyes.
Reyes served as governor of Negros Oriental for almost three months, after the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo inside his residential compound in Pamplona town.
Degamo’s political nemesis, Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves, was linked to his death. The solon has strongly denied the accusations against him.
Sagarbarria said “I stand before you not as a representative of any political clan, but as an individual driven by a genuine desire to see our province thrive.”
“The freedom we enjoyed today will be useless if there is hatred, fear, violence and vengeance in our hearts,” he stressed.
Now, I am calling for unity and healing. This is a call of freedom from hatred and violence that have divided us all, the governor further stressed.
Sagarbarria added “we will, we must and shall, together rebuild from the ashes of violence, hatred and division.”
With political divisiveness that overshadows Negros Oriental, let us anchor belief that if in the past, the Filipinos in general and Oriental Negrense in particular, our national and provincial heroes have fought for justice, equality and freedom, regardless of political, religious, social and cultural affiliations, or parties, he said.
With this, we must learn the good lessons from the past and prepare ourselves today, work hard with discipline, and a vision of progress and development for the good of our constituents, Sagarbarria also stressed.*
