The author, one of the not-so-many authentic journalists in Camarines Sur, was publisher and editor of the defunct NAGA TIMES. In his prime, he hobnobbed with many of the personalities he wrote about. |
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The beginning of the 20th century ushered in the democratic tradition of electing to public offices leaders of government both in the national and local levels. This also gave birth to partisan politics, Filipino-style.
From the early American occupation of the country in the 1900s, Camarines Sur politicians became standouts in the regional scene making Bicolanos proud and took notice. To them, the “Grand Old Man” would always be Jose T. Fuentebella, the Nacionalista Party patriarch in Bicol.
An avowed nationalist, even during his student days in Manila he already showed a negative attitude toward the perceived discrimination flaunted by Americans on Filipinos and the apparent exploitation of the country by the United States. Thus, he dedicated his younger years as a politician in the parliamentary struggle for an independent nationhood.
At the age of 26, already a full-fledged lawyer, he entered politics and was first elected to represent Ambos Camarines in the Philippine Assembly for two terms (1909-1915); provincial governor of Camarines Sur in 1916; senator for Bicol in 1928-1935; and two-term congressman of his province’s second district (1935-1941).
During the war years, Japanese higher authorities appointed him regional commissioner of the 5th administrative district (Bicol). At the time, he became a leading exponent for the establishment of the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
He returned to the national limelight when he became Ambassador to Indonesia from 1955 to 1961, where he played a significant role at the Bandung Conference initiated by President Sukarno to form the core of a federation of non-aligned nations.
All the way, for the rest of his life, “Adoy” Fuentebella stayed on as dominant figure in Camarines Sur politics. To most, he was regarded as the “godfather” of future leaders in the province who later made their own mark in partisan pursuits. Remaining humble and living simply to the end, his colorful heritage mixed with anecdotes, would tarry long among comprovincianos. He died on July 25, 1982 at the ripe age of 100 years, one month and 8 days.
EARLY OPPOSITION
Early on, the political opposition in the province was led by Governor Julian Ocampo, a legal practitioner from Nabua, Camarines Sur. It was his faction that later formed the nucleus of the Liberal Party chapter in Camarines Sur.
There were other interparty stalwarts during the country’s Commonwealth government period. The prominent names included Ramon B. Felipe, Mariano E. Villafuerte, Ignacio M. Meliton and Francisco Celebrado who all were elected to Congress. Felipe, Villafuerte and Meliton also served as governor.
Among those who also served as provincial governors at the time were Gabriel Prieto, Andres Hernandez, Manuel Gallego, Julian Ocampo, Gerardo Cea, Ramon Imperial and Manuel Crescini.
Liberals dominated the political field immediately after World War II. Following the 1946 elections, the first Camarines Sur representatives in Congress were LP candidates Juan Q. Miranda (1st District) and Sebastian C. Moll, Jr. (2nd District). Also coming out as governor was partymate Jose V. del Gallego. Their titular head in the province was Mariano Garchitorena who later was appointed secretary of agriculture.
Naga, then the capital of Camarines Sur, gained its legislative charter as a city in 1948 through the initiative of Congressmen Miranda and Moll, including Bicol Senator Vicente Madrigal. The LP administration appointed as first Naga City Mayor Leon Sa. Aureus of Libmanan town.
In 1949, the Nacionalistas in turn re-established a stronger foothold in the province by electing as congressmen Emilio M. Tible and Edmundo B. Cea representing the first and second districts, respectively.
In the 1951 elections, the NPs picked as standard-bearers Juan F. Triviño, for governor, with Victorio L. Ojeda and Joaquin Briones as board members. Lawyers and eloquent speakers all, they handily came out winners.
CEA AS SENATOR
In 1953, Cea ran for senator in the NP ticket which had the charismatic Ramon Magsaysay as presidential candidate. Taking over his second district post as congressman was Felix A. Fuentebella, a government engineer, who teamed up with first district reelectionist Emilio Tible.
Governor Triviño was elected for a second term in 1955, winning over rival Nacionalista candidate Laurencio B. Cea, ex-mayor of Tigaon. In 1957, a neophyte politician emerged in the first district, Dr. Agaton A. Ursua of vote-rich Libmanan, who won as a congressman backed by the NP faction of Triviño, Fuentebella, and then Finance Secretary Jaime Hernandez.
In the 1959 gubernatorial race, political newcomer and businessman Apolonio G. Maleniza was drafted by the LP as candidate and sprung an unexpected win over Governor Triviño who was on his third-term bid. In 1961, however, Triviño made a comeback in local politics as congressman representing the first district.
In the 1965 elections, Congressman Triviño reelection try was cut short by popular Naga City Mayor Ramon H. Felipe, Jr. Earning his parliamentary spurs in the House of Representatives, the younger Felipe became the chamber’s Minority Floor Leader. Fuentebella, his counterpart n the second district, stayed on as vice chairman of the public works committee and member of the powerful Commission on Appointments.
In the1967 gubernatorial elections, another newcomer was fielded by the Nacionalista leadership---lawyer Armando B. Cledera from Lagonoy. Like Maleniza, his rival candidate, Cledera found it quite natural also to mix with the masses. Too, he had a striking personality and easily stood out in a crowd, handsome and looming large.
“Manding” Cledera won hands down over “Poniong” Maleniza, the commoners’ one-time idol. But because of the rising political disenchantment of partymates over his stewardship of the province, Governor Cledera lost the next time around against the Liberal’s standard-bearer, lawyer and educator Felix O. Alfelor, a former mayor of Iriga who finally won after repeatedly losing in previous congressional elections. But his term was short-lived. Overtaken by the declaration of martial law in 1972, he was eventually eased out from his elective post by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, then a Nacionalista, who opted to replace him with five-term Congressman Felix Fuentebella, the recommendee of the once powerful Bicol bloc in 1976.
It was during the administration of Governor Fuentebella that the official seat of the provincial government was formally transferred to the capital town of Pili, as mandated by law. The site with an area of 17 hectares was donated by a private land owner, Don Susano Jalbuena Rodriguez. Early construction of the new capitol building was funded from the sale of provincial properties in Naga City including the site of the old provincial capitol which was burned in 1977. As soon as Governor Luis R. Villafuerte assumed in 1986 he began acquiring adjoining properties totaling 118 hectares as he pursued his vision of transforming the provincial capitol site into an authentic tourist destination.
1971 CONCON
Earlier in 1971, there was a call for a Constitutional Convention with delegates to be elected nationwide. Poll winners who represented Camarines Sur were Raul S. Roco, Ramon A. Diaz and Antonio M. Sison, representing the first district of the province; Eddie P. Alanis, Edmundo B. Cea, Felix R. Alfelor, Jr., Lilia B. de Lima and Domingo M. Guevara, representing the second district.
This was later followed by the first Batasan Pambansa elections, an experiment in the parliamentary form of government, with representation made by region. Camarines Sur members of the legislative body were Luis R. Villafuerte, Arnulfo P. Fuentebella and Dolores H. Sison.
In the Batasan polls for 1984, elected assemblymen representing the province were all from the opposition “Apat na Agila” coalition: Villafuerte, Cea, Ciriaco R. Alfelor and Rolando R. Andaya. Villafuerte emerged as runaway topnotcher while Arnulfo Fuentebella towed the losing KBL candidates who failed to capitalize on superior logistics from Marcos. In the losing team aside from Fuentebella were Triviño, Salvador Bigay and Lorenzo Ballecer.
APAT NA AGILA
The Apat na Agila eventually formed the original core of local leaders who backed the presidential bid of Corazon C. Aquino in the 1986 “snap” elections. Soon after, however, the four former allies parted ways in succeeding political exercises.
Early in the Aquino revolutionary government, Villafuerte was named chairman of the Commission on Government Reorganization. It was actually his second cabinet position having served as Minister of Trade under the administration of President Marcos. He later was appointed provincial governor of Camarines Sur in 1986 replacing holdover Governor Fuentebella.
In 1995, Villafuerte retook the governorship by emerging the winner in the province wide polls over Bulaong and popular songstress Imelda A. Papin. He came out again victorious in 1998 and 2001 for his third consecutive and last term in office winning overwhelmingly with an unprecedented margin of nearly 200,000 votes against movie superstar Nora Aunor.
TECLA SAN ANDRES ZIGA
Outside of the NP patriarch, “Don Pepe” Fuentebella and “Munding” Cea, another senator identified as a Camarinense was Tecla San Andres Ziga, a Nagueña. The first Bicolana bar topnotcher, she began her political career as a congresswoman representing Albay’s first district. Too, Senator Dominador “Bading” R. Aytona spent his younger years in Bato, Camarines Sur and Naga.
Despite its tamed past, the political history of Camarines Sur was always colorful. In the prewar years, crowds flocked to public plazas fascinated by the oratorical prowess of speakers who engaged in heated debates with political rivals. There were no limits to time and personal harangues. Sound system were then not yet popular.
Certainly, the political landscape in the province will never be the same again. The “encontradas” of old are no longer around to provide drama and laughter for the benefit of the audience. Intraparty campaigns have gone high-tech through the electronic media. Development as a preferred platform of government has become the name of the game.
