WELL…well, it seems that “Bikoy2”, a.k.a. Jeffrey Celiz, is now a “star in a TV show”.
You have to give it to the man. He has mastered the art of reinventing and selling himself and has never been wanting for gullible buyers.
From student to professional activist who had a falling out with his comrades, he ingratiated himself to politicians, particularly to then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, and became an executive assistant.
He became Mayor Mabilog’s spokesman…errrrr…attack dog against enemies, real or imagined. Some also suspected him to be the liaison between the mayor and slain drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr.
When Mayor Mabilog and eventually Celiz were implicated in President Rodrigo Duterte’s “drug list”, he disappeared. Now, after four years, he surfaced as the “star in a TV show” of NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict). And the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” wondered if Jeffrey Celiz threw Mayor Jed Mabilog under the bus.
Excerpts from the Nov. 4, 2020 issue of Panay News:
DID CELIZ BETRAY MABILOG?
Jed’s ex-aide claims to be a covert gov’t agent
Did Jeffrey Celiz, former spokesperson of then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, have something to do with his former boss’ inclusion in the narco-list of President Rodrigo Duterte?
In yesterday’s Senate inquiry on red-tagging/red-baiting of certain celebrities, personalities, institutions and organizations, Celiz appeared as a resource person for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF–ELCAC).
But vetting his credibility, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson asked Celiz about his inclusion in the narco-list of the President in 2016. Mabilog was also in that list.
Celiz said his inclusion in the list was part of his work as a covert agent of the government.
“I was included in that list because I was part of the government project para lansagin ang sindikato ng droga sa Iloilo,” said Celiz.
Does this mean that Celiz painted an “innocent” Mayor Mabilog as a drug protector, prompting President Duterte to tag “I Am Iloilo City” as “shabulized”?
Former Iloilo City councilor Plaridel Nava posted on Facebook: “I have known Celiz for years. He is gifted in drawing untruthful stories to discredit either his own or his handlers’ enemies.
“At the behest of his boss Jed Mabilog, Celiz was responsible for writing and propagating the so-called ‘white paper’ that maliciously implicated me and some anchormen of Aksyon Radyo in the drug trade in the city.
Jeffrey Celiz is a very good “salesman” and his only product is himself. He has always managed to sell himself to desperate, gullible politicians. After four years of hibernating, he has found another mark.
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And we segue to “spaghetti”. Before, you have visions of this delightful and delectable classic Italian dish i.e. puttanesca or marinara, I’m sorry to disappoint you. We’re not talking about it but something not delightful or delectable that just happens to resemble it.
And this is what we’re talking about – sagging and tangled electric wires and cables and communication lines, what is commonly known in “I Am Iloilo City” as “spaghetti wires”.
For decades the natives of “I Am Iloilo City” have accepted as facts of life this unsightly visual pollution (not to mention very dangerous and highly volatile as they could burst into flames the moment an exposed wire or cable come to contact with each other).
Nobody ever thought these “spaghetti wires” could actually be removed. Well that is until some groups came up with a very good plan.
Last week, major public utilities providers of “I Am Iloilo City”, i.e. Smart and Globe Communications, PLDT, Sky Cable and MORE Electric and Power Corp., together with the Iloilo City government, met to discuss specifically the problem of these “spaghetti wires” and what should be done about them.
As announced by Engineer Randy Pastolero, executive assistant for power to Mayor Geronimo, the meeting was initiated by MORE Power considering that they have the technical capabilities and equipment.
The meeting resulted into the organization of (the) Public Utilities Group of Iloilo (PUGI), which lists as members all the major players in the city’s public utility business.
Now that makes one wonder why erstwhile power provider Panay Electric Co. (PECO) never did anything of that sort during their watch when they were also quite capable of doing so.
The plan and goal is to rid all major streets and thoroughfares, including all public plazas, of these unsightly and dangerous “spaghetti wires” and poles.
Each member utility company will have a specific task in the campaign, ensuring that the repair and removal of cables and spaghetti wires will go on as scheduled without hitches.
Considering that the bulk of the project falls on MORE Power, they are expected to ensure that the rearranged cable and communication lines will not be only pleasing to the eyes, but safe.
Take note, this is a project of Mayor Geronimo as he wants not only to level-up “I Am Iloilo City” into the 21st century but also to boost her image as a heritage city.
I’m all for it and why not? But we’ll see what happens in the coming days./PN
