ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST THE CHICOTE CLAN OF DAVAO

ippines between 1874 and 1899. One of his as-signments was as first sergeant of the guardia civil in Polloc (now part of Parang, Maguinda-nao del Norte) before he was transferred to Jolo. He was the eldest in the brood. He was later moved to Manila in 1887 as part of the Guardia Civil Veterana, a police contingent imbued with the task of apprehending civilian offenders and petty criminals.

His three siblings, meanwhile, namely Prudencio, Aurelio, and Angel had settled in Da-vao even before he had decided to follow them and work in the national capital. Alfredo, an-other sibling, chose Manila as his home. In 1898, less than a month before the Americans de-feated the Spaniards in the mock Battle of Manila Bay, Adolfo was repatriated but was later involved in the Spanish-American War.

Two of Don Sandalio’s daughter also had links with the Philippines. Eloisa resided briefly in Manila where her spouse, Lt. Col. Manuel Diaz y Luque, was an infantry commander. Carolina, on the other hand, wedded Col. Rodriguez y De la Rivera, an infantry officer. All her children were born in the Philippines, one in Cotabato where his husband was briefly as-signed.

As a Manila resident, Alfredo studied Law at the University of Santo Tomas. After be-coming a lawyer, he was installed as the justice of the peace of Quiapo, Manila. After Spain lost the Philippines to the U.S., he applied for American citizenship to protect his assets and thriving business in the country. He married a Catalan with whom he had thirteen children.

On the other hand, Angel finished a degree in topography from the same university. Re-maining single, he lived in Davao where he applied his knowledge in farming; he was also reported to have engaged in the survey and appraisal of lands.

War was not kind to the Chicote clan. Fifteen of its members, including Alfredo were massacred by the Japanese prior to the liberation of Manila. Some surviving descendants moved to Davao where they gained prominence in Gov. Generoso, Davao Oriental, and San-ta Cruz, Davao del Sur, the mother municipality of Digos, Padada, Hagonoy, Matanao and Bansalan.

Prudencio, meanwhile, married Maria Villa Abrille and permanently established resi-dence in Santa

Cruz where they acquired a sprawling estate at Patulangon, an erstwhile Ba-gobo domain. He also partnered with Manuel Sanchez Ruiz, another Spaniard, in logging business. As a respected settler, he was appointed justice of the peace of his adopted town. The couple did not have children and died intestate. At the time and until the American oc-cupation, Santa Cruz was home to full-blooded Spaniards who made good in agriculture and commerce. They were also known for their thriving cattle industry. Aurelio, who married Guadalupe Bangoy and resided in Sigaboy, was also childless. They left numerous properties. For his contributions to the development of the place where they lived, a barangay and an elementary school were named in his honor.

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”BLAISE PASCAL.

(Nosy, the dictionary says, is an adjective describing excessive curiosity about other peoples’ affairs;” and “to pry into something.” It is like a neighbor who looks into your window to see what you and your wife are doing.)

I loved and enjoyed what former Senate President and now Presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile said about the ICC (International Criminal Court) guys who insist on entering our country to further investigate the socalled Duterte drug war.

He said in so many words: “I will have them arrested if they interfere with our justice system…”

Contrary to Enrile’s views, the minority members in the Senate - Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel - are willing to give up our sovereignty and accede to the ICC demand to probe the “human rights” violations committed during the intensified illegal drugs campaign of the previous administration.

I raise this question: If the ICC is so deathly righteous about its job of probing all human rights violations, why does it not go to Iran and demand from the Khameini government to allow the ICC to investigate the summary execution of four Iranian youths who were arrested and swiftly tried at the height of the country-wide protests and militant awakening arising out of the brutal death of Masha Amini?

If the ICC is so deathly righteous about performing its job, why does it not enter Afghanistan and probe the Taliban’s execution of officials of the previous government and the cruel treatment and public flogging of women they find “disobeying” basic Islamic laws?

Why? Is the Philippine judicial system not functioning adequately that Sens. Pimentel and Hontiveros find our citizens helpless to seek redress and justice that we need outside help to maintain law and order, justice and equality?

Good that DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla has slammed the door against the precocious intervention of the ICC, disguising its human rights protectionism work as a “decent and subtle” cover to undermine the integrity of Third World nations like the Philippines.

What about the inhumane treatment suffered by many of our OFWs stationed in many parts of the globe?

Will the ICC take the initiative to look into the recent barbaric slaying of domestic Juliebee Ranara in Kuwait, the third such killing of OFWs in that Muslim country?

It is unpatriotic for anyone to even lend a hand in allowing a foreign entity to interfere in our internal affairs, much more in our judicial system which has been in operation since the Americans colonized us and introduced democracy.

It is even more unpatriotic for a senator or lawmaker to agree to a foreign entity like the ICC to intervene in our judicial functions as if the Philippine government does not know what it is doing.

It is good (even providential) that former president Rodrigo Duterte withdrew the Philippine membership from the ICC. The machiavellian strategy with which the political opposition - losers in several election battles and now helplessly desiring to get back to power - is employing to put down the duly constituted government is downright treasonous in nature.

This is absurd and ridiculous even.

Filipinos should be wary about electing into office - the Senate and Congress specifically - pseudo-lawmakers who masquerade as a Quezon, Osmena or Bonifacio but then sell the country down the river when their personal political interests are at stake.

Why should the ICC matter in our lives?

Filipinos have survived 400 hundred years of foreign colonization - the Spaniards, the Amricans, the Japanese and the corrupt traitors among us have realized and recognized the herculean resiliency of the indomitable Filipino spirit.

The Filipino of today is no longer the same Pinoy subdued by foreign powers yesterday.

We are no longer stooges of foreign power and foreign influencers.

We are a sovereign nation. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com. (GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!).