GEN. MATEO NORIEL LUGA HONORED BY PGMA

GEN. MATEO NORIEL LUGA was honored by the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

While we honor our dead, we salute the living who continues the struggle to realize the vision of our past and present day heroes.

Right after he took his oath of office as Chairman of the Civil Service Commisison, Honorable Ricardo L. Saludo established the PAMANANG LINGKOD BAYAN AND SCHOLARSHIP FUND and among its first recipients allegedly being considered for the grant were the dependents of those who died in a chopper accident at Ifugao to inaugurate a major road project, which shall benefit the Cordillerans, a second home to Gen. Victor Luga and a home to the Baguilats and the Brawners. The project shall provide access road for the agricultural products from CAR and other which were produced as a result of the government’s peace effort initiated by the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP), when Usec. Nonoy Catura and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita were still at OPAPP.

Press Secretary Cerg Remonde, a fellow Cebuano of General Emilio S. Luga, Jr., have this to say:

"Chairman Saludo has solid plans and strategies to realize his vision. His plans and strategies include the completion of the third phase of the salary standardization law, narrowing the gap between the salaries of government workers and those in the private sector, strengthening meritocracy in government and intelligently applying media and information and communications technologies to promote responsiveness, efficiency and integrity in government.

"While he has set grand aspirations for himself and the civil service, Chairman Saludo keeps his feet firmly on the ground. He knows that by himself, he can only do so much.

"Chairman Saludo acknowledges that alone, he cannot make all the changes in the age-old ways, structures, policies and practices in the Philippine civil service.

"This outlook is buoyed by his steadfast belief that there are many more like him in the over a million-person strong civil service, and the millions more outside the formal government structure, who share his vision and aspirations, and that given the opportunity, these like-minded individuals would move as one to make the vision of a MERCI-ful civil service a reality."

CSC Chairman Saludo is also one who stands on critical issues advocating for the protection of human rights, freedom of expression, equal access to public service and respect to human rights, a trait of our forefathers who wages honorable warfare, when he addressed the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

In a less than a year in Office, the Salary Standardization Law III was passed into law and ready for implementation for all government workers to benefit this July.

Continuity of the government’s orderly function, regardless of politics is safe with Honorable CSC Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo at the helm of the Commission for the government to move forward as one, insulated from politics. The Honorable Chairman Saludo already proven his sincerity in a short span of his stay in office. He deserves the confirmation of the Commission on Appointment, were Senator Ping Lacson, also a PMAr is a member.

Meanwhile, Gen. Victor Luga shall be the guest speaker on the 75th Death Anniversary of Gen. Mateo Noriel Luga on 2010 at Tumauini, Isabela:

ANG PAGBABALIK

Sa taong 2010 ay ating gugunitain ang Ika-75 taong kamatayan ng isang katangi-tanging bayani sa larangan ng ating bansa. Isang bayaning namuno sa isang pinakamalaking tribu sa buong Cagayan Valley ang mga "Ibanag". Siya'y hindi nagpalit ng kanyang apelyedo, kultura at paniniwalang ang lahing Pilipino ay kayang alpasan ang mga dayuhang naghahari at nagdidikta ng landas ng lahing kayumanggi.

Si Mateo Noriel Luga kasama ng kanyang mga pinsan at iba't ibang tribu ng Cagayan na pinangungunahan ng "Ibanag" ay nagpasyang sumanib sa rebolusyon upang patalsikin ang nuo'y sumasakop sa ating bansa, ang mga dayuhang "Kastila". Matapos nating makamtan ang kalayaan, siya at ang kanyang dalawang pinsan ay pumalaot na muli patungong Bisaya upang itagtag ang pamahalaang Republika ng Pilipinas sa Cebu.

Hindi naglaon ay sumiklab ang digmaang Pilipino at Amerikano. Ang kanyang pamilya ay ginapos at ginawang sangkalan para siya'y manghina at sumuko. Nguni't imbis na manghina siya'y nagpasyang lusubin ang kutang Kano at sinagip ang kanyang mga minamahal sa buhay. Siya'y nagbalik na muli at nakipagdigma sa mga Amerikanong may mas malalakas na sandata at may mga barkong pangdigma sa patas na pamamaraan. Matapos ang pagsalakay, ang mga Amerikano na nuo'y pimamumunuan ni Admiral Dewey ay naglayag paalis ng Cebu. Si Admiral Dewey ay hindi na bumalik na muli sa Cebu mula nuon.

Pagkatpos ng giyerang Pilipino at Amerikano sa pagsuko ni Gen. Aguinaldo, siya'y hinirang bilang konstable upang tugisin ang mga masasamang loob sa Cebu. Siya'y nakaabot ng Mindanao sa pagtugis ng iba't ibat brigada ng masasamang loob. Ang Cebu ay naging isang mapayapang lugar sa kanyang pamumuno. Nguni't sa kadahilanang siya'y hindi sumasang-ayon sa mga polisiya ng di na-aangkop sa kanyang paniniwala bilang isang Pilipino, siya'y tumiwalag sa serbisyo at namuhay ng payapa bilang isang magsasaka kapiling ang kanyang pamilya sa Isla ng Negros.

Sa kanyang paglalakbay upang bumalik sa kanyang bayang sinilangan na matagal niya nang pina-nanabikan, siya'y binawian ng buhay sa Maynila. Hindi na siya naka-uwi sa Tumauini kung saan niya sinimulan ang kanyang pakikibaka. Ang kanyang labi hangang sa ngayon ay hindi pa matunton.

Bilang isang pagpupugay sa kanyang kadakilaan, nais naming ihandog ang "PAGBABALIK" kung saan nagsimula ang kanyang pakikidigma upang makamtan ang kalayaan na ating tinatamasa sa ngayon: