LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Body heat or ‘global warming’ for you
MARCH L. FIANZA

Even with early morning temperatures going down to as low as 8 – 12 deg C in this mountain resort, some people including this space do not feel the cold as some recent events have raised the blood pressure that has kept the body warm – or the head at least.

On Christmas day, Mayor Caesar Rafael was killed by “known” assassin(s). Parts of his body were literally shattered to pieces as the gunman or gunmen made sure that he was dead. Naturally, this incident raised the heat in Paracelis, in Natonin where his daughter is mayor and in many other places where his supporters may be found. That is “global warming” for you.

In India , the extreme cold weather is not felt so much because people there are naturally and extremely hot. This is manifested in the assassination of opposition stalwart Benazir Bhutto that was carried out before the end of 2007, allegedly by “hot” Muslim extremists. That too, is “global warming.”

In our barangay, a number of residents in my neighborhood feel their body temperatures climb everytime they pass by street lights that have not been working for almost a month now. They say that this situation endangers life, limb and property because it attracts would-be “akyat bahay” gangs, hold-uppers and criminal elements who operate in the dark.

Beneco maintenance men who checked the problem early last December said, the thing can not be repaired as it has to be replaced. This is a task assigned under the PUSO of Baguio.

As early as November last year, Beneco GM Gerry Versosa already disseminated to the press a proposed agreement that could have transferred the job of replacing irreparable street lights from the city to Beneco. This could mean a “one-stop shop” and speedier repair and replacement of street lights in the city – if that is approved. Presently, it is taking too long for irreparable street lights to be replaced because the purchase of the needed material is also taking too long.

Unfortunately, City Hall informants said, an official connected to the PUSO is not happy with the proposal because this would definitely affect his purchasing power – whatever that is. This raised body heat among residents affected by the delay in the repair of street lights. But that also raised some eyebrows in City Hall. In Tuba, some municipal officials may yet get early surprises in the Year of the Rat as a case for “grave abuse of authority” is about ready to be filed against them with the Ombudsman. It appears that the officials stopped the proposed Baguio City sanitary landfill at Yagyagan, Tadiangan, Tuba without the benefit of a public consultation. This raised the body heat and blood pressures of their constituents.

Tuba voters said the vested interest of the officials who exchanged gifts and promises last Christmas was the root of the heat. An area below the eastern direction of the Loakan airport runway that is within Virac, Itogon is being eyed as the site for Baguio ’s basura. Watchout Itogon! I am sure my favorite Uncle and board member Ponso Fianza has many things to say about a sanitary landfill to be constructed near their Virac property. Let us pray that the stench will not seep through the municipal council of Itogon. If it does, surely the heat will rise.

But the town which lies by the clean Agno is warm enough and does not need more heat. In Bokod, self-confessed squatters who also admitted to be the ones responsible in hiding illegally cut lumber in two pinewood shanties are scot-free because the DENR seems powerless in going after them. PD705 clearly provides that the government is the complainant in illegal logging activities and has the power to arrest violators even without a warrant -- much more so, because there is already admittance by the offenders.

Failure to apprehend violators on the part of the government’s agents because of flimsy reasons could be interpreted as being “selective in the apprehension of violators.” In last Friday’s PDInquirer, the title of one of the stories goes: “Corruption blamed for deforestation.” That seems to be true if you look at the nation as a whole. If that were also true in Baguio, Bokod or in the Cordillera, then brace yourselves for the effects of global warming. Have your blood pressure checked too. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com