Strange affairs in a monkey election year

LETTERS  FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

The Chinese calendar says that 2016 is the year of the Monkey, starting from the Chinese New Year on February 8 and ending on Chinese New Year’s eve on January 27, 2017.

Are You a Monkey? “Monkeys” or monkey persons, according to the FengShui experts who graced the media briefing last Thursday at the Supreme Hotel of Peter Ng were those born in the years 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016.

Since last Thursday, Baguio City started celebrating the 18th year of the Chinese Lunar New Year since it formally became a city event through Resolution No. 18 passed by the city council in 1998.

Funny and interesting questions fielded by colleagues in the media were responded to by the Feng Shui experts with equally funny and interesting answers. They said, those born under the sign carry the good characters of the monkey that are “cheerful and energetic by nature, usually represent flexibility, loyalty and leadership”.

What I wanted to ask about were the bad qualities of the monkey that are present in humans. But had second thoughts, apprehensive of striking a sensitive string. Consider this, aside from being self-centered, restless, confident and condescending; monkeys like persons are crafty, scheming, wise and intelligent.

These may be the reasons why life is a jungle and not always a walk in the park. Like in the movie “Planet of the Apes”, there are sneaky monkey persons among us who are treating people as slaves.

 And there was one thing more no one dared to raise during the briefing, so I asked businessman Dennis Sy after dinner the million dollar question, “can monkeys be eaten?” His answer was positive. “Wen a, some places in China, kanen da.”

But for businessman George Wong and Roland Chongloi Wong of Luisa’s Café, their answers contradicted. George said, monkey meat is a delicacy in Thailand while Chongloi said, “depende luto na.”

Although in Cameroon, more than 65 per cent of the meat eaten come from the gorilla, chimpanzee or monkey killed in the jungle.

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            Aside from having strange bedfellows during election time, things have been going on unusually since the filing of candidates’ certificates last October. I see candidates in cahoots with politicians who, shall we say, have committed crimes against the environment, property and the very people who placed them in their positions in the first place.

There are also silent grumblings and objections against a flood control project along Brookside creek beside M. Roxas road. The river has never eroded even during the 1990 earthquake, has never overflowed and has not caused danger to the community. But millions of peoples’ taxes are now being poured into the project.

Apparently, the reasons behind the approval of such project is to spend government money and satisfy the whims of people behind it. For a river or creek with banks that never eroded, the danger is that concreting its walls will force natural water springs beside the river to look for openings or create their own passageways. When that happens, floods will occur.   

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Last week, residents of barangay Nangalisan, Tuba who were mentally and environmentally annoyed for a long time by an irritating stink caused by a piggery at Asin Centro voted for its closure. Earnestly hoping that the barangay officials execute what has been decided by the people they called to the meeting. In short, the message the Asin people want to say is “huwagnyokamingbabuyin.”  

Above the piggery, I also learned that the same personalities involved in the babuyan are bulldozing a mountain to construct a road. The earth-moving and massive soil excavation above the old concrete water tank that feeds the turbines of Asin Hydro has no permit and has no Environmental Compliance Certificate from the DENR.

They plan to sell the land where the road ends, if it has not been sold yet. But how can the DENR issue an ECC if the land is untitled? I was told that the owner of the piggery and road construction has been bragging about his close ties to a politician in Benguet.

That to me is equally hazardous to the politician. If he (piggery owner) spreads stinking pig shit at Asin, damages the environment and “bulldozes” the welfare of the community, how can he expect to solicit votes for his politician friend this coming election? Unless he is closer to the other candidate, that we will find out.

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When Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club Inc. (BCBC) president Dhobie De Guzman of ABS-CBN asked me to head the election committee, two things flashed in my mind. First, that I am really qualified to be BCBC Comelec chair because I do not know how to count votes just like Comelec commissioners; second, somebody wants to disqualify me from running for BCBC president again.

BCBC, the largest print and broadcast club in Northern Luzon elects a new set of officers yearly. For 2016, election day on February 13 (Saturday) comes seven days earlier than last year due to an early Holy Week celebrations, the time when the club launches its “Baguio-Benguet Lucky Summer Visitor” project.

Nominations should be submitted to the ff: past presidents Harley Palangchao of the Baguio Midland Courier, Alfred Dizon of The Northern Philippine Times, Frank Cimatu of the Baguio Chronicle, Rod Osis and Maria Elena Catajan of Baguio SunSTAR, Jonathan Llanes of PTV8 Baguio; or at the PIA office across The Mansion, care of Joseph Zambrano and yours truly.

Bragging aside, I was the first to run unopposed for the position of BCBC president. That was so because Richard Valdez of PTV8 who ran for the same position did not make it on time because he got stuck in a traffic somewhere in Manila. That was in 1997.

I have the feeling, next week’s election will find somebody running for president unopposed again. Whatever, attending BCBC elections is guaranteed excitement and entertainment. Ask past president DomceeCimatu who failed to call for an election on time, thus serving as BCBC president for almost two terms without a re-election.