BULL's HIT

Abusive Baguio school and barangay officials
by Rudy Garcia

The Election is over but the game of politics is not. This is like an endless game with all those politicians as players. Some can be the winners now but losers tomorrow. Lucky were those who still emerged as winners for the nth times. But there can be no permanent victory or unlucky forever, no permanent political party, opponent or supporter.

In this game, the public is audience while the referee or the regulating body is the Commission on Elections. Some play fair and square and others play dirty. There are dirty tacticians and it is sad to note that, the Comelec seems reluctant in going after the violators.

Meanwhile, even the public seems to be silent on whatever they hear and see and prefer to look the other way around. This is politics, Pinoy style where candidates with the 3Gs (guns, goons and gold) rule.

In Baguio City the proclamation is over but there are still some who don’t want to concede and accept defeat. There are allegations of vote buying and intimidation but have yet to see these complaints filed formally with the Comelec, otherwise we can say that these people making the allegations are just sourgraping, period.

Nevertheless, we already have a new set of local government leaders who will be in charge of the city’s administration. I hope these new pilots or ship captains of the city will make good their promises and perform their platforms. We urge the citizens to cooperate and help the new leaders on our common visions and goals to make this beloved city a true character city and restore its good image and apt tag as the cleanest and greenest City.

If there are incompetent Professional Regulatory Commission executives, there are also incompetent administrators of public schools in Baguio . The ongoing enrollment in public elementary and high schools is making students and their parents hard up because of incompetence of some persons in charge.

These school leaders never learn lessons from the past. They still adapt the old method instead of new strategies to avoid old problems and inconveniences. Look at what is going on at the Pines City National High School along Palma St.

I bet, this is not the only school of this kind) and because of poor leadership you can see the long and crowded lines of students and parents outside and inside its premises morning and afternoon.

They should have anticipated the influx of students because of increasing 1st year high school enrollees and transferees from private schools. They don’t even have the proper information and dissemination. I bet if everyone was informed of what to wear, what to bring and minimum of money to bring for the enrollment, ID picture and so forth, people wouldn’t have been given such a hard time.

Can you imagine a student coming to school as early as 4 a. m. and made to line up and after several hours of waiting, prevented from going inside because he doesn’t have a uniform, didn’t have the prescribed haircut and enough money to pay this and that?

Don’t these intelligent people know the meaning of good leadership and compassion for the underprivileged? It’s no wonder the parents who came from these schools I happened to meet were fuming mad and I can’t blame them. I hope the Department of Education can do something on this matter of concern! Anu sey nyu diyan mga bosing sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon? Hoy! gising!
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There is a need for the Baguio City council to fast-track the approval of a measure made by councilor Elmer Datuin regulating all internet and computer shops in Baguio particularly on overnight promos.

Here, it will be prohibited for minors to play overnight in any internet cafe or computer shop without the approval and guidance of their qualified guardians. This is a welcome measure from the good councilor since there are noted computer or internet shops allowing minors to play overnight without any consent of guardians.

The operators of these businesses forgot their social responsibilities: they don’t care if the health, studies and behavior of these children are affected. Their priority is the good income they earn from this promo. Anyway, their days are numbered since once approved, we will be the first to ask the police and authorities concerned to enforce this immediately. Ano say niyo dito, kayo jan sa city council? Pakibilisan naman ang kilos para maaprubahan na itong magandang panukala ni councilor Datuin.
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I would like again to call the attention of Lawrence Adube of the Baguio City Barangay Coordinationg Office to look and investigate the perverse actuations of the lupon Tagapamayapa including the Punong Barangay of Padre Zamora Barangay.

I happened to be one of the observers during a recent hearing of barangay cases at Padre Zamora. It was a disgust to witness this hearing as some officials like PB Gloria Basingan and a certain Kagawad Anos didn’t observe proper behavior and good manners.

Worst, they showed partisanship instead of being fair mediators. There was even an instance wherein Basingan nearly tore a pertinent document in front of the parties to show that the document was useless.

She asserted her belief that oral arguments weremore powerful, authentic and reliable than documents of proof! This intelligent PB and kagawad even threatened the other party while trying to invoke the other party to do drastic and illegal acts. There should be a court order or any court intervention so that these barangay officials would not court parties at odds from committing illegal acts.

The paying of filing fee for P100 per case is also an issue these barangay officials should explain. Is this legal or illegal and how about sending summons indicating the time, but the actual time when the litigation started was too late?

All parties arrived at 2 p.m. but the hearing only started at 4 p.m. I think the APT tag for the Lupong Tagapamayapa Barangay Padre Zamora should be Lupong Tagamamaya na. Be posted because I will be printing more about Barangay Padre Zamora and its officials.
Abangan!
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Concerned residents of Camp 6 Tuba, Benguet called my attention regarding the rampant use of explosives particularly dynamites by pocket miners operating within the mountain slope near the Poblacion area. The residents cannot live and sleep peacefully because of the effects of explosives used by the pocket miners. They are now living in fear especially with the onset of the rainy season. They are afraid these activities would start massive landslides and will bury them alive.

Attention Barangay Captain of Camp 6 and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Please investigate this complaint and if possible, institute appropriate sanctions against these miners and persons behind this activity if they are operating illegally.

The fruit game machine or “colalong” I earlier exposed in this column found along Legarda Road , beside EJ’s Disco Bar is still on the upswing. More disturbing are those minors inside the bar smoking and drinking in the late hours at night.

Can’t our authorities do something to have this bar closed? Or the owner, a certain “Eugene” is really malakas? How about it Mayor Peter Rey Bautista and Councilor Galo Weygan? Pakibusisi niyo naman mga Sir, at kung puwede ipasara niyo na, please…