LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Wrong signals
March Fianza

Last month, the city was terrorized by three separate violent incidents, all of which took place in and around Session road, Baguio ’s popular main thoroughfare. The first one took place in the evening of April Fool’s Day in front of a hotel near the Session road rotunda. Here, youthful and harmless TimTam, daughter of media colleagues Art and Helen Tibaldo was robbed of her cell phone and money and later stabbed by one of the two culprits. The police said it was an “isolated case.”

Many weeks later, two persons died while five others were wounded as a result of a grenade-throwing incident, again near the hotel where TimTam was stabbed. Another “isolated case?”

Three days later, one of three men who attacked a man in civilian clothes who identified himself as a cop, was shot in close range by the latter when they tried to grab his service firearm. The late afternoon incident took place just a few steps away from the former Pines Theatre. Witnesses said the three were apparently on drugs or drunk as they were rowdy and were stopping motor vehicles that they caused a traffic jam.

In all the latest cases of violence, the answer of the police was the usual “we are investigating” or “the case is isolated.” This, I believe is a wrong signal to members of a peaceful city. With violent incidents such as grenade-throwing, stabbing and shooting happening one after the other in a span of less than a month – how can these be isolated cases?
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Sen. Manny Villar’s ambition to serve as President of the Philippines has been bruited about since the last election. On my own, I asked friends if they approved of his dream and many of them said yes. Some even concluded that if he wins, he would be the least among the presidents who would be stealing people’s money because he is too rich to be doing that. Depende met ah!

But voters were pissed off lately because of a statement he made that a candidate is qualified to run for president if he or she has PhP 3 Billion, at least. Surely, many Filipinos and foreigners took that as a very bad sign, a wrong signal which indicated that elections in the Philippines are won if one has the money.

While money is an important factor in elections especially in developing countries, it is not the main requirement. Filipinos who have been crying for change in how elected leaders should run their offices would still fight for honest, truthful and incorruptible citizens – not liars, deceitful people, thieves and billionaires.

Senator Villar’s bringing home stranded OFWs with his personal money is praiseworthy, but not when he has already announced his presidential ambition. Whatever one calls that act, I believe it is practically the same as “vote-buying.”

“Ang galing sa mahirap ay tumutulong sa kapwa mahirap.” True, but not when the “tumutulong” is expecting a “kapalit sa tulong.” By the way, dole-outs – no matter how rich a donor is, will always stop sometime in the future. And when more poor workers who never had their share, ask for similar treatment that other OFWs had, corruption rears its head.
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Attendance in the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in the past days had no quorum because more than 50 of them left for the United States to witness the Pacquiao-Hatton fight. Others were out for “medical” reasons, kunu. The House leadership and colleagues received flak for that even as they defended their act by saying that they “spent their own money.”

But, how do we distinguish the personal money of a congressman from the money that he gets from being in that position, like salaries and other benefits? Unless the congressman derives income from other means such as private business dealings or someone spends for his junket, he is not saved from being condemned.

Congressmen in the Philippines are again sending another wrong signal to the world, especially to the Filipino youth, that the age-old worker’s maxim “duty first before pleasure” is no longer applicable.

Bacolod Congressman Monico Puentebella who has been broadcasting live from the Las Vegas ring the previous Pacquiao fights said he is doing that as “favor and service to the Filipino people.” That is a lot of bull.

Fine, but that is not part of his duty as a member of the House. He was not even sent by Congress to do that, even if he is an official of the Philippine Olympic Committee (or is that now a committee in the House?) and claims to work for a radio outfit.

Well, Filipinos are indeed interested in boxing. But we are not only fascinated with the fights of Pacquiao and the other Pinoy boxers. We love to watch all other boxing matches. Now, why not allow the good congressman do live broadcast for all the other fights with the same treatment he does with Pacquiao’s fights, and let him stay there for good with all the rest of the other congressmen?

Definitely, without a quorum in the House, there would be a stop to Philippine legislation. That would be better and safer for Filipinos, since we already have too many laws that are not implemented anyway. Abolish the House. “Hep-hep Hooray” for the Senate! – marchfianza777@yahoo.com