Turn, turn, turn

Anglican priest Francis Daoey (R) and his company prepare native chickens for a daw es (cleansing ritual) at Banangan, Sablan, Benguet last week after the ill fated Eso Nice Bus tragedy that killed 42 people. Redjie Melvic Cawis

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March Fianza

It is healing time for Filipinos and Hong Kong residents. There is no comparison however with the crisis that both nations are experiencing now.

Although, sympathy and condolences are in order for the relatives of the eight Hong Kong nationals killed in the unfortunate hostage-taking shootout inside a tourist bus Monday last week.

Still, the Philippines is the bigger loser considering the 42 deaths from the Banangan bus fall five days before the hostage-taking in a bus in Manila. But maybe the latter incident was more fortunate in media mileage since the victims were foreign nationals, not Filipinos.

That makes the difference. Even as the effects of colonization here has faded a long time ago, some of our colleagues in media still have the mentality that news coverage of incidents involving foreigners is more sikat.

News coverage for the 42 victims in the Banangan bus fall was nothing in comparison to the news treatment on the eight foreign tourists killed in a shootout inside their bus.

And every time the news is played on TV, I ask myself: Where or when does coverage of an incident such as the hostage-taking stop? Would it have been possible that events turned out differently and no shooting incident could have ensued if there was no live TV coverage?

At this point, events can no longer be reversed. And while everyone of the sikat joined in the blame game, Jackie Chan of the reel world quickly stated the real thing.

He said, if at first the cops shot the hostage taker, people will say “why not negotiate first…,” but if negotiations came first, the same people will say “why not shoot the hostage taker first…”

In other words, there was no use blaming each other for what resulted after the failed negotiation. This time, what is left to do is to move on and allow wounds to heal.
On the part of the media, the police and authorities who feel some guilt for what has turned out, it is time to turn around and look at oneself. Maybe ask the question; “have I been doing right?”

Even Rep. Edcel Lagman should ask himself the same question. He was quick to blame P-Noy who has been in Malacanang for only 60 days, saying he was nowhere to be found during the crisis.

But, for being close to then PGMA who, according to Sen. Jinggoy, illegally stayed in Malacanang for nine long years, maybe Rep. Lagman has done so much to improve the conditions of the working policeman.
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So called accidents that happened within the Benguet side of Naguillan road were fatal. It does not have something to do with the road’s condition because that highway is pampered when it comes to allotting funds for repair.

Neither does it have anything to do with bad fog or rain because these elements do not press drivers to step on the gas – instead, the rain and fog slow them down.

The familiar Banangan fog from the West creeps in as early as 10am resulting to a zero-visibility situation. That too slows down motorists.

In most of the misfortunes investigated along that road line by responding policemen, reports revealed that the culprit behind the “accidents” was mechanical trouble or human error, or both. No accident in the past was blamed on the weather or bad road condition.

That makes bus companies guilty. In the latest Naguillan road incident, 42 were killed. Twelve were from Benguet.

Reporters and police investigators who were on the scene learned from the bus conductor and some survivors that the driver knew that there was something abnormal with the airbrakes minutes after they left the station.

Some say the bus driver already sensed mechanical defects when they were still within the vicinity of Baguio’s business centers. Others saw the driver trying to shift to low gear but that did not work.

Operating the handbrake failed too; hence, the choice left was to ram the bus on something. Unfortunately, the bus driver’s choices did not work. The bus fell 80 meters down in a cliff, instantly killing 35 on the spot.

With the recent bloody incident, I became mindful that in most of my trips on Naguillan highway, there was always a bus or two stranded along that route. The buses that would be stuck or under repair are those belonging to Eso-Nice and other companies. That is as far as I can recall.

There are drivers from bus companies within the Baguio-La Union line who do not care to switch their dimmers when they meet other motorists on the road at night time. It is time their drivers are taught road courtesy.

There are buses that ply the Baguio-La Union route that overtake even while there are oncoming vehicles from the opposite direction. This puts everyone on the road in a very dangerous situation. It is time these buses are removed from the road – permanently.

Lately, news reports said the Eso-Nice bus that tried but failed to become an airplane at the Banangan runway two weeks ago did not have genuine papers.

Certainly, there were complaints and reports of the incidents cited above. Why these buses are still on the road is no longer surprising. It now has become the practice in the LTFRB or shall we say part of the culture of government workers to just allow irregularities, anyway accidents only happen once in many years.

I hope not. And if indeed there are “rotten tomatoes” in an office, there are only a few of them. There number can be counted with one’s fingers.

I am still hopeful that things will turn around for the better under the present administration – and the people involved in corrupt practices for the longest time will someday realize that they can not be in that situation forever.

Which makes me recall part of Pete Seeger’s song that goes “To everything – turn, turn, turn; there is a season – turn, turn, turn; And a time for every purpose under heaven.”

“A time to kill, a time to heal. A time to laugh, a time to weep. A time to love, a time to hate. A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!”