Editorial

By April 22, 2013Editorial, News

Summer spoilt

IT could not be more fun in Pangasinan beaches if people continue to drown.

Two drowning incidents in Lingayen last weekend already claimed four lives and there will likely be more victims as the number of summer beachgoers peak towards the May 1 Pista’y Dayat celebration. Earlier, on March 30, Saturday of the long weekend of the Holy Week observance, a woman drowned in San Fabian. On the same day, two in Sual and another two in Lingayen were swept by strong currents and almost drowned, but were rescued on time by a team of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, which was on special alert at that time given the expected holiday throng. Going back to past years, there would be no summer spoilt by somebody dying in the waters of Pangasinan.

When deaths are reported yearly as they are, these can no longer be treated as mere exceptional cases. When either locals or visitors die every year while supposedly enjoying the province’s sand and sea, these can no longer be considered as accidents but negligence on the part of local government units in the coastal areas.

Towns and cities that host popular beaches should employ regular lifeguards, not mere volunteers, and provide them with boats, life vests, and other equipment that will help ensure the safety of the crowd. The LGUs’ income from resorts and other related businesses should be invested back to the very beaches that attract the guests. When Pangasinan’s beaches, long known for having waters with strong undercurrents, finally gain a reputation for utmost safety with the presence of trained and equipped lifeguards, LGUs and the surrounding coastal communities can expect a boost in tourism income.

Only then can Pangasinan summers be truly fun.

*          *          *          *          *          *

Mere myth

IS there a Catholic vote?

The resounding answer is, yes.  To be sure, though, a Catholic vote is just one vote, as in an Iglesia ni Cristo vote, an El Shaddai vote and a Protestant vote. But the Catholic vote is entirely different from a Catholic vote.  While the Catholic vote connotes that the entire flock have gone for a particular candidate endorsed by religious leaders, a Catholic vote is just one vote from a Catholic.

So, is the Catholic vote for real?

We don’t think so.  The late Cardinal Sin had called for the flock not to vote for Erap in the 1998 presidential election.  What happened next was Estrada won 39.59 percent of the votes cast, garnering victorious votes more than twice that of the second placer’s. In similar fashion, the Catholic vote did not stop Fidel Ramos, a Protestant, from winning the 1992 presidential election, either. In 2004, the El Shaddai vote went for vice presidential bet Kit Tatad. Tatad, a touted Opus Dei stalwart, wound up a dismal fifth among nine candidates.

In short, a candidate winning through sheer religious force is a mere myth.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments

Next Post