Sleeping on the job

 THE highly irregular if not downright illegal policy of the Binmaley local government dumping its wastes inside the military camp is contemptible at the very least.

While Mayor Sammy Rosario graciously and readily agreed to comply with the order of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) to immediately desist from dumping its garbage in the camp, one wonders why it had to take a formal complaint from the Philippine Army before the LGU and PENRO took that belated action.

There is the R.A. 9003, Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 that requires compliance without exemption. And while PENRO chief Leduina Co correctly pointed out the obligation and responsibility of the LGU, one of her reprimanding fingers unwittingly pointed to her office’s negligence and failure to stop the dumping of garbage in the camp early on.

If PENRO had been doing its work conscientiously, monitoring all waste management activities of towns and cities in the province, the abuse and degradation of the military camp would have been avoided and the LGU was saved from any embarrassment.

The Binmaley-AFP garbage issue has brought into sharper focus the urgent need for our provincial government to ensure that Pangasinan is a healthy place to live in. We wonder how many other towns and cities continue to ignore our law.

Today, the indicator we are seeing is – PENRO is sleeping on the job.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan can do the province a good turn if it compels PENRO to submit regular reports on how each town and city in the province is faring in complying with R.A.9003.

 

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SEA Games flop—again

NO one is celebrating except Malacanang.  And that shouldn’t be a surprise.  The Chief Executive has blood ties with top dogs in sports. Thus, even if we placed a dismal 6th overall among 11 nations in the just-ended SEA Games in Singapore, the Palace still shouted, “It was a job well done.” It is all right to praise athletes giving it their best shot but fell short, as in our bets duplicating this year that woeful, 29-gold effort in the last SEA Games that put us at an awful 7th overall in 2013. But sparing sports officials of the hot rod is another.  For, aren’t billions spent for sports development year in and year out?  Simply put, misguided and inefficient athletic leaders have always been the usual suspects, so to speak.  Many of them are even aging and overstaying, led by 80-ish Peping Cojuangco, the No. 1 NPA (Non-Performing Athlete), who is “only” the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Alas, Peping is President Aquino’s first-degree uncle. Ugh!

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