More work to be done

COUNTING our blessings, Pangasinan has been very fortunate, not to have suffered the fate of Batanes, Isabela, Abra, Cagayan Valley and Ilocos provinces from the onslaught of Typhoons Karen and Lawin.

In such cases, no amount of preparation can stop the destruction of anything in their paths but adequate preparation and foresight saved lives.

In this regard, we commend the men, women and volunteers of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the DRRMCs of towns and cities for their timely and preemptive actions calculated to respond to the anticipated calamitous events.

Even more gratifying to note were the bravery and determination of the volunteers, the men in uniform, and government employees in seeing to it that nobody was left behind and that everyone would be alive and safe.

But the work is only half done. Our farmers need all the help they can get to not only to recoup their losses but to be able to resume their means of livelihood. There are the damaged houses and schools that need to be repaired and restored. There are roads and bridges to be cleared and repaired. There are health issues of evacuees that need attention and care. Above all, there are schools to be cleaned for the students and pupils who need to make up for a lot of  lost study hours in the months ahead.

Our town and city governments are now called upon to act with dispatch. These are issues that cannot be made to wait for another 30 days.

Decoding Duterte

THERE is no doubt by now that President Duterte is totally different from all our Presidents before him.  That Mr. Duterte is unorthodox is an understatement.  He speaks his mind in the most frank and straightforward manner never seen before in presidential politics—from Magsaysay to PNoy.  That he still cusses every now and then is no longer news.  When his speech is bereft of hissing and cussing, that is not news.  As in someone bitten by a dog is never news.  Thus, when we hear Mr. Duterte say “fuck you,” it isn’t news anymore.  Not revolting as decoding Duterte isn’t that hard now.  We weren’t used to hearing him speak gutter language.  But the truth is he’s been like that all his life.  He is 71 years old now.  You think he’d change his ways this late in his career?  Do we adjust to him or him adjusting to us?  We know the answer.

You, too, we believe.

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