Punchline

By April 11, 2011Opinion, Punchline

Death for drug traffickers

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

THE name Ferdinand Marcos has always evoked a regionalistic streak in our politicians, then and now.

The “Solid North” (including Pangasinan’s 6 representatives) again manifested itself for the record most recently in the House of Representatives when it voted unanimously to adopt the resolution filed by Rep. Salvador Escudero to have the remains of the late strongman buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Whether that will become a reality during Aquino’s term will depend on Vice President Binay’s recommendation. (It’d be interesting to know his thoughts about it when he comes to Pangasinan for various activities this month).

Meanwhile, there is one effort that I hope the “Solid North” will initiate and rally support for. It is the reimposition of the death penalty, but only for drug trafficking.

Note that only the Philippines and Cambodia are the only remaining Southeast Asian countries that do not impose death penalty. Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Burma have categorically stated no tolerance for drug trafficking and are prepared to execute anyone found guilty.

Other Asian countries that impose death penalty are China, Japan, South and North Korea, and Taiwan.  In all these countries, drug trafficking is considered a heinous crime that is punishable by death.

The imposition of death penalty for wholesale drug trafficking of drugs, from shabu to cocaine and heroin, will immediately create high awareness in the country about the risks and dangers of mere possession. And more importantly, it will help stop potential drug mules from being recruited by international drug syndicates.  Why so?  Because the recruiters today never mention the possibility of execution if caught but only dangles the hefty, easy money for successful deliveries.

To someone who desperately needs a quick buck for whatever reason would only have ears for cash rewards or incentives.  I am certain that if the prospect of being meted death penalty when caught were discussed by recruiters with those who are languishing in foreign jails today awaiting execution, their number would be far less today.

The reimposition of death penalty here will automatically remind would-be drug mules to think thrice before accepting propositions knowing they can be caught here and be subjected to such a prospect even before they can leave the country for an assignment.

For now, there is only awareness about death penalty in China because of the recent extensive media coverage but the recruiters will definitely lie if not be mum about death penalties in other countries.

P.S.  No more bleeding hearts among public officials who will offer scholarships to children of drug mules, whether meted penalty of death or life imprisonment.

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TESTING THE BOUNDARIES. While I am personally disappointed that the Dagupan sanggunian by sheer number cannot override Mayor Benjie Lim’s partial veto, it’s just as well that the partial veto is allowed to take effect. It allows for cooling down between the two offices. I would have wanted to see the city council finish what it started, teaching the city mayor basic lessons in governance and humility by overriding the veto, but the minority cannot be expected to see beyond what the mayor wants.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez and her colleagues in the council, ever mindful of the citizenry perceiving the seeming protracted political conflicts between them and the mayor’s office, braved the lies from the mayor’s camp to show to the city’s residents that the work on the budget was not about petty politics but simply an administrative exercise of powers vested in it as mandated by law. They have done their constituents proud.

It took a lot for the majority in the council to make the city mayor respect the boundaries of governance, and I salute them for this. Unfortunately, I am not certain if Mr. Lim learned any lesson after failing to bamboozle his way through official intimidation every inch of the way, threatening city hall officials and discrediting the process at the sanggunian.

Mr. Lim was belligerent from the onset of his administration so it is not like him to simply fold his arms and walk away. Yes, I do not believe Mr. Lim will stop testing the boundaries until he tames the eight majority-members to join the misguided four in the council as bona fide onor-onor, acknowledging him as the “boss who gets what he wants.” Again, I’d love to be proven wrong.

Anyway, being the hopeless optimist, I still do pray that Mr. Lim realizes that without the override from the council, there now exists another opportunity for him to pursue his vision of “sharing responsibility” with the city council. I sincerely pray he will not botch it this time.

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TEST OF SINCERITY. While the Aquino government is vainly trying to make ends meet for all amid the spiraling costs of fuel, there is something that the provincial government of Pangasinan can do to alleviate the situation specifically for Pangasinenses.

Guv Spines can do either of three options: to ask the provincial board to amend the ordinance mandating the 300% hike in real estate tax. Specifically, the governor can ask the board members who’ve been recently rewarded with brand new SUVs for their “official” use, to reduce the increase to 10% with automatic adjustment by 10% in succeeding years for the next 5 years; Or to suspend the effectivity of the ordinance for 2 years. Or he can easily concede that the ordinance is not enforceable because it lacked the publication requirement, and would not easily seek to comply with the requirement.

To do nothing today and allow the exploitative effect of the ordinance to take its toll will undoubtedly lead to a serious erosion of the goodwill and legacy of good governance that he has painstakingly earned till today.

Ironically, nobody will now believe that the suspension of the ordinance or reduction of the rate will lead to the province’s bankruptcy because Guv Spines has already shown that prudent spending for priority projects can already spell a whale of difference in the lives of Pangasinenses. (Besides, he can very well recall and sell all the SUVs issued to the board members instead of adding needless burden to farmers and small landowners who are close to being pushed to poverty because of the economic crisis.)

This is a “major, major” test of Guv Spines’ leadership and sincerity to make a difference for the people anew.

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ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL. The announcement of the Pangasinan Press Club now led by PUNCH columnist Gonz Duque to launch an annual journalism awards program for local practitioners is a long overdue effort to promote ethical and professional practice of the craft.

Our family, humbled by the club’s desire to name it the Ermin Garcia Journalism Awards, commits to support the project even as it accepts the condition that the PUNCH as a publication will not be qualified as a nominee at anytime.

I am hopeful too that the PPC, in collaboration with the legit newspapers and broadcast networks, can soon establish the Pangasinan Media Council that will be tasked to deliberate and decide on ethical issues and complaints raised against local practitioners.  The creation of such a council will restore the respect of politicians and officials in public service for media practitioners whose credibility as a sector have suffered greatly on account of misdeeds of a few and the proliferation of the pseudos (a.k.a talibans?) who extort and blackmail the vulnerable politicians and government officials.

Go, go, PPC!

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