Deretsahan

By August 24, 2014Archives, Opinion

Lady’s sandals is worth P2-million

BEBOT VILLAR

By Bebot Villar

 

THE country found the most expensive pair of a lady’s sandals, it’s easily worth P2 million! Paano ba naman, may lamang shabu na nagkakahalagang ang mga suwelas nito!

Leave it to the druglords to come up with creative ways to get their business going. Buti na lang natunugan kaagad ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ang delivery nito through door-to-door courier service at nahuli rin iyong tricycle driver na tumanggap noong package!

Talaga naman, lahat na lang ng paraan ay sinusubukan ng mga drug traffickers. But what they do not know is that, by trying to be “creative” in smuggling drugs into our country, our law enforcers have become more astute and better equipped. Every operation such as this, is a learning experience for them on how to more effectively stop the drug syndicates in our country.  Every possible means of concealment and dropped off points in their distributors’ places are now better known.

Kaya naman itong laban sa illegal drugs ay isang tuloy-tuloy na pag-aaral para manatiling one-step ahead ang mga law enforcers at agad mahuli ang mga offenders. But still, we need to locate and stop more clandestine laboratories operating in the country.

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Last Wednesday, the media carried a story about the arrest in Beijing of actor Jaycee Chan, son of Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan, for a drug-related offense.

Marami ang nagulat. Who would have thought na ang anak ng isang sikat na action star ay mahuhulihan ng marijuana? Bakit pa siya magda-drugs, ang tanong ng marami. Mayaman naman daw sila at mabibili niya ang lahat ng gusto niya?

What got my attention about that news story was the determination of the  Chinese government to eradicate illegal drugs sa kanilang bansa and its policy to impose a heavy penalty on drug users or pushers, mayaman man o mahirap.

No wonder many Chinese nationals are operating and being arrested in drug raids sa ating bansa, at bulto-bultong shabu, kung hindi man, isang shabu laboratory, ang nahuhuli sa kanila. Takot sila sa kanilang gobyerno, dahil doon, tiyak, wala silang lusot.

Here in the Philippines, wala tayong question sa pagiging masigasig at pagsisikap ng ating mga law enforcement agencies na manghuli ng mga illegal drug users at traffickers.  Every day, mayroong nahuhuli sa iba’t ibang panig ng ating bansa. Iyon nga lamang, very few are convicted by our courts on top of the long trial for drug cases. And if a conviction is won, hindi ganoon kabigat ang parusa!

Remember when drug lord Lim Seng was executed by firing squad during martial law? Matagal na walang illegal drugs sa ating bansa. Naglabasan na lang muli noong matapos na ang martial law. Nagtatanong tuloy ang maraming mamamayan: Why not restore the death penalty even for big time illegal drug offenders lang?

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The families of our soldiers serving with the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Liberia are getting extremely worried. Marami na kasi ang nagkakasakit at namamatay sa bansang iyon dahil sa mabilis na pagkalat ng Ebola virus sa West Africa.

What’s our government’s plan daw ba?  Will they pull out the soldiers? When? Are they protected from the dreaded Ebola virus? We have more than 100 soldiers in Liberia today. Isa lang sa kanila ang tamaan ng Ebola virus at madala ito sa Pilipinas, tiyak, our people will be thrown into panic!

Our government must ensure that all corners are covered and see to the protection of our soldiers today. Prevention is still better than cure. Kung kikilos po tayo, NOW na!

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Sunod-sunod yata ang kamalasang inabot ng Metro Rail Transit (MRT) in the past weeks. Matapos ang sunod-sunod na pagtirik sa kalagitnaan ng rush hour, bumangga naman ito sa barrier sa dulo ng riles nito. Buti na lang at walang namatay.

Because of these, many commuters are now afraid to ride the MRT. Sabi nila, buti pang mag-jeep o mag-bus na lang, kahit mas matagal ang biyahe, alam mong mas ligtas ka. Kaya ang tanong ang ating mga kababayan: What is the true state of the MRT? Is the problem just about the equipment being old or is it about maintenance too?

Lumalala pa ang takot ng mga commuters when DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya announced na human error ang dahilan ng aksidente ng pagbangga ng MRT sa Taft Avenue station nito.

Hala! Does it also follow that MRT drivers and other personnel do not get regular training? This is horrible! We are dealing with the lives of millions of people who depend on the MRT to move around Metro Manila.

We need a mass transit system that is efficient and safe. Perhaps, it is now time for the authorities to make a thorough evaluation of the MRT before allowing the riding public to use it again.

Let’s not wait for another monumental accident to happen.

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