Vigilance always pays off

By Bebot Villar

 

THERE are these people who do not give a damn, whether its Holy Week or not, and they will not be stopped from committing crimes they are used to. They are the heartless, callous people who would stop at nothing to attain their evil objectives.

Last Holy Week, six drug pushers and shabu users in Dagupan City ang nahuli ng police. May dalawa ring mga magnanakaw ang nahuli. These prove that illegal drug users and pushers, when not stopped and not rehabilitated early, will turn into hardened criminals through the years, committing crime after crime!

Halimbawa, iyong mga nahuling magnanakaw always claim they did what they did because of poverty. But the truth is, they steal because they need money to buy illegal drugs.

It’s a good thing that the Dagupan police, led by P/Supt. Christopher Abrahano was on high alert during the Holy Week. At ito ang dapat na maging attitude ng bawat police station sa ating bansa: to be vigilant sa mga panahon mismong ang mga mamamayan ay sobrang busy para mabantayan ang kanilang mga sarili at paligid.

Sabi nga nila, para maganap ang isang krimen, there should always be the “will” to do it and the “opportunity” to make it happen. So if a criminal is bent on committing a crime, it cannot happen kung wala siyang opportunity. And even if there is an opportunity, pero hindi buo ang loob niya, wala ring mangyayari.

The Holy Week was an opportunity for criminals to execute their evil plans. And the role of the police was to deny them that opportunity. We are heartened that in Dagupan City, maayos itong nagampanan ng Dagupan police!

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It was disheartening naman to see the remaining trees sa kabundukan ng Natividad town, razed to the ground last week.

Mayor Cocoy Rafael was quoted in media reports as saying that about 100 hectares of forestland were razed during the 16-hour fire. Pero, siyempre, ang sabi ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provincial office, mga 31 hectares lang ang tinupok ng apoy.

But, whatever, may destruction pa rin! Mabuti na lamang at hindi nasira ang Sky Plaza at pilgrimage site ng Natividad. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa malinaw if the forest was intentionally razed or accident lang nang dahil may nagtapon ng upos ng sigarilyo sa mga tuyong damuhan ng bundok.

Pero ano itong mga naririnig natin na it was deliberately burned to destroy all evidence of illegal logging doon? Mayor Rafael had offered a P25,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of the culprits.

Both our communities and local governments are helpless to stop forest fires. Una, napaka-kaunti ng mga forest rangers.

Secondly, wala tayong mga firefighting equipment para sa forest fires! Hindi naman maka-akyat ang mga fire trucks sa bundok at lalong hindi maa-apula ang apoy kung gagamit lang ng mga timba. Ang kailangan natin ay helicopter to help douse the fire.

If our government will not invest para sa firefighting equipment natin sa mga gubat, di magtatagal ay tuluyan nang maglalaho ang mga kahoy sa ating mga kabundukan!

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Last weekend, from Good Friday to Black Saturday, at least four drowning incidents in different parts of Pangasinan were reported.

Last Good Friday, one drowned in Agno River along Barangay Wawa in Lingayen while the other drowned in Hundred Islands. The following day, one drowned sa isang resort sa San Quintin while another drowned in Tambobong in Dasol.

It’s unfortunate that these incidents had to happen because drowning is preventable. Of course, iba-iba ang circumstances nang maganap ang mga insidente, but naroon pa rin ang chances to save the drowning victim.

We must have personnel in resorts and beaches that have been trained to save those who don’t know how to swim, and how to apply first aid techniques on victims that have taken in a lot of water.

There should be an intensive training program for boatmen, resort operators and volunteers on life-saving techniques but this is largely ignored. May ilang resorts nga na iisa lang ang trained lifeguard while other personnel simply function as look-outs, taga-sigaw!

There are agencies or departments in towns that regulate operations of resorts and tourism spots that feature swimming as an activity.

Nasaan na ang mga ahensyang ito?

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