Punchline
The “righteous” Judas 9
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
THE proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan of Dagupan City was finally approved for third reading but not without an attempt by Vice Mayor Brian Lim and his gang to sabotage it.
In a manner of speaking, the shoe is now on the other foot for Mr. Lim and his cohorts, two of whom were members of the Judas 9.
Recall that in 2013, then Councilor Brian Lim, now vice mayor, and Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia and Guillermo Vallejos led the cabal for the scandalous sale of the MC Adore Hotel premises to the Amb ALC Holdings and Management Corp.
Then Mayor Benjie Lim orchestrated the sale of the hotel at a price much lower than the prevailing market rate in 2013. That outrageous sale resulted in depriving both the buyer and the seller (Dagupan City government) the benefit of its use and sale respectively because a legal case over its sale remains pending in Quezon City. Only the Judas 9 benefitted.
There was then Vice Mayor Belen who tried to stop that sale because of the highly disadvantageous terms for the city but she lost.
Last week, it was Vice Mayor Lim’s turn to lead the minority bloc in attempting to stop an ordinance – the CLUP. But that’s where the similarity of circumstances ended between the two measures.
In the MC Adore deal, only the pecuniary interests of the Judas 9 and Mayor Lim really mattered. In contrast, the city government’s proposed CLUP indirectly benefits property owners (and yes, including Mayor Belen’s family) in the new growth areas. But beyond the profits that property owners will legitimately gain, the city stands to earn more from taxes due from business establishments in the growth areas for decades, and more employments opportunities will be created.
Does the CLUP sound like a corruption-tainted measure? Hardly, however, if Messrs. Lim, Erfe-Mejia and Vallejos can show proof that Councilors Joey Tamayo and his group were bribed for CLUP’s “rushed” passage ala MC Adore, then this corner will join them in lambasting the passage of CLUP by the “Judas 8.”
Till then, the remnants of Judas 9 should stop acting righteously kuno for the city’s interests, when in fact that they are standing in the way of the city’s progress all because they could not have what they enjoyed 3 years ago as Judas 9.
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NEW ENEMIES IN SIGHT. In a phone conversation with Dagupan Police Chief Chris Abrahano last week, he pointed out some changes in landscape of drug syndicates in the city.
First of all, he says, shabu and marijuana trading is no longer the exclusive domain of Muslin families settled in the city. Drug pushers in the city have acquired new profiles. There are now as many non-Muslim dealers that abound in the city. The Barangay Anti Drug Advisory Councils have identified 180 of them and a buildup of cases against them are ongoing.
Secondly, more children are already being actively used as drug couriers (and the bolder ones among them as pushers).
Thirdly, the hub of illegal drugs now include Barangays 2&3 and Pantal in addition to Barangays Binloc and Gueset.
He says the direct order of the President to hammer and tong against drug lords will make it easer for his station to make the city drug-free finally.
So go for it, Chief! You’ve been given the green light to do everything to stop the drug syndicates being protected by barangay kapitans.
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GIVING BACK. There is nothing to stop the implementation of the K-to-12 in the country despite the serious lack in facilities and equipment.
It is for this reason that I call on graduates particularly of public schools in Pangasinan to give back to their communities by helping provide computers and tablets for the pupils’ and students’ use.
Without these, today’s students will have difficulty coping with information technology already made available to all students in developed countries. Without access to technology, the literacy of the young is doomed.
While the national government has made education a major concern finally, it’s programs continue to be hampered by perennial lack of funds, particularly to support programs with laboratories and modern equipment.
Should your alumni group find difficulty in touching base with their schools in Pangasinan, The PUNCH can help bridge that link for you. Just give us names of the schools, barangay location and town. Send email to punch.Sunday@gmail.com.
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DEBATING DEATH PENALTY TO DEATH. What is sure as the sun rises from the east is the legislative agenda of the incoming Duterte administration seeking to restore the death penalty.
This early, it is incumbent upon our congressmen to seek the pulse of their constituents on whether they support the move. They should not waste their time seeking the bishops and Catholic groups’ position because that is already given – they will strongly oppose it.
Where there will be divergent thoughts lie in the justification for the restoration of the death penalty but whatever these may be, there will ultimately be no debate there. The debate that will divide its proponents lies in the manner of execution (forgive the pun).
So a pertinent question to those who favor the restoration of the death penalty is how should the death convicts be done with? Should it be by hanging (as President Du30 wants it), by lethal injection (as Sen. Ping Lacson wants it) or by firing squad (as trigger-happy vigilantes want it)?
Some suggested by starvation. The heavy and obese death convicts will obviously live longer, and suffer longer. Still others recommend daily dosage of shabu and cocaine for convicted drug lords until their eyes pop out. The problem with these is that drug lords have all the means to buy the guards for a chance to get relief whenever they can.
Families of killed rape victims want their killers executed by the same means that killed their family members. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth!
Or is there really such a thing as humane killing? Perhaps so, if one considers being tickled to death is possible.
(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)
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