SILLY AND STUPID. The silly rumor that Mayor Belen will be suspended was, to me, nothing but a sick joke if not a cheap political maneuver unleashed by certain quarters probably with sick minds (what else?) in a bid to sow intrigue and shoot down Belen’s continuous rising popularity amid her many glowing accomplishments for the city.

They can always try but they won’t succeed.

Just scan many uplifting comments by her army of supporter on her posts (of ongoing and completed projects) in her Facebook account and you can tell that she is now being hailed as the best mayor Dagupan City ever had, with apologies to past mayors of the city living and dead.

This is an accolade that suggests she may have already outperformed many of her predecessors, if not all, in her just three years and a half in office, especially one she succeeds in establishing a new Dagupan government center.

Obviously some quarters are envious and threatened by what she has done so far for the city, which is why they are now resorting to every dirty trick in the book to malign her even when we’re still a long way to the 2018 elections.

We were told that one conspirator texted his cohort in the media and lo and behold, this wag concocted another joke by saying that the reason the mayor made a trip to Davao City was to kiss the hands of President Duterte and plead to him to delay or stop her impending suspension.

Of course that was another lie. Even the President of the Philippines cannot stop the suspension of officials by the Ombudsman.

The rumormongers took advantage of the fact knowing that nobody checks with the Ombudsman to verify the fact.

There is one to date, a civil case, but according to City Legal Officer Vicky Cabrera, no official is getting suspended for a civil case.

As to her trip to Davao sometime during the last week of November, she attended the meeting of the League of City Mayors of the Philippines Davao and Mr. Duterte was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru.

It seems the easiest way to fan intrigues nowadays is through the Internet because that’s exactly what the cabal actually did. But mind you, Belen is not new to intrigues. There had been so many intrigues thrown her way to the top but she towered above them all.

Now, my friend Akiham suspects the burning of some mangers at the Paseo de Belen along JDV Expressway was intentional and possibly points to attempts at sabotaging again this novel project of Mayor Belen. Tsk-tsk. Could this be true? – Leonardo Micua

MEDIA’S HERO – Like many of media colleagues and countless other concerned citizens, I’ve been wanting this to happen.

During the DOH’s launching of its ‘Iwas Paputok’ program, this reporter asked a barangay official in Pogo Grande about it’s usual High Noon revelry, and was told the tradition of lighting 100,000 firecrackers will not be stopped but on a much lesser degree. Was the barangay thinking simply of 90,000 firecrackers?

Pogo Grande’s tradition of greeting the New Year at 12:00 high noon by lighting as many as 100,000 firecrackers hung on one stretch of their barangay road has been going on for about 17 years already.

But shortly after that event, Dagupan police chief Neil Miro warned residents in Barangay Pogo Grande he would jail them if they insist on holding their tradition to light thousands of firecrackers simultaneously on January 1.

Supt. Miro told the KBP Forum -“For the first time, people will see several persons arrested in one time including their barangay captain arrested due to violation of the Republic Act 7183”.

“Subukan nila si Miro,” he said. “This must stop. Tradition or law?” he added.

Miro was referring to law regulating the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.

He added that the law may be harsh but it is the law. Miro said he will deploy members of Special Weapons and Tactics to ensure residents would abide by the law. Bawal ang pasaway, arrestuhin kayo ni Colonel, he intoned.

Miro advised barangay officials instead to use the money intended for firecrackers as prizes for parlor games or buy lechon for poor residents and make everyone happy and meet New Year safely.

Great move and for that my snappy salute to you, Sir.

Miro, you’re their hero. – Tita Roces

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments