Professional ‘cuartasy’

By Gonzalo Duque

OUR good friend, Congressman Joe de Venecia, committed a single most fatal error during his impassioned testimony on the impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his former closest political ally when he blurted, “Everybody is for sale in this House!”

Ay, naibong so sabaw! inatey so angabil! Kuya Joe was proceeding most eloquently very well and successfully drawing the sympathy of his former “boys” in the House until, by what an ugly twist in speech, he committed the worst blunder in his political life for saying that abominable phrase. “Everybody is for sale?” Maybe true, maybe false. But it was the worst thing one would say.

There’s a rule even among allies that whatever is the nature, situation and cost, that they observe “professional cuartasy,” ay, rather, professional courtesy.

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The province is all a-buzz with a new Espino slip, if you can call it that, when he denounced some media personalities who allegedly put him down in their news stories quoting Bishop Oscar Cruz reportedly giving the guvnor a not too flattering rating in running the affairs of the province.

Surely, the bishop must have pinned down Spines on the issue of jueteng which, as everyone knows, is next to impossible to lick.

But in fairness, the guvnor has been doing very well as chief executive of the province, yes, Nani, in most aspects including the shotgun issue, and should have been given high ratings.

Have you gone to the Capitol grounds lately? By gum, very elegant the surroundings clean, spic n span, and even the employees are glued to their work. There definitely is work ethic being observed.

We learned that a European team who came and observed how he was doing his job rated him highly especially in dispensing health services.

Jueteng? Tira yo met so drugs ha, Bishop, tan saratay papare yo ya manchichicks. The moral renewal campaign should be waged on all fronts, or else, it’s meaningless. Ompapaway lalaingen ya singa ataloy baleg ed taya ed jueteng si Bishop Cruz katon agaylay panagtira to. Ok yan, Bishop, but please enlarge your coverage so as to include the fact that the church is overcharging its flock on many religious rituals and yet it doesn’t pay taxes to the government. Let’s fight jueteng, but fight also the more lethal enemy, illegaldrugs, immorality, and all forms of evil, let’s not be selective.

Balet sicayo met kari ran LGUS, do not show your hands too far on the jueteng take. Halatado na. Manpetek kimet la kari. Ompiano mandeen lay Bishop, ta anto met ey, kitang kita niya ang ebidensiya. Right infront of many churches, agaylay karaekel na kubrador. Imbes na ombarong tayo, aroen tayo si bishop ta labay to labat so moral upbringing na karaklan especially the young.

Ok, ba, boss Spines, sir? Agka la sirin akasibangot ha

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Congratulate the Dagupan City gov’t for its ban on no helmet wearing motorcycle drivers. Marami naaksidente dahil walang helmet.

May we call attention to the leniency of the authorities on drunk driving. The police blotters mostly point to drunk driving as cause of accidents on the road. Last but not least, these motorists who don’t dim their lights to oncoming vehicles are also exposing their own lives to danger. Or did they know that?

(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)