Punchline
Soon, another white elephant?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
Now that the impasse at the Sitio Russia in Bonuan has been settled, the illegal settlers have been relocated and the construction of the seafood processing plant in Dagupan is finally set to start next week, what next?
While I can understand the Dagupan City government’s fixation with dates of start of the construction of the plant, its completion and inauguration, it bothers me that no one and nothing is mentioned about the development of the business plan for the processing plant.
The plan to have the plant officially inaugurated before next year’s Bangus Festival is the good news! The bad news is that’s only 8 months away!
Is anyone already studying the expected volume of business that the plant is expected to handle? Are there studies to show how many and how much can be expected from target suppliers? Where and how will the plant’s products be marketed? What will be the plant’s breakeven given its projected operational costs? Has the city started the head hunting for the persons who will run the general operations, the marketing, the maintenance, the finances?
What would the 5-year, 10-year projection look like? How much is the city prepared to subsidize for the plant’s operations over the years?
I pray this project has not been categorized under a priority plan labeled as “Bahala Na”. And above all, I hope city hall’s plan does not include assigning the one-stop shop officer, market supervisor, health and sanitation officer, city treasurer, tourism officer, a councilor, etc. to run the plant! God forbid.
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Alas, at the rate the preparations for the plant’s business operations are going, if any, the city government will have another white elephant in its hands.
It will be recalled how the Benjie Lim administration, early on, talked about acquiring the McAdore Hotel (and it did) for so many purposes, including transforming it into the new modern city hall. With grandiose plans in mind, the city government made the acquisition without any thought about the viability of the acquired property and as I had predicted it became a monstrous, ugly filthy white elephant. That was P50M that went to the sewers and to pockets of some!
I certainly hope the Fernandez administration knows better…and that the next news churned out of the city hall would be about the business plans. Enough of construction plans. It’s also about time the city councilors start asking the hard questions.
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ONLY ONE BOSS. Guv Spines, no doubt, is trailblazing in development. He’s looking far ahead with results but he ought to take time to look behind him and see how his subordinates are comporting themselves as he goes out to earn a legacy for himself. It appears that arrogance is rearing its ugly head in some of his trusted assistants.
On July 2, a lowly tricycle driver reported to the police in Binmaley that he was slapped and berated publicly by one of Guv Spines’ top aides early afternoon. (Check out Blotter entry145 in the Binmaley police for your reference, Guv). Perhaps it was a case of one of those altercations about traffic (the kind that kills!) but anyone who works for the Guv must conduct himself in a manner that reflects the top honcho’s demeanor at all times, even when provoked, especially by the people whom the Guv seeks to serve to the fullest.
My moles in the Capitol said it was not the first time that the said efficient assistant terrorized lowly constituents. He also created a scene in nearby Bugallon town. I don’t have the details of that but I believe the media practitioners covering the capitol have that tabbed.
Here’s a friendly advice to the hardworking people around Guv Spines – There’s only one boss in the capitol who is privileged to act and speak like a tyrant when he chooses to, and it’s certainly not them. There is only one legacy that can be served, and it’s not theirs.
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