Punchline
Sound the tsunami alert
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
WHILE the provincial and other municipal governments are gearing to avoid a repeat of the Pepeng disaster in 2009 when the rains and floods come, they ought to be reminded that Pangasinan’s coastline communities are very vulnerable as well to deadly tsunami waves.
I don’t know if anyone in the province has drawn a tsunami scenario because I surely dread imagining the aftermath of a killer tsunami that would hit the coastal communities of Anda, Alaminos, Sual, Bugallon, Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan City and San Fabian.
The possibility of a tsunami hitting a Pangasinan beach is surely not farfetched. This year, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning after an 8.8 intensity earthquake hit Chile (yes, that far!) for a swath of territories across the Asia-Pacific, also including New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Taiwan, and yes, the Philippines! It will be recalled that P.A.G.A.S.A had warned that a tsunami could possibly hit southeastern Luzon coastal towns. Fortunately, that prospect never happened.
And lest we forget, tsunamis have hit Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and have since claimed more than 300,000 lives not too long ago. To refresh our government planners’ minds about the horrors of tsunami that hit Asia, I suggest they log on to http://www.asiantsunamivideos.com.
Our communities must begin asking our authorities if they have studied and planned for a possible deadly surge. If so, how are our coastal communities being prepared? Are our communities told what to expect, what they can do to protect their lives? Where to run for their lives?
Or are our government bureaucrats in the province more predisposed to prepare for the eventuality after the fact when they shall have lost relatives and friends?
* * * * *
FISHKILL IN THE CITY. The fishkill in Bolinao did not really come as a surprise to many. It was expected.
The same story will likely happen in Dagupan City unless the city authorities have already done their work. There have been reports of mindless overstocking of fish in those pens for a chance of recovering investments pronto.
Such a strategy could only mean hundreds of bags of fish feeds poured into the river daily, and with the constant change in the water’s temperature, we have a sure-fire formula for a fishkill.
We note that the city’s agriculture department remains mum on the identities of businessmen who line up the city’s rivers and tributaries with their illegal fish pens. It’s becoming more obvious that there is a protection racket going on inside city hall but nobody’s talking.
Hopefully, a reformed Lim administration will set the tone for its MacArthurish return by causing the release of the names of the untouchables in the city to the media. A sustained, no-nonsense cleaning of the city’s rivers will make for a first and good legacy for its comeback.
But if Mayor Benjie Lim cannot do as much, then he would be perceived
to be no different from his predecessor, just happy to protect a racket source.
Tuloy ang ligaya!
* * * * *
WATCH OUT FOR NEW PROTOCOL. Anent our news item “Dam water protocol
release readied” last issue, Jeremias Andrade Carrera, a Pangasinense engineer
based in Guam, sent in his comment, certainly worth pondering by our local officials looking into the “new” protocol of San Roque Dam.
He wrote: “I am surprised that a protocol is being readied when there is an existing protocol during Pepeng which was forwarded to Orduna last Oct. 21, 2009.http://www.mb.com.ph/node/226090/. Will the new guidelines or revised guidelines cover not only release during storms but also in case of damaging earthquakes? Or will they wait to draft one after a disaster had occurred. Without an integrated Dam Safety Management Regulations which must include the two (2) upstream dams (Ambuklao and Binga Dams)and the necessary instrumentation on all three(3) dams and an integrated information system, this proposed new protocol or guidelines will not work. It will just be a piece of paper that provides false hopes of safety.”
* * * * *
REDEEMING ACT. Now that that the campaign and canvassing noise have settled down, it’s time to make the Commission on Election office in the province account for its own failures.
Provincial Election Officer Reddy Balarbar (and his subordinates in the towns and cities) failed miserably to make good on Comelec’s threat to file cases against candidates who violated the postering rules.
With all the million and one posters found in every nook and cranny in the province, it’s shameless on his part that he didn’t file a single case of violation against a candidate for governor, vice governor, board member, congressman, mayor vice mayor or councilor in all towns and cities in the province! Is it possible he never saw another illegally posted material after he donned his military uniform as a reserve officer for a photo-op?
How can he be expected to enforce elections laws strictly in the coming barangay elections when he shouted “wolf” one too many? The next sound that would likely come out of his mouth would be” “Woof…woof!”
If an election official cannot even collar a single ‘posterer’ who freely roamed the streets in every town, something is very wrong.
But wait, there is perhaps something he can still do to redeem himself.
There are still thousands of posters of the candidates that remain glued and remain eyesores in our communities. Pictures of these can very well serve as evidence of the violations. A last “threat” or warning” to the candidates can perhaps still mean something.
Yes, he should threaten, one last time, to file the cases against the candidates whose photo-shopped pictures continue to pollute the environment.
And for his own sake, I hope the candidates will finally take his threat seriously, and, finally, order their volunteers to remove all their posters that remain. If they don’t, I don’t see how he can still be effective around here. Tsk-tsk.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
