No shortage of critics

By Al S. Mendoza

THERE ARE no bragging rights this time. I was right in the sense that in the case at hand, things really happen all the time.

      This world has no shortage of critics, oppositionists. They’d always sprout like   mushrooms anytime of the year.  That’s what’s happening now in the case of the sanitary landfill being planned in Bayambang.

  Let’s welcome them. Let’s not berate them, or even mock them. Goes with the territory.  We are soldiers of national liberation and democracy.  Anybody has the right to gripe.  Anybody has the right to believe he is right.

But let’s all be reminded though of a cardinal rule: In a debate, let’s stick to the issues.  Issues should always be our focus; not personalities or the shape of one’s nose, or the size of one’s girth.

The bone of contention is building a sanitary landfill in our province.  The foremost question then that begs for an answer is, “Do we need one?”

If the answer is yes, then let’s proceed with it.

If one wants a job done, alibis are non-existent.

If one doesn’t want a job done, alibis abound.

 Translated in Tagalog, it goes: “Pag gusto, walang dahilan. Pag ayaw, maraming dahilan.”

 If we don’t want the sanitary landfill, we look for reasons to oppose it.

 If we want it erected, we work for its speedy construction.

Of course, the main factor why I vote for it is, it’s about time we have one.  The world is changing.  We can’t go on discharging our wastes the disorganized way, the unsanitary way, the primitive way.

Here’s a new technology to dispose of our wastes, let’s go for it.

      But I can also understand the critics, oppositionists.  As I said, all things new, all new ideas, ride through a storm. The sanitary landfill is no exception.

However, the case at bar has to be resolved with continuing communication, dialogue. We can’t go on hitting the planned sanitary landfill for the ludicrous reason that “our province will become the waste depository of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and La Union.”  Jurassic.

 What a distorted view of things, as distorted as the one forwarded by “Pirma” initiators in their crazed bid to change our Charter. Thank God, the Supreme Court’s Magical 8, backstopped by Chief Justice Panganiban, torpedoed that manic madness.

So, let’s go on with it. Build it, and make a monumental statement in the name of our children’s future.  And ours also as every living animal has his own tomorrow, too. The future doesn’t only belong to our kids, to our apos. It belongs to everybody.

Let’s debate more if need be.  If the proposed sanitary landfill is a bad idea, then its critics must say so but with a convincing weapon backed by documents and an unassailable argument.  I’m sick and tired of blah-blahs. Let’s be direct to the point and cut the crap.

As always, any bad idea can only be beaten by a good idea. A debate will do the job.

That is the essence of democracy.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments