Playing with Fire
Journalism Awards mulled
By Gonzalo Duque
WE have invited former Senator and present Philippine National Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon as guest of honor and speaker of the revitalized Pangasinan Press Club on its induction of new officers and members sometime in May 2011.
Dick, as we all know, is in the thick of calamity and disaster preparedness issues. He is the man of the hour these days, and we feel that it would greatly benefit the province if he gives us guideposts vis-à-vis the series of climactic devastation obtaining throughout the world today.
In case you don’t know yet, Dick has a big brave heart, always on the front line of danger zones, at the height of calamities, leading in rescue and relief operations.
We feel that with him around, the PPC and the Red Cross could embark on a joint venture in alleviating Filipinos’ sufferings during grave natural calamities.
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Anytime soon, we shall have at its maiden edition a debate or something like that between Mayor Benjie Lim’s spokesmen and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez’es think-tank on the recently approved Dagupan City budget.
This will be held within two weeks.
Our partner Jun V asked, why debate when the budget has already been passed?
We told him, nyet, because hizzoner Benjie has been telling people he will veto the recently approved budget, calling it “bad yet.” To which, we say, most likely the Sanggunian would also over-ride his veto. The show must go on?
No, the music goes on, not the slow drag or cheek to cheek variety, but the rollin’ and rockin’ convulsions till kingdom come.
It is with this frame of mind that PPC past president Nestor Pulido’s “Democracy in Action” Engkwentro featuring the eggheads of the two camps would have the opportunity to be at ring side and slug it out, not with their fists, but with their brain power, if any.
Ok ba yon mga abay? Abangan!
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Our press community is brimming with action. The main reason is, with an action packed press club, there’d be no room for monkey business or hanky pankies. We mean the so-called talibans would either be kicked out by legitimate activities or educated in the process, and, we believe, persuaded to be involved in the club’s intellectual acrobatics.
Someone said karamihan naman sa mga media people matatalino, nagkakaloko lang minsan dahil sa maling impluensya ng mga a few callous mercenaries. The guy who came up with this complimentary perception of the mainstream local media is an incorrigible optimist, and we want to give his idea a try.
Otherwise, as Ermin and us recently discussed, the club would be left with only a few legitimate members, that is, as we said, if the many would not change their ways and the club leadership would be forced to boot them out.
In this connection, we got his nod to another PCC project, the giving of awards which shall be named PPC Ermin Garcia Sr. Journalism Awards, to give due recognition and honor to deserving media practitioners in Northern Luzon. Launching date will be on May 20, birthday anniversary of the late journalist martyr who was fatally gunned down some 40 years ago at the old Sunday Punch office.
Ito ang maganda, magpapaligsahan ng talino at kakayanahan sa pagpapanday ng balita sa mga local na peryodiko at mga radyo at telebisyon ang mga dyarista, and yet win honors and fat cash for a job well done.
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On our history propagation for the province’s accelerated development, we wish to stress that the special committee tasked to produce the history of the province and every town of Pangasinan, efforts are being exerted to include in the education curriculum Pangasinense students’ knowledge of their own province and every town in of Pangalato country.
We believe that we cannot reach our goals, however noble, if we are bereft of knowledge of our own past. As they say, you can only appreciate the present and predict the future if you know your past.
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