Punchline
Prepare for the worst
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
PANGASINENSES perhaps may still feel far removed from the bloody massacre of 44 of the Special Action Forces unit in Maguindanao because it did not happen anywhere near the province.
The truth is, the massacre will have an impact on the lives of many families here because there are many Pangasinenses in the police and armed forces who may soon be called to the guerilla warfare if the war in Mindanao escalates as a result of the Maguindanao massacre. So far, there have been only two police officers from Pangasinan caught in a bloody firefight while fighting to defend the country’s sovereignty, the democratic process and the lives of Filipinos. Will there be more?
But even assuming, the supposed peace accord will hold, exporting terrorism out of Mindanao to Luzon and Visayas remains a very high probability. Terrorism knows no boundaries and terrorists are being bred in the hinterlands of Mindanao every day hiding under the cloak of Islam, funded by rabid Muslim fundamentalists.
In Pangasinan, we have growing and thriving peaceful Muslim communities comprised of different tribal roots. They make perfect covers for terrorists who believe terrorizing communities makes for good business.
The Maguindanao massacre should alert our political leaders and law enforcers to be more sensitive to security issues in their respective communities. More bombing terroristic incidents are now becoming too frequent for anyone’s comfort whether one is in Mindanao or not.
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BEST TO BE OVER-PREPARED. The inevitable breakdown of peace and order in Mindanao should already alert our local government officials to go on a security defense mode before it’s too late. It would not be farfetched to see criminal syndicates exploiting the situation in Mindanao
The recommendation to make the installation of CCTV cameras has become more urgent than ever. Barangay councils should be harnessed and trained for intelligence gathering. Mobile police checkpoints with safeguards should more visible.
Better to over-react and be over-prepared (if that’s what one feels about our recommendations) than be sorry!
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DOOMED TO FAIL. I have since developed some serious misgivings about the BBL, particularly that it is the MILF that is dictating the terms at the negotiation table.
First of all, the government is not negotiating from the position of strength but rather out of helplessness and despair. This is not lost to the MILF which explains why it was convenient for them to arrange for the creation of the BIFF as a “breakaway group” kuno. It’s clearly a ploy to keep the government constantly negotiating from a weak position.
Secondly, the MILF never gave up a single “territory” to show goodwill. Instead, it won P5 million goodwill from the government for just coming to the table.
Thirdly, the protocol established supposedly to preserve the ceasefire is meant to protect the territories that MILF claims and not to ensure that laws of the land are properly enforced and implemented.
Fourth, no MILF combatant has been named to be accountable for any violation of ceasefire while government has named all generals as responsible.
To negotiate from the position of strength is to force the MILF to come to the table after the government has reclaimed the latter’s “territories.” There is no other way.
From where I stand, this government is doomed to be annihilated by the MILF today, and the BIFF tomorrow. Terrible.
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REDEMPTION IS NEAR. It is encouraging to see the Dagupan City government finally working seamlessly, the executive and the legislative departments working in unison for an efficient system of governance that places premium on the residents’ and workers’ welfare.
More important and significant ordinances are finally getting out of the chamber.
For a while, I thought I was seeing the ghosts of Judas 9 making a comeback through the backdoor and I felt relieved on being told that I was mistaken.
The way I see it, the remaining Judas 9 in the council can very well redeem themselves in the months ahead as trustworthy legislators by functioning as they have sworn without regard to personal gains.
And from where I sit, it sure looks like they are all well on their way to removing that stigma of Judas 9! (I do hope I have not spoken too soon).
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GUV SPINES ON THE HUNT. Another good news is the deliberate move of Guv Spines to methodically make Pangasinan drug-free. What I don’t know is how much he can accomplish now that he practically has only 13 months left in office.
But more than making the campaign a numbers game, citing numbers as we have it in The PUNCH’s scorecard, I am certain Guv Spines can still make a big difference if he succeeds in instilling fear in the drug lords’ spines. (Pun intended!) And I believe he knows exactly how to do that!
Right now, I can only continue to pray for the thousands of families in Pangasinan who will fall prey to the clutches of the evil drug lords each day that a supply gets past our law enforcers.
Good hunting Guv Spines! Let’s see if Pogi is in fact a chip off the old block who deserves the opportunity to continue his father’s legacy!
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CALL TO ARMS FOR STUDENTS. The call of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano to high school and college students to use the power of internet and social media in order to effectively harness government resources for themselves as scholarships, is not only timely but he knows whence he speaks.
It was the netizens across the country that helped pull the PDAF from under the congressmen’s and senators’ feet! There have been efforts in the past to lick the corruption brought about by the pork barrel but these failed. Why? Because there was no internet then, no Facebook, no Twitter, no petitions that could reach thousands within minutes! There were no netizen warriors to speak of!
The students of the Pangasinan State University, whom Sen. Cayetano recently talked to about the remaining problem of his Iskolar ng Bayan (InB) law, can start the movement by urging other campuses to join the petition asking senators and congressmen to fully fund the Iskolar ng Bayan.
When congress passed the InB, it limited the funding of some 80,000 scholars only to their freshman year!! Mr. Cayetano worked to get full scholarship but he didn’t have enough support for it. Given the mood in congress, he knows that getting full scholarships for InB will still not even have a chinaman’s chance getting to second reading.
The only chance is for students to take the law in their hands figuratively and use the social media as their weapon to get what they deserve from the government!!
It’s a call to arms, guys and gals!! The first shot has been fired for you by Mr. Cayetano. Don’t waste the momentum and the opportunity presented by technology for your and your parents benefit!
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