BLOOPERS GALORE. Without Board Members Alfonso Bince Jr, Mojamito Libunao Jr and Ranjit Ramos Shahani in the provincial board session, discussions/deliberations become 100 percent boring. While some board members are trying their best to speak out, though their best is not good enough.

One board member who loves to talk often murders the King’s language. Wrong grammar si sir. Ma-absent siguro ed English 101 subject to nen saman. Try Filipino, sir, baka mas ok pa.

Another board member is “wonderful.” He left an invited guest to a recent Question Hour wondering where his question came from. The honorable gentleman asked the guest from the Department of Agriculture (DA), an OIC regional director, about his “Dr.” title before his name: “Bakit ho wala po kayo sa DOH bakit po nasa DA kayo?”, the Miguel Rodriguez-look alike board member asked the guest.

Nganga si Director, agto agets lawari si sir. Some in the media audience smiled. Then the guest politely replied that he is a Doctor of Philosophy and specializes in plant breeding.

Then, the bokal made another hirit. He asked the guest why the vice governor who used to be the talent in a local television commercial of a fertilizer brand was replaced by another politician. This prompted the vice governor to approach the bokal and whispered something to him. Nababaingan siguroy vice governor over the silly question.

Still, the guest had to reply: “Your honor hindi naman po namin sakop yun sir, yung sa Swire. Outside the mandate of DA.” Sensing he made a mistake, the bokal directed the transcribers “Please erase!” That brought the house down.

Another bokal, who also seldom talks had the guts to ask the same guest a question. He asked about the government’s reforestation program. The guest, again, caught by surprise, replied: “It (reforestation) is the mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” and not his agency.  Wow mali!

I give these bokals 90% for their guts to ask irrelevant, unstudied questions and 70% for coming to sessions unprepared, unduly exposing to the public what’s between their ears. – Tita Roces

 

TOBACCO FARMERS’ SHARE. The controversy over alleged misuse of the tobacco excise tax was formerly confined to Alcala town as a result of the filing of at least two cases against past and present officials of that town before the Ombudsman, is getting more serious threatening to implicate other people who had a hand in disposing the fund.

The open letter (as published in this issue) from a group of concerned citizens shown to us before deadline, confirmed our fears that the tobacco excise tax share did not at all benefit the intended beneficiaries–the tobacco farmers. The law says it is they who must enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The group maintains that part of the district’s tobacco excise tax went to a dairy farm in Laoac town. They are demanding truthful answers to their valid questions for the enlightenment of tobacco farmers, they who felt cheated and who are in the dark where their share of the excise tax on their prime farm product went.- Leonardo Micua

 

IMPLEMENTING RA 9003 – It is high time we demand of our elected officials that they exercise their political will in implementing the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law. Our provincial government should direct the Department of Environment and Natural Resources -Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) to urgently act on the looming crisis on waste disposal.

Instead of pointing fingers on who should be blamed, the EMB should work with the local government units for an achievable solution.

The DENR-EMB should any longer wait for our LGUs to construct their own the sanitary landfill. At the very least, they should strictly require the installation of material recovery facility in all LGUs, if not the controlled operation of a dump site.

I am dismayed that DENR-EMB officials endlessly offer the excuse that they are waiting for the LGUs to construct their own sanitary landfills. But since not all LGUs can afford to have their own, what alternative solutions can be had? If sanitary landfill is not the solution our country is looking for, what can the DENR propose? – Hilda Austria

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