By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

THANK God, the provincial buses plying the Pangasinan-Metro Manila are back!

The LTFRB finally announced that buses coming from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region “are likewise allowed to drop off passengers in North Luzon Express Terminal (NLET) where there are city buses that can take them to Metro Manila.” Note: Allowed… no longer required.

LTFRB’s original move was to make NLET in Bocaue, Bulacan, owned by the Iglesia ni Cristo, to be the Integrated Terminal Exchange, to make buses to and from the north to load and unload passengers. That move balked at by the bus companies for two main reasons: 1. The intent of NLET to charge P100k per reserved parking slot. 2. The inconvenience to passengers to be unloaded in NLET and the longer travel time that will result from it

The LTFRB’s proposition to make NLET as the loading and unloading of passengers traveling to-and-fro Pangasinan would have made Pangasinenses’ travel the most inconvenient, more inconvenient than pre-North Luzon Expressway days when buses plied routes through MacArthur Highway.

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BUREAUCRATIC AGENCY AMID CRISIS. Why is the LTFRB is asking for more public hearings on the petitions of jeepney drivers and operators for a fare increase on account of the series of oil price hikes in the past weeks? 

This is the worst that our bureaucracy can do amid a world crisis of oil and gas triggered by a war – the Russia-Ukraine war. Aren’t the pump prices of diesel enough basis for the petitions? Does the LTFRB thinks that the riding public is not the least aware of the consequences of the series of surges in fuel prices?

Surely, it doesn’t have to take a rocket scientist to know that fare adjustment is necessary in view of the latest surge in oil prices in the world market.  Only the LTFRB doesn’t know.

LTFRB justified the scheduling of more public hearings because some of the petitions did not comply with the administrative requirements! Unbelievable!

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KARMA ON JEEPNY DRIVERS. On the other hand, I heard horror stories about jeepney drivers in the city and elsewhere in the province.

There were intentional trip cutting resorted to by some drivers in collusion with others. Still many did not have qualms about keeping the P1 change due passengers even when there was no fuel price increase and the fare was, and still is P9.

It is those almost criminal ploys that jeepney drivers resorted to that made them lose the critical support of their riding passengers for an upward adjustment in fares.

If only most jeepney drivers were more considerate of their passengers, their petitions for fare adjustment like today would have earned the riding public’s outspoken support.

The victims of the bullies among the driver are wont to say – “Na karma din kayo!”

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PAGCOR’S COP-OUT ALIBI. The response so far of the Duterte administration to the negative impact of e-sabong is disappointing, to say the least.

It was pathetic of Pagcor that it was more concerned about the legal suits it stands to face from the groups that were given the licenses and filed cash bonds to operate e-sabong than to implement the Senate resolution asking for the suspension of e-sabong operations in the country because of deadly impact of e-sabong.  Besides, what gambling company would dare file a case against the national government that’s acting for national interests?

While the national government was obviously banking on e-sabong to shore up revenues to cover its initiatives in addressing both the Covid pandemic and re-starting the economy, it’s also obvious that it did not carefully vet the social costs to the citizenry.

In fact, Pagcor’s flimsy and self-serving alibi only raised suspicions that the suspension of the e-sabong is an effort to block the Senate resolution because it would mean loss of “personal benefits” to VIP’s in Pagcor and some government agencies.

The continued operation of e-sabong will negate the legacy of the Duterte administration as a protector and defender of families.

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POWERPLAY OVER BASKETBALL. It certainly looks like Dagupan Mayor Brian Lim is losing his grip on his politics. He took the opportunity to use a scheduled basketball tournament to impress upon his constituents how powerful he can be – he can order the police to stop a basketball game!

What the city police did to the community in Sitio Calamiong in Barangay Bonuan Gueset, rendering the basketball court useless by removing the basket rings off the backboards, is contemptible, to say the least.

In fact, the video clip of the scene that became viral earned the police station a big blackeye dealt by angry city residents.  It was surreal seeing cops in uniform removing the basket rings, like they were in the middle of a raid, in search of a missing gun used in a murder case.

Sadly, P/Lt.Col. Benjie Tremor fumbled and committed his worst booboo in his career ordering the “raid” obviously on Mayor Brian Lim’s dictate. His men could not even offer a plausible reason for it except to say that basketball games are not allowed during Alert Level 1! Duh?

That was certainly the stupidest reason that a police station can think of as a cover-up for a dumb political mission given the national government’s decision to relax restrictions to help communities help reboot their local economy. Alert Level 1 was declared to enable communities to play basketball among other things!

Mr. Tremor should thank the stars that the National IATF did not run down his neck for his personnel’s most idiotic and irresponsible action invoking a fake news to serve the mayor’s  political interest. The least he can do to make up for his folly is to see to the re-installation of the basket rings without delay, with apologies from Mr. Lim.

I can imagine Mr. Lim laughing behind Mr. Tremor’s back but grateful for being gullible and loyal to a fault. Tsk-tsk.

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PARTISAN COMELEC. We are seeing partisanship in the ranks of Comelec.

Oplan Baklas became the object of an obvious ‘Oplan Leni’ by operatives from inside Comelec. Billboards and posters of VP Leni were mindlessly removed those installed inside private properties invoking violations of rules on posters prescribed by the Omnibus Election Code.

Thank God, the Supreme Court quickly acted to stop the political carnage. 

Then Rappler, VP Leni’s ardent supporter, suddenly became a partner for truth of Comelec. Never mind that the online news agency was labeled as promoter of fake news vs the Duterte administration, that it is embroiled in corporate ownership issues with the government.

Thank God, the Comelec decided to suspend the partnership after Solgen Jose Calida filed a petition questioning the propriety of the appointment of Rappler as Comelec’s frontline in the battle vs fake news.

It looks like the time has come to abolish Comelec and create another constitutional body to assume its role if no meaningful reforms are undertaken soon. For as long as this Comelec is retained, Smartmatic will continue to reign and commissioners are guaranteed their due.

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Congratulations to DR. VOLTAIRE P. ARZADON, who will be installed as the first President of the UNIVERSIDAD DE DAGUPAN during investiture ceremonies on March 18, 2022!

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