By Leonardo Micua

 

THE surprise drug testing of barangay officials in Bayambang by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in coordination with the Municipal Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) is a very commendable move and should be done by the PDEA in other 43 towns and four cities of Pangasinan, too!

But we understand that the surprise drug testing in Bayambang was simply meant to validate if the town continues to remain drug free after it was drug-cleared months ago through the combined efforts of PDEA, local police and municipal and barangay officials.

Other officials in Pangasinan should also welcome the PDEA’s surprise drug testing  strategy if ever only to be assured that those governing us are really not taking any illegal drugs, or pushing and trading illegal drugs, and continue to become role-models to their constituents.

However, the fact that there are still 197 barangays, out of some 1,300 (per records of PDEA), that are not drug-cleared, is a strong indication that Pangasinan may not yet see  the light at the end of the tunnel soon in so far as putting illegal drugs behind.

Another is the new condition enforced by the agency requiring the setting up of a Balay Silangan by LGUs to be declared drug-cleared. Only a few have so far met this requirement. This we think can further derail the hopes of many LGUs to get drug-cleared and eventually obtain a drug-free status.

Given the financial woes of many LGUs at this time, they may probably won’t be able to build a Balay Silangan merely at the flick of their fingers. Granting that they have vacant lots for it, they have to raise funds to bankroll the needed infrastructure as well as the manpower to run such a facility.

Without the funds to operate by well-trained manpower, the Balay Silangan facility will just be white elephant in the town/city.

*          *          *          *

As athletes of the State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) assembled at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen to compete for medals in their annual sports meet, we think that the Region 1 Athletic Association Athletic (R1AA) Meet will not be far behind. 

Recall that the 2020 R1AA Meet was supposed to be staged at NRSCC, to be hosted by the Pangasinan 1 Division Office, but it was postponed twice because of the then creeping contagion then and it was eventually cancelled when the whole of Luzon opted to adopt total lockdown measure in the middle of March that year.

Bigger than the SCUAA 1 Meet is the Batang Pinoy National Sports Meet slated at the Quirino Stadium in Ilocos Sur sometime in December, to be spearheaded by the Philippine Sports Commission under Noly Eala, where Pangasinan and Dagupan athletes will actively participate.  

Certainly with in-person classes now in full swing in all public and private schools throughout the land starting early November with the improving Covid health situation, we expect thousands of student athletes beginning to flex their muscles, starting their training and preparing to suit up for their respective events.

*          *          *          *

Members of the majority in the Dagupan City Sangguniang Panglungsod must have thought they are smarter than Mayor Belen Fernandez, when they passed a resolution calling on the mayor to release the scholarship grant to all qualified scholars selected by the previous administration, using the P55 million balance of the scholarship fund provided in the 2022 budget. Tsk, tsk.

But Mayor Belen was not born only yesterday. She knew it was just a trap because such a move will benefit only the 2,301 scholars of the past city administration, to the disadvantage of  the new scholars under her administration.

She insists that Supplemental Budget No. 1, still subject of committee hearing by the majority, must be passed for the additional P100 million for all the city scholars as the P55 million balance left by the past city administration cannot possibly cover all scholars.

By the way, the list of 2,301 existing city scholars was already pruned down with the exclusion of the so-called ‘flying, ‘ghost’ and dummy scholars as well as those who obtained  failing grades in the courses they were enrolled, numbering 193 at the latest count.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments