By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

DAGUPAN’s notorious 7epaLiFes at the Sangguning Panlungsod must be gloating over their successful efforts in embarrassing the Belen Fernandez administration for remaining in the cellar with the least creditable performance in public service among the cities in the region.

Of course, the 7epaLiFes, dumb as they go, are not the least aware that their “monumental” success spelled their own political doom in next year’s elections. After all, it was they who have been unabashedly plotting every week how and when to block the annual and supplemental budgets, proposed projects from national agencies and… above all how to humiliate Mayor Belen each step of the way since 2022!

By plotting against Mayor Belen’s social and health programs, the 7epaLiFes were certainly unmindful of the fact that they were depriving thousands that include members of INC, of the benefits that residents could have benefitted from the programs they whimsically blocked. One such critical program was the Mother and Child Hospital. Recall that it was INC that endorsed the candidacies of the 7epaLiFes in 2022 that enabled them to control the city council.

Since the 7epaLiFes continue to brag to everyone (particularly to Mayor Belen, to her face) that they have the backing of INC all the way, they were in effect incriminating the INC in the failed delivery of programs for Dagupeños.

The 7epaLiFes themselves affirmed that INC committed a serious major political blunder in 2022.

So, if the 7epaLiFes think they succeeded, they must think, again.

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TIMELY ADVICE – Two weeks ago, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano had this timely advice to the Manlingkor ya Kalangwer Batch 2024 and to SK officials: “Have a clear purpose in your lives, because it is the best way to resist temptation as future public servants.”

“I want to warn you na now na pumasok kayo sa mundo ng pulitika, lahat ng temptations nandyan sa inyo. Let your purpose guide you,” Cayetano told hundreds of young officials who attended the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Iloilo Chapter Provincial Congress.

 The senator, who began his own career in the government as a youth leader and became the youngest councilor in Taguig, consistently displayed moral courage needed to fight and expose corruption in local and national government.

“Peer pressure is a common struggle among politicians,” he warned.

He said this can be overcome by keeping in mind one’s “higher purpose.”

“Yun ang mahirap sa pulitika, kasi you need everyone,” he said. “[Pero] kung yung leader mismo ay mawawalan ng purpose, sama-sama [kayong walang mararating] at barka-barkada na lang [ang mangyayari].”

 He challenged the Iloilo SK officials to be united by one vision for their province.

 “Twenty years from now, ano ang itsura ng Iloilo? Ano ang [magiging legacy] ng batch niyo?” Cayetano challenged them.

 His message to the Iloilo SK officials should reverberate in the minds of our Pangasinan and Dagupan young leaders who’ve indicated willingness and readiness to join governance and public service.

 The politics of Dagupan’s 7epaLiFes’ definitely were and are still without higher purpose Sayang sila!

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I join Archbishop Soc Villegas’ prayer campaign for a dialogue between our government and China respectful of each other, to be pursued by the Marcos administration.

All the saber-rattling for love of country by the Marcos administration is misplaced as already being manifested by growing number of active and retired generals, they who’ve come face to face with the horrors of war.

While it is heroic and patriotic to die in defense of our country, no Filipino should die for interests of geopolitics of either US or China – over Taiwan!

Our main conflict with China today is about a neighborly issue – sovereignty and economic rights of both claimant countries in different areas in the South China Sea, the same issue that’s confronting Brunei Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia as neighbors.

Note that in all the conflicting claims by PH and other ASEAN countries with China, there are no calls for either military offensive or defense.  No talks of military takeover.

This is the reason why it’s only the China Coast Guard that’s closely guarding its “territory” that was used to be PH’s territory.  (“Used to” because, indeed, PH had effective control of the Scarborough shoal (a rock) area until PH abandoned it and allowed CH to rush and take control. There was no military offensive that took place. There was no shot fired in the air).

The only visible palpable and emotional consequence of CH taking control izs the lost livelihood of Pinoy fishermen who used to fish around the Scarborough shoal. The day CH is set to invade Taiwan that it considers as an internal affair, and the US takes aggressive military action in defense of Taiwan, will be the day when PH will be caught in a crossfire that can cost Filipino lives.

The Rosary campaign for peace in the West Philippine Sea can easily be negated by the US-CH-Taiwan conflict, and I support Fr. Soc ‘s call to rally for more prayers if we are to have peace with our neighbor.

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