By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

RESIDENTS of Dagupan City must take the impact of Typhoon ‘Enteng’ both as a blessing and a warning.
What could have been another usual knee-high flooding in the city’s commercial district restricting movements of residents at the height of the typhoon, the major roads that were recently elevated finally brought relief to both motorists and pedestrians.

The elevation program of the DPWH may have, indeed, initially inconvenienced residents and business establishments but it has been proven to all and sundry that it is the only way to keep normalcy in people’s activities, whether flooding caused by typhoons or high tide, for a long period.

City residents now know that it’s the way to go – to elevate more how-lying major roads!

Meanwhile, the impact of ‘Enteng’ on low-lying barangays as a result of the elevation project must be carefully assessed for medium-term development.  I say ‘medium-term’ because plans to minimize flooding in barangays can only be funded by the city government either by allocation in the city’s annual budget and or supplementary budget (from city’s savings).

Take the experience of the city government that sought to elevate Jovellanos St.  The plan to check the flooding in that street adjacent to the St. John Cathedral compound, has been in place and allocated funds for it via Supplementary Budget No.2. But this is being deliberately sabotaged by the 7 epaLiFes since 2022!

So, as long as the city has councilors like Red Erfe Mejia, Dada Reyna-Macalanda, Celia Chua-Lim, Alfie Fernandez, Alvin Coquia, Irene Lim-Acosta and Marilou Fernandez, don’t expect any short to long term development plans.

They had the chance to initiate the development in Jovellanos St. during Brian Lim’s administration, but they chose to launch projects where kickbacks could easily be earned.

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TIMELY VALIDATION. The report that the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) sent a team to Dagupan to conduct water sampling and check microplastics, fecal contamination and other water pollutants in the city’s rivers and tributaries couldn’t have happened at a better time.

I surmise that quality of water in the city’s rivers have reached a very critical level that already threatens life in the city

Between irresponsible dumping of trash, human wastes, commercial feeds and climate change, something has to give. Disaster is waiting to happen unless alarm is raised that major changes in city life will change drastically if nothing is done soon.

 Needless to say, polluted water will affect our food and residents’ health! Also, polluted, silted river will cause a shallow river bed that in turn will make flooding a frequent occurrence and worse each time.

 Thankfully, Mayor Belen Fernandez herself has expressed serious concern about this.  This early acknowledgment of a problem assures of planning for a solution.

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ALICE GUO, THE WHISTLE BLOWER.  With the expected brouhaha over the return of former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, expect the witch-hunting in both Houses of Congress on the illegal operations of Lucky South 99  deemed redundant. Their involvement of the invited  resource persons is mere circumstantial in issues raised.

I have reason to believe that a deal has been brokered with  Alice Guo by the Marcos administration when DILG Sec. Benhur Abalos and NBI chief immediately flew aboard a charter plane to Indonesia to serve the warrant of arrest with Indonesia’s consent.

Question: Why should a DILG chief bother to receive a fugitive, a police matter? The move is akin to the 2,000 armed police personnel and anti-riot units deployed to serve a warrant of arrest to Pastor Quiboloy inside the Kingdome of Jesus Christ compound.  Overkill? Not quite.

Serving the warrants was obviously a convenient cover for more important and urgent missions.

At the KOJS, the police are still digging “in search” of a live Quiboloy.

In Mr. Abalos’s case, was it a chance for a grand photo op arriving with the star-struck fugitive, that both mainstream and social media will feature?  Or, was it a planned move to isolate her for a “briefing” of a deal to put the last nail in Duterte political influence?

Revealing how she and others managed to escape will be secondary to what she will likely spill based on the deal with Mr. Abalos.

Expect her to respond to exposé question: Who helped you establish your POGO operations and offered you protection? Expect the qualifying response to include “former officials of the Duterte administration.”

So far, the mission to obliterate Duterte influence in 2025 and beyond already netted the outspoken Atty Harry Roque, VP Sara Duterte… and current targets are Senators Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go!!

Don’t blink now… there’s more ahead!

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US TEENS LIKE PH TEENS? Here’s an interesting article from Pew Research Center in US about REAL relationships in this generation. It’s about big debates – about how teenagers are faring these days, with technology and social media often being central in these conversations.

The research study last year presents new perspectives from U.S. parents and teens ages 13 to 17 last year about whether being a teenager today is harder, easier or about the same compared with 20 years ago – and why they feel that way.

A key finding? Parents and teens most often say it’s harder to be a teen today: 69% of parents say this and 44% of teens.
Reasons?
“1. Technology, especially social media, is the top reason parents think it’s harder being a teen today. Among U.S. parents who say being a teenager is harder today, 65% say technology of some kind is a reason, including 41% who cite social media specifically.
2. Increased pressures and social media stand out as reasons teens say it’s harder being a teen today. Among teens who say teen life is harder today than in the past, roughly four-in-ten mention technology as a reason, including a quarter who specifically name social media as a reason.
3. At the same time, technology is also cited as a top reason it’s easier to be a teen today by both teens and parents. Among those who say it’s easier being a teen today, roughly six-in-ten each among parents and teens mention technology as a reason.
I believe this is the same REAL situation for many of us elders and our own teens today!

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Join me every Monday morning, 6:30 am at 104.7 IFM Dagupan radio live, for further discussion of items I discuss in my PUNCHLINE column and the subject of SUNDAY PUNCH editorial.

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