RP 30 years behind Malaysia?

By Jun Velasco

OUR weeklong visit of Malaysia (4 days) and Singapore (2 days) last week was an uncalled-for moment of melancholia.

Neighbor columnist Gonz Duque was right. He cried while touring South Korea because he saw progress all around and remembered his hapless country.

While divining the palm tree-lined- highway from the airport, Cathy chuckled, “why are our government officials not bothered by the progress of other countries?”

This “down feeling” of   most Filipinos who want their country to be at   par with our more prosperous neighbors is shared by Urdaneta City Mayor Amadito Perez who observes that the Philippines looks 30 years behind Malaysia. He attended a local executives’ international convention in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Gerry Garcia and Behn Fer Hortaleza must have an idea of vibrant and scintillating Malaysia, having also attended a media affair in Kuala Lumpur separately in the past.

Late last year, the foursome of former ass’n of barangay captains prexy Alfredo Dawana and his beloved Terry Hernaez, president of Little Shoe School in Carmen, Rosales, Lito and Auring Reyna were in Malaysia, and they are singing the same tune.

In   Singapore where four of Cathy’s HRM students were doing their On the Job Training, we saw a much more hi-tech environment very much like those of Tokyo and New York. It’s almost unbelievable that these countries could stage such a fantastic economic leap, and these success stories are being retold in this our beleaguered nation in a mournful way.

Brod Norman, Dagupan manager of RCBC, who took part in a 25-day Christian seminar last month in the famous city-state, and the son of UPang exec director Boy Rayos, Dave Michael and the four UPang OJT students who work in Singapore wonder if the Philippines could ever recover from the deadly virus that has knocked it down or a long, long time now.

Our president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, must be besieged by more than a Herculean task to skipper the nation to that elusive utopia given the phenomenal tug of war among our politicians that seems integral to our political, economic and cultural systems.

 Our country’s worrisome status will probably be around for years maybe decades more; it’s tough luck we have to bear, but we implore our leaders to please cut this prolonged period of suffering and set in motion a timetable for national growth, a heroic “catch-up” effort in fairness to Filipinos who only know  glorious life in their wild dreams.

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We admire Guv’nor Spines’ idea, nay program to propagate the Pangasinan language in public places if only to save it from irreversible extinction.

Language experts including well-known Pangasinan writers like Mrs. Perla Samson-Nelmida and the late Juan Villamil are full of praises for the beauty, richness and elegance of the language.

In our humble view, however, it is English that will connect us to the world. The other week, we were at a symposium that showed Pangasinan college graduates as “one of the most unfit for employment” worldwide. Reason: they are not proficient in the English language – the language used worldwide.

What the governor probably wants is to preserve the language but not to junk English   in the provincial government’s day-to-day operations. There are many ways to skin a cat, they say. There are many ways to propagate Pangasinan without being isolated from  the world, right,  Boss Spines?

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Prayers for our long-time friend Phil Caracas who is very ill and confined at the Region I Medical Center. We first met in 1969, Phil as a ranking broadcast talent of the Philippine Broadcasting System at the office of then neophyte Congressman Joe de V at the old Congress building. A couple of years later he founded a Pangasinan newsweekly with Resty Basa, the Agno Valley News.

What many do not know is that he is the uncle of the late Jake Clave a Protestant pastor. He is one of the few pillars of the Publishers Assn of the Phils. with the big heart. Through the years, Phil has gained thousands of friends who, we hope, will not waste a minute to pay him a visit. Better still, to help defray his bills which have hit the ceiling.

Those who have no money should pray hard for his fast recovery. Get well soon, Tata Phil.

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The family of our friend Juanito “Ani” Lagao, a consultant at Speaker Joe de V’s office, is suffering due to his son, Hemmil, 28, who was reported missing since January 27 this year. There are many heart-wrenching reports that say he was “eliminated” by his own drug-hooked barkada when he wanted out. It has been a hellish experience for the family especially Ani’s wife, Alice, who has been deeply troubled day in and day out since he stopped coming home.

After a lackadaisical support from the local police, the Lagaos suddenly found comfort from the local police led by Director Chief Supt. Pol Bataoil, Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Gani Nerez and newly appointed Station Commander Supt. Dionisio Borromeo who are tightening the investigation to ferret out the truth.

Borromeo, formerly assistant to former Regional Director Freddie de Vera, has named Lt. Ric Ubando to head the Lagao task force. We hope there will be concrete result asap. We thank Gen. Dante Ferrer, Crame intelligence chief, for acting as a “spur” to the investigation work.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/think-about-it/)

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