Think about it
What’s it all about, Alfie?
By Jun Velasco
WOULD you believe?
While we were humming Dionne Warwick’s “What’s it all about, Alfie?” — one of our favorites — our eyes were glued to a front-page blast against the local police for the upsurge of killings, mostly unsolved ones, he averred, involving public officials.
The blast came from our dear friend of 40 years Board Member Alfie Bince on the cold and cold-blooded data pointing to the bloody end of Mayors Guerra Zaragoza. Julian Resuello and lately, Arthur Cabanta; four municipal councilors and many town councilors. The bloody end, according to local news releases, called for the scalp of Sr. Supt. Gani Nerez who must have scowled “why me?”
He felt stung on the wrong side because the breakdown of lawlessness has its roots other than police incompetence.
How would you view the trend against a national backdrop that includes slain Philippine-based journalists are still unsolved in spite of the din of condemnations from every corner of the world? And oh, yes, leaders of the judiciary!
Before he was killed, Mayor Resuello was crying his heart out that some shadowy figures were out to get him by hook or by crook. And they got him. So it can be said: if his liquidation was adroitly planned, how could we pit our ill-equipped police organization against organized crime with all its own mastery of the gangland game?
But, anyway, the criticism sensitive Nerez was prodded into action and that happily resulted in bagging a number of felons although it’s obvious that Alfie’s shotgun assault was obviously no fault of Nerez. .
* * *
We thank US-based Noel Verzosa and two others for emailing their reactions to our article on the cancer-stricken David Gabriel Marquez whom we mistook for dead for the much publicized poem or prayer that was wrongly attributed to him.
Noel, who wrote to correct our item and say “hi!” to publisher Ermin and Gerry, admitted that the poem has been the talk of the whole world. Another reader says it was written by a Mexican ventriloquist named Johnny Welch “who felt disappointment of someone who has written something and is not getting credit.”
It’s not clear how the credit transfer issue cropped up, but admirers of Gabriel Garcia Marquez who wrote the classic “One Hundred Years of Solitude” insists it was impossible he could have authored a less than classic poem as the one most people, including you. dear readers, consider great.
“The poem was highly sentimental and full of clichés that one not would have normally expected from the great writer.” But it’s widely claimed that “many who read it were deeply moved by what they took to be the dying author’s final message.”
A high esteemed friend, the scholarly University of Luzon VP Aurora S. Reyna texted thus, “…beautiful, touchng leter! I agree with most of ur readers that u shld publsh more of this kind of insghtful artcles.” And three more letters praising it.
(Readers may reach columnist at junmv@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/think-about-it/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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