Playing with Fire

By November 26, 2012Archives, Opinion

Responsible press

By Gonzalo Duque

IT may not be proper to start our column with a dig on a stinking garbage along Amado Street directly behind Lyceum Northwestern University, but it’s so irritating and reflective of the city’s lousy approach to the garbage problem.

The problem, if you look closely, would lead us all the way to the obnoxious Awai issue which is the waterloo of the Lim administration.

Ano ba talaga, Mayor Lim? Agyon talaga narisolba yay garbage problem tayo.

Angapoy sense of smell yo amo?
 

Back to grade school, we were taught the nursery rhyme “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

Ag tayo ibabagan agkayo makaDiyos because that is a very personal matter between man and God, between your conscience and your faith in God. Akin balet et agyo onaen yay dutak ya ambanget, makapabaing so idadayew dan ciudad tayo.

* * * *

In case you don’t know, because it’s not so obvious as the stinking garbage that you see everywhere, there’s a bigger waste that’s about to overwhelm all of us Dagupenos!

We are referring to the questionably approved Annual Investment Plan (AIP) that ambitiously aims to raise Pl.5 billion to be squandered by this corrupt administration.

Pangalaan datan ya bilyon kasi? Oningas tayoy aralem ta sisigurado onotang lalamet ira!  Just like how the Lim administration so easily got that P300 million loan for the non-productive Malimgas Market! Kaskasian lamuet so baley, atataen tan agagui! Kapigan kasi kitonda yan panag walsas na cuartay baley?

What’s lamentable and deplorable is that many good but unwary civic leaders of the city were dragged into endorsing this huge budget without their knowledge! We’re referring to the leaders of private groups and civic clubs who were invited to a city hall meeting and made to sign their names to indicate the presence.

Amta manaya they were made to appear as having endorsed the AIP document! Kaso lamuet ya, Manny! Masilib yan administration awa? Manalwar kayo ta asinger lay panagsingil!

* * * *

There are talks that say the governorship should have been in re-electionist Guvnor Spines’ bag were it not for wild assurances that the President will campaign hard for his team-mates in the province.

We don’t know but the gap between Spines and Nani Braganza is the proverbial mile, and it would take a miracle to reverse it. Anyway, these are times of miracles. Baka may pagasa. But we know how Spines works. Mairap ya sabayan. Ongagapo ka ni, ompapawil lay mamam. We suggest Nani used a jet so catch up, if that’s possible.

* * * *

Thru this column, we wish to thank our fellow officers of the Pangasinan Press Club for giving us their vote of confidence.

It’s NOT TRUE as shamelessly claimed by a former broadcaster of Radyo ng Bayan and over the air that we paid our co-officers for their vote.

Where did he get that idea that our PPC officers can be bought? He must be talking about himself.

We are proud of them, who realizing the righteousness of our cause, which is to elevate man’s respect for women and gender sensitivity rights, came in full force to a board meeting last Tuesday at Rubis.

Actually, the meeting was intended to plan the club’s Christmas party. It was a lively meeting as usual among kindred souls. The subject on the relief of a former PPC director and his two or three sympathizers were briefly discussed.

So much for this press club. The less we talk about it the better for us and the community we serve.

Yes, in a sense, we too are public servants. We give the public news and enlightened comments. In fact, if you’d ask the US’ fourth President Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of American Independence and father of the American press, his famous quote is ennobling to us Fourth Estaters: “Were I to choose between a government without press and a press without the government, I would not hesitate to choose the latter.”  

Hooray, Journalists! We mean, responsible journalists.

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