Is Joey for scrapping of W2W?

By Leonardo Micua

WHEN Councilor Joey Tamayo delivered a privilege address before the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), he used in his intro–in a bid to stress the pressing need for the Waste to Worth technology– the voice clip of Greta Thunberg, the 15-year old Swedish climate change activist who called on world leaders to do something more to stop climate change for the benefit of the future generations. That voice resonated all over the world.

But we will not discuss Greta’s feat here but rather Joey’s proposition – to make the Dagupan City government take a second look at the 30-hectare land in Barangay Awai, San Jacinto it bought in 2004 as an alternative site for the W2W project if the two-hectare land on which Sure Global Philippines, Inc. intends to set up in Binloc in case it does not pass the social accessibility requirement.

Methinks Joey’s suggestion won’t happen as the Department of Agrarian Reform Arbitration Board (DARAB) has already decided against the claim of Dagupan City with its decision to distribute parcels of the Awai land among the tenants and their heirs who filed a case for redemption over that property. (Dagupan City lost this case by default). 

When DAR affirmed DARAB’s decision and went on to declare the sale of the property null and void, Dagupan knew it lost P16 millions of people’s money.

The heirs of the tenants are now in actual possession of the property and I am sure they would not budge even an inch of their acquired property just to give way to W2W.

So, despite Joey’s claim that the tax declaration of the property still remains in the name of Dagupan, the Awai land will never be had. A friend aptly described Joey’s proposal as a long, wild shot and Dagupan would never get even a Chinaman’s chance of recovering the land.

Many are wondering if Joey is in fact still supporting the W2W because he appears to be diverting the attention of the Dagupan government to the Awai land to lay the premise as excuse for not implementing the 2017 joint venture agreement signed with Sure Global.  

As the author of several ordinances and resolutions in the past affirming the joint venture agreement and other past actions concerning the proposed project, many ask how he can turn around and now torpedo the project by offering an impossible alternative?

By reminding the council that Commissioner Armando Yao of the National Waste Management Commission was not at all joking when he warned earlier that officials of Dagupan are liable to face suit for the continuous use of the open dumpsite, Joey was effectively saying the city has no choice.

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Congratulations to Team Philippines for scoring a run-away victory in the recently concluded 30th Asian Games where they snared 149 gold, 117 silver, and 121 bronze medals in the grueling 12 days of competition. 

Let’s give it to them. They all worked extra hard and before that, endured long days of training in order to be in competitive form, something that did not happen in past editions of the meet. 

The 30th Sea Games proved that the Philippines have topnotch athletes comparable among the best in the world.   

To the other athletes who did not bring home any medal but still did their personal best, they should believe in themselves as there are always other times they could also shine.

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Many are asking if there is any activity to anticipate and watch during the Dagupan City fiesta as they seemed not to get a glimpse of the programs posted by the city hall fortnight ago on the social media platform Facebook. 

My hijada Rosalie Agas, who footed the bill for our lunch at Jana’s, was among those who were on a quandary if there is any fiesta celebration at all as she does not see any poster or tarpaulin around listing down the same. 

The problem with this city administration is it believes that social media is all that it needs to communicate anything to residents, and no longer issues press releases about activities of city hall in the city.  It also doesn’t find need for posters or tarpaulins for important announcements, like the programs of the city fiesta that the public need to know. 

The PIO is doing a disservice to Mr. Brian Lim if it does not communicate what he is doing in all media platforms available, including print media.    

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