Hope

TOMORROW’S otherwise routine Monday morning flag ceremony in town and city halls will be special.

July 2 marks the beginning of the term of office of the local government officials who won the people’s confidence and approval in the mid-term election last May 14.

Majority of the mayors are re-elected, 31 of them, although the new faces also represent a significant number at a total of 17. But most noteworthy of all is that the kapitolyo in Lingayen will have a new servant-leader.

As the flag is hoisted and the Lupang Hinirang is sang almost simultaneously  around Pangasinan, there will be a profound sense of anticipation and hope in the air — the kind that is characteristic of  beginnings, the same feeling of eagerness and optimism that we experience during the birth of a child or on wedding days.

The scenario might prove to be a bit different in Dagupan City if the issue over the holding area for passenger vehicles at the former Pantranco Terminal is not addressed over the weekend.

At the very least, city hall officials might possibly not make it in time for the 8:00 am flag ceremony. At worst, chaos will reign on the roads of the city and agitated temperaments could ignite unwarranted crimes. It will be a very ugly way of starting the week, the month, and a three-year term of office.

Dagupan, the busiest city in the province, is under grave threat of moving backwards instead of taking a step forward on a day that is supposed to be filled with hope. And the timing behind this threat is highly suspect since it was timed perfectly as a baptism of   fire to welcome a new set of officials.

So much for promises of support from former Mayor Benjamin Lim who vowed to remain helpful to the city in his capacity as a businessman and a private citizen.

Fortunately for Governor Amado Espino Jr., a different and a more encouraging scenario awaits him having called upon “all leaders and Pangasinenses to help the province make a fresh start” when he took his oath of office last Saturday.

But at the very least, let us hope that the weather will be kind and cooperative tomorrow.

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