Punchline
Dagupan’s 31-day fiesta for world record?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
WHAT’S the Dagupan City government up to this time, declaring December 1-31, 2006 as fiesta month?
Is celebrating the city fiesta already like observing anti-TB, breastfeeding, fire prevention, and other causes that the city needs to do it for a month?
Does city hall actually believe that making a month-long celebration will make the Dagupeños forget that our city officials continue to be accountable for things they have not done for the city and what they have helped themselves with?
Do they think that partying for 31 days will make people forget that the city needs good governance?
Or is the city angling for another Guinness World Record?
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BENEFITS OF 31-DAY FIESTA. What will residents gain out of a 31-day fiesta celebration? Nothing but aggravation.
Who wants to play host to visiting relatives and friends for 31 days, including Christmas? Who wants to have the traffic at main thoroughfares stay at a standstill twice a week just so some BSS (bilib sa sarili) city officials can join parades and motorcades for a chance to wave like hungry chimpanzees to an indifferent public? Who wants to listen to constant bickering of angry and helpless commuters who are trapped by the chaotic traffic?
What will the organizers gain from it? Well, this is a different story.
The city officials will have endless opportunities to dress up in their barong-over-jeans get-up for official photo ops. They have 31-days to make senseless opening remarks in appointed fiesta activities. They get a chance to affirm their self-importance by being acknowledged as VIPs in all the events for 31 days! They make themselves available to media for their all-too important thoughts about their historic roles in fiesta events. They get the best seats in all occasions for all their relatives who have nothing better to do with their lives for the duration of the 31-day celebration. Above all, they get to hear people introduce them as “Honorable” … and sincerely believe it! Of course, the city councilors are confident nobody will have the heart to call them “onor-onor” or “clowncilors” for the duration of the 31-day fiesta!
oops, so ok, I have no heart.
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THE MC ADORE FOLLY. Hear ye, hear ye!
Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim who just arrived from another overseas trip (was that with the permission of the DILG, Mayor?) reiterated that the city government bought the former Mc Adore Hotel so vendors can use it as a relocation site and enable the city to pursue and maintain its beautification and cleanliness program.
I thought it was his vision then for the city to acquire the repossessed hotel from government so the city hall can be transferred there. He was his articulate self explaining the many benefits the city can gain from its acquisition as he justified the basis for the P50 million loan.
Today, he now wants to impress the city that he had the foresight to acquire the old hotel for the relocation of the sidewalk vendors!
I think the jetlag he constantly suffered from his frequent overseast ripshas already affected his visioning for the city. From city hall to sidewalk vendors? Duh?
Madali bang paikutin ang mga Dagupeño, huh, Mayor?
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WHY CONGRESMEN ARE FOR CON-ASS. Two weeks ago, I watched Rep. Prospero Pichay on TV in awe as he debated with Rep. Rolex Suplico on the issue of Con-ASS and Con-Con.
Mr. Suplico, who appeared to be waging a lonely battle for Con-Con in Congress, argued that the delicate business of drafting a constitution cannot be left in the hands of the congressmen because most of them have vested political and financial interests.
Mr. Pichay, on the other hand, who proved himself to be worthy of his peers’ trust, was reciting the benefits of Con-ASS to our people! What he said were nothing new, simply predictable. But I had not expected him to say (and perhaps only the congressmen blest with extra-large pork barrel would be brazen enough to make the claim): “Filipinos will be fortunate to have congressmen sitting in the constituent assembly because they are assured of the best minds in the country. Outside of the congressmen, you will only have the second best!”
I nearly died of heart attack out of sheer shock on hearing him. For starters, surely the guy has not heard of our Atty. Gonz “Playing with Fire” Duque who can easily make a second-class citizen out of the likes of Mr. Pichay!
But those who believe they really can’t be any better than our elected congressmen, go for Con-ASS! It’s your only chance for salvation as second class nitwits.
Well, I was not surprised to see the public’s final verdict on the TV debate. Mr. Suplico won that hands down.
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/)
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