National cleansing

By Jun Velasco

BY the time this paper was out, the political smoke would have cleared up a bit, let’s hope, from the most confusing suspense we Filipinos are going through.

From the haze and maze, from the tumult, we expect a nation cleansed, rising from the ruins and ruble of an ugly conflict.

Let’s hope our self-appointed pillars of constitutional democracy whether from the status quo (presidential system) or from the never-say-die advocates of a parliamentary government see a clearer path to the future for the sake of our children and their children. 

Our embattled Speaker Jose de Venecia with the George Patton-like bite-the-bullet grit in a penultimate clash with tradition, now with a hoarse, weary and tired voice unrelentingly pushing  for a Constituent Assembly, faithful, heavens-may-fall, to the end careening over an  all-time favorite song, “the Impossible Dream,” would not let go, childlike faith in tow that success should only belong to the brave, to the dreamer and the stubborn lover, no matter what .No era in his political life  probably has the Speaker been more bludgeoned by a multitude of  status quo’s defenders one can’t  help estimating how large his heart is in this severest test to his  leadership.

The vicious  debate on charter change, no doubt, is dramatically changing the nation’s course, and ironically with the status quo defenders licentiously throwing all the muck at  the defensive  charter change “activists.”

  What makes this tug of war unique is that the status quo defense forces are behaving like  the proverbial activists, like militants, fire-spewing and bunched with the political opposition  against  a  political novelty advocacy group that is instead getting the bloody brickbats.

Should it not have been the other way round?

We’re concerned about a possible backlash from the unknowable future. Let’s pray that the well-meaning would be able to stay the course. Everyone’s life is at stake.

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In   that  little corner of  Arellano-Bani in Dagupan City, known as Sunrise Subdivision,  homeowners association president  Zack Bacolor sent  this column a news bit with these words: “I am happy to inform you that the City Mayor, Benjamin S. Lim,  (has) finally signed and  accepted the Deed of  Donation  today, December 5, 2006  at l2:30 pm, witnessed by Engr. Rodolfo Fernandez, executive assistant  to the mayor, and yours truly… The mayor has promised the development of our subdivision roads and drainage systems as early as next month as his personal X’mas present to us.”

  Original owners of  the lot  (two parcels of  land with an area of  l30,727  square meters  by  32,l53 square meters were Pedro Hortaleza, Romeo Fernandez, former Mayor Liberato Ll. Reyna and Ms. Crispina H. Nonato.

The resolution was authored by Councilor Teofilo Guadiz III and jointly co-authored by Councilors Alex de Venecia and Eric Muñoz.

Cheers!

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The Sunrise Subdivision experience should be an eye-opener to subdivision homeowners. Considering the high cost of developing a big area such as installing drainage, street lights, and all, homeowners need to be “practical.” 

We have a similar experience in our Tondaligan Blue Beach Subdivision Homeowners Association in Bonuan Gueset, this city, where even more serious problems of burglary, robbery and an invasion by stray cattle could not be checked totally. Why? Because that part of the city sits unabashedly beside the Tondaligan by the Lingayen Gulf, helplessly exposed to drug addicts that love to play on the beach.

    What makes matters worse is widespread poverty in the squatter area nearby. And the subdivision homeowners are not financially capable of undertaking costly infrastructure and modern amenities.

Many of our city officials including Mayor Benjie Lim have offered to “adopt” our 25-hectare Tondaligan housing dating back to former Mayor Al Fernandez’s tenure out of sympathy, but a few homeowners refuse to “go public.”  The struggle against criminality lurking in the dark — even with an alert sub-police station nearby — goes on.     

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Public service: Cilamar, Dagupan’s home of  “US exclusives” especially women’s and also men’s wear and  other items, has moved from the second to the first floor of the Espino Building across St. John’s Cathedral in Dagupan City  to suit the convenience of  the elderly, says Marlene  Espino-Ocampo in a text message. When we joked that her signature goodies might be encountering “rough selling” in the face of the ukay ukay, she snapped “be informed that Cilamar’s price tags are low and very reasonable but are top quality.”

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/think-about-it/)

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