Conflagration not mere fire, threatens the city

By Gerry Garcia

MANILA Bulletin correspondent Jun Velasco had recently confided to us how his pare Mayor Jolly kept telling him that he felt his days  were numbered, that his end would come any day or night. And we guessed it was this premonition gripping San Carlos City Mayor Jolly Resuello that prompted him to initiate a move to get him and his party together with the opposition to sign a mutual pact for a clean and orderly election.

Meaning, the group of Resuello and the whole ticket of former Mayor Douglas Soriano would sign an agreement that they would never use force, guns, gold or goons during the election. To be more precise, all agreed not to engage in black propaganda, or resort to character assassination during the campaign period.

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We think (not only guess, this time) that Mayor Resuello, before he was killed, did not like the idea of the Commission on Election planning to declare his city as an area of concern. That’s why he took the pains of working out a better compromise — getting all parties together to sign an MOA (Memo of Agreement) of sort to assure they would not start shooting each other on the flimsiest excuse. They all did and everybody was satisfied, it seems. . .  until that tragic Saturday night when Mayor Resuello and a security aide were shot from behind during a beauty pageant in the city plaza.

Although many say the tragic killing of Mayor Jolly has practically sealed his son’s election to the mayoral post, some are not so sure unless . . . Comelec control and police security are firmly in place.

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Congestion within  the still limited city proper area continues unabated, not only on the streets, but also in commercial and residential districts, coupled  with the rise of three universities drawing enrollees not only here but also from adjacent provinces. As a consequence, more boarding houses and student dormitories arise to complement the increase of student-residents … all adding up to more crowded neighborhoods with conflagration potentials.

This is the dire situation the city’s fire department faces. With only a few fire-trucks and equipment not suitable for a full-grown metropolis like this city, our city firemen are faced with the challenge of squeezing through narrow or non-existent access-roads to where the infernal conflagration is raging.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/here-and-there/)

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