A different kind of election

By Jun Velasco

WHILE the country just came off — thank God! — from  its  recent  political bedlam, the 2007  elections, this one at the De La Salle University on Taft Avenue was a model of   beautiful  democracy,  clean,  talent-based and  orderly  exercise.

What of it, you say.  Wait a minute, that’s not yet the story.

 The student elections at La Salle — the university student council presidency particularly — was won by a Pangasinense, a young and pretty coed from Lingayen, Pangasinan and Dagupan City – Noelle Angeli Dimalanta Arcinue.

Noelle should be familiar to most of you. She is the pretty daughter of our friend, former Dagupan Jaycees president Oscar Arcinue and the late lawyer Anita Dimalanta. Oscar, who works with tycoon, University of Pangasinan chair Cesar Duque, tirelessly talks of his lovely daughter.

In her 5th year in liberal arts and commerce (liacom) major in psychology and corporate management, Noelle has to extend her days at the De La Salle to be able to serve her year-long presidential term. Proud erpat says beloved daughter will graduate this year as cum laude.

Congrats!

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Post election jokes are still making their rounds. Take this one where hundreds, carrying JDV’s campaign posters and streamers, trooped to Bonuan Binloc asking for their prize-money, Pl,000 each kuno  for the big poster.      

Undoubtedly, naughty text messages from you-know- who must have spread the bizarre tale that the speaker would give cash to whoever would present used campaign posters and the like. Well, the joke helped the city’s clean-up team led by Reggie Ubando to lessen his work.   

The joke showed how extreme poverty could affect one’s brain, for who is the candidate who would want back his used propaganda posters and shell out cash to whoever would give back these things?  The candidate would have wished these election paraphernalia displayed in some supporters’ homes or his t-shirts used by the hoi poloi.

Tony Hombrebueno, a cousin of JDV, cashed in on the joke by inviting all the “claimants” for a pictorial and telling them he would try to give the speaker a souvenir foto, just in case his amusement would cough up a few pesos, and that’s it. But Tony hastened, “but I’ll just try ha.”

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In  the not too distant past, Spines  Espino, our governor-elect,  was thinking aloud the country might be better off if not it zeroed in on tourism as its foremost, if Number One industry.

We don’t remember the occasion that plucked this phenomenally brilliant idea from Spines’ creative mind, but it is one that, seriously, our economic managers might choose to work with real success.

Spines said (to this effect): name any industry where the Philippines can truly excel, nothing! Our neighbors can easily beat us to anything, especially with the advent of the borderless economy. China’s and Vietnam’s rice sells here much cheaper than our farmers’ produce. 

But what country has more than 7,000 beautiful isles? Only the Philippines, this fabled Pearl of the Orient.

Pondering his remark, we thought that Spines has a not so common “common sense.” How come with all the brilliant, Harvard-trained economists in the government and the private sector, this tourism challenge hasn’t taken hold of their brains?

A few months back, Jun Ebdane and this writer were enjoying Boracay’s fine beach, and what did he say? “You know, our officials in Pangasinan should start one like this in Bolinao and the Hundred Islands.”

It’s sad the Visayans have easily beat us to it. The germ of this great idea is Spines’ randomly said key to Philip-pine progress – tourism. It should be his government’s major plank, if we may suggest.

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Our  balikbayan friend-kin Apring Dawana  has in-born leadership qualities.  After serving Barangay Tapuac as outstanding kapitan  and president of the city’s ABC  federation during Mayor Opring Manaois’ mayorship, he migrated to San Francisco, California and  became a success in real estate there. Back in Dagupan, he stayed at his resort in Barangay Lucao in sitio Tocok which he now envisages as a future eco tourism property. He soon developed some ideas like transforming Tococ into a Shangrila, which has amused Speaker Joe de V as “outlandish.”

Tocok residents who live literally in the 30-hectare Tocok river spurred him to lead them giving rise to a new club, United Families of Tocok with him as president.  Methinks it won’t be long when his ideas will finally land. Before May l4, he said “I will give Joe de V and Al Fernandez l00 percent votes” but ended up with 95 because five were Magic workers. He made in the senate race Butch Pichay No. l with second placer Ed Angara some l2 votes away.    

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

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