Hope for the world’s poor

By Jun Velasco

JOE de V, Dagupeno, our  4th District congressman and Philippine speaker,  was  at center stage in Kuala Lumpur  during  the assemblage of top parliament leaders in the Association of East Asian Nations — the  ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

For a moment, you mused: was this the man you were hobnobbing with at a beach home in Bonuan Binloc?

Yes.  Out   there in Kuala Lumpur, capital of modern Malaysia, this Dagupeño was the eloquent   spokesman of the Third World countries that could hardly settle their billions of debts to the World Bank.

Known for simplifying complex and complicated issues with his finger tips, Joe de V, the Dagupeño who has risen to the Philippine Speakership for the 5th time, was urging foreign banks led by the IMF to stop collecting from underdeveloped countries.

Instead, he has asked the foreign banks to convert the debt as into investments in the borrower-countries’ development program.

Outlandish? Nope, for it’s only thru the De Venecia scheme that the lender can recover its investment. And, here’s  the bonus, by being involved  in the borrower country’s development, the  world bank acts  as caretaker — to  see to it that the money is wisely  spent and results in genuine development for the poor countries.

Cute, and JdV’s proposal, loudly   endorsed by the world’s parliament leaders, gives hope to the world’s millions of poor people.

* * *

A couple of weeks earlier, we, too, were in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, for the 3-day Asia Pacific Publishing confab.

There we met a Malaysian marketing guru, Gary Galvez, who introduced us to Minister Datuk Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanko Jaafar, Malaysia’s chair of higher education, similar to our CHED.

Had we stayed a week longer, Dr. Jaafar would have brought us to Prime Minister Badawi. The   Malaysian officials were excited by JdV’s ideas — a regional ASEAN unity, planting of l0 billion trees, inter faith dialogue and debt to equity.

We later met Dr. Michael Chun, who oversees Malaysia’s global tourism program, “Malaysia my second home,” at a cozy restaurant which has Filipina employes.

* * *

It’s well that the ugly Councilors League election is over. Bludgeoned by below-the- belt election campaign, the election gave the province a black eye and a bad smell as a drugs and gambling center that for a while upset Provincial Director Gani Neres no end.

Elected president Councilor Raul Sison of Urbiztondo   therefore has a tough job up his sleeves — to steer clear the province from messy and illegal nomenclatures whipped up by the exercise.

Accounts show the backers of Raul Sison and Dennis Uy were from the same political camp. They must be licking their self inflicted wounds now.

* * *

Lawyer Feliciano “Atos” Bautista’s election to the national Integrated Bar of the Philippines is refreshing news to Pangasinenses.

The former Sta. Barbara mayor may not be perfect, but he is intelligent, honest and good natured. His election to the IBP presidency should inspire our lawyers and the poor who want to have greater access to the rule of law and justice, which is still elusive in this country.

* * *

Not a few Dagupeños were taken aback by a local news headline, “Dagupan Sinking,” triggering calls for transfers to new places of residence.

We were amused knowing the writer to be a flamboyant marketing man. We were even asked where to look for a copy of The Tribune, and the editors of the Manila daily with the same masthead denied having headlined the item.

We want to caution Mayor Al Fernandez, in case he, too, was shocked by the headline, that the writer must have developed a sinking feeling when he saw floodwaters rising higher in some parts of the city.

“Magimik ya met si Orly,” fumes Boy Rayos of Upang.

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

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments