Playing with Fire
Bataoil’s troops best nationwide
By Gonzalo Duque
CONGRATULATIONS to our regional police force headed by Gen. Leopoldo “Pol” Bataoil, regional director, for the Grand Slam they got nationwide from the national evaluation committee.
Our chiefs in Pangasinan, Col. Isagani Nerez, provincial director, and Dagupan City Chief, Col. Dionicio Borromeo, were also tops nationwide.
Talagang OK tayo ha?
Applause, applause.
But these feats do not mean they are perfect or even near-perfect. It’s just that in the over-all, our region is No. 1 in performance.
For instance, a number of unsolved cases still stare us in the face in Pangasinan. The killing of Mayor Jolly Resuello, the shootings in Tayug and San Manuel, and in Dagupan City, the disappearance of 28-year old Hermil Lagao, son of columnist Ani Lagao who is incidentally a consultant to Speaker Jose de Venecia.
But as we say, we are an imperfect society, and we are not asking for the moon, and so we settle for the available “best.”
The awards are well-deserved. In this country, crime, killings are almost a regular fare. Therefore, General Bataoil’s feats are already unsually the best in these abnormal times.
* * *
We always hear people talk of the “untouchable” occupants of the Tondaligan Park, the well-placed “sinesuertes” who have forced their way to millions of pesos worth of juicy parcels of beach land simply on the strength of tax declaration certificates. These are not land titles, mind you, and their permanent occupancy is blatantly illegal.
How come these illegals behave as if they are the rightful owners of those properties even if they can’t show any proof of titles to their claims?
We applaud Mayor Al Fernandez for ordering a complete stop to these shenanigans. Kaput na!
It’s interesting to recall that when we started fighting these illegal occupants last year, the then City Hall’s No. 2 official, Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez who, because he is a Fernandez, is now City Administrator, denounced us in this paper and in many radio programs.
He was so mad and angry at us that during a family affair, birthday of then Immigration Com. Al, at the Inn Asia, he showed his worst and maligned us in front of his father and other family members and friends.
You might say why did we not return fire for fire? You are correct. It was very un-Gonzalo-like that we let it pass as if nothing happened. Well, there was a social gathering, and so we kept our boil to ourselves.
As if that was not enough, he went on the air and continued to denounce us. We lamented that for our noble desire to correct a wrong doing at city hall, we were the one pilloried.
We remember this in view of Mayor Al’s uncompromising fight against the illegal occupants of Tondaligan. Al and we are on the same boat? Where does this bring Alvin now?
Anyway, we feel vindicated. It is our hope that the young City Hall chief who behaves like an “acting mayor” will be more thoughtful and careful with his public utterances.
This was why we called him “maeta nin ogaw, ampasaguer.” He is still young. He will grow to become more responsible and prepared to handle serious tasks sooner or later.
* * *
As we write this, the national summit on education at the Manila Hotel was just starting. It is PGMA’s solid evidence of total support for education in this country.
From now on, our many agencies promoting education like the TESDA, Dep Ed, PRC and others will not have over-lapping functions.
Thank the President for his modern educational program. She knows that no country will prosper if its educational system is rotten.
(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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