Punchline
Dagupenos deserve the inmates’ s_ _t
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
The degradation of the beach and environment at the Tondaligan Park in Dagupan City continues with impunity. The human wastes of the detainees at the Dagupan District Jail continue to be dumped into the beach water daily like nobody’s business.
Yes, like nobody’s business because both the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Dagupan City government act like the problem does not exist! The BJMP claims it has no money to fund any construction to stop the s _ t dumping, ergo, it leaves it to the city government to solve it. The city government in turn, feigns helplessness to help the BJMP with its dilemma, hence, the s_ _ t dumping will just have to continue!
Perhaps you are wondering where the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is in all these. I, too, wonder. There has not been a pipsqueak from any of them. Not even from DENR Undersecretary Eli Quinto, a Dagupan boy!
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The Dagupan Blue Beach a.k.a. Tondaligan Park, is Dagupan’s only real tourism asset and destination. And from the looks of it, soon there will be none to speak of. Even the touted annual Pista’y Dayat celebration will soon lose its crowd to San Fabian, Binmaley and Lingayen.
But it appears that the city council’s committees on environment and on tourism don’t ever believe that is going to happen. They have not even thought of doing an ocular or “smell” inspection of the beach area or even to meet the residents in the area for an assessment on the ground.
Don’t Councilors Dada Reyna and Netu Tamayo care enough?
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And perhaps our city officials themselves are not to blame fully for this environmental crisis waiting to happen.
To date, I have yet to hear of any non-government organization, civic club or self-proclaimed local environmental “experts” vigorously protesting both the national and local government’s inaction and indifference to the serious pollution in their midst.
Perhaps the Dagupeños don’t seem to care enough for their environment that is until somebody prominent chokes with the inmates’ s_ _ t!
May I then say – Dagupenos deserve what the inmates serve them daily!
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The city government is not helpless as it has demonstrated in the case of the halted commercial reclamation project along the De Venecia Extension Road. Mayor Al Fernandez amply showed what political will is all about.
But why doesn’t he act expeditiously on the s_ _ t dumping in the city’s beach? If he can stop the dumping of rocks and soil on the river, why won’t he stop the s_ _ t dumping on the beach?
I’m certain City legal officer George Mejia can supply the legal ammo to authorize the closure of the district jail, to file a complaint vs. BJMP and/or the DENR and compel them to finally resolve the issue. The recently adopted omnibus health and sanitation code of the city should be enough to compel legal action.
He can if he wants to. That is if Mayor Al, a former DILG undersecretary under whom the BJMP reported to, cares enough to do something about it!
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POLICE CHIEFS ON THE TAKE? The illegal gambling tables at the “carnival” sites in Dagupan (Mayombo) and Mangaldan (market) continue to be crowded. The “drop-ball” craze has already given the video-karera machines a run for their money! Not only is it being played openly but obviously has the blessings of the police and the barangay officials! These are operating beside police precincts and barangay halls! No wonder the ameneng operators are crying “foul”!
Residents are convinced that Dagupan police chief Mariano Verzosa and Mangaldan police chief Geraldo Roxas are on the take for tolerating the illegal operation of these gambling centers disguised as “carnivals”. They have not even attempted to raid the “carnivals” at anytime!
Now, that’s what I call “deluxe police protection”!
If Smiley PD Percy Barba has, indeed, been making the rounds of the towns and cities in the province – his excuse for snubbing the provincial board for months – then he must know that the “drop-ball” is now operating in more towns under the very noses of his town chiefs! But why do I get the feeling that he will deny any knowledge of this? Perhaps, Action-man Alfie Bince can bore in on this activity to save more families from falling into more debts all because of addiction to “drop-ball”.
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