Playing with Fire
On Pangasinan’s foundation date
By Gonzalo Duque
FRIDAY’S Manila headlines confirmed our fears that the dreaded A (H1N1) virus has finally invaded the country.
Brod Pingkoy, the Health secretary, was right all along. In spite of the defiant attitude of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao to belittle his warnings, he stood his ground that anyone coming from abroad, especially from countries which had cases of the virus, should be required for 5-day quarantine before touching Philippine soil.
We were dismayed not only by Pacquiao but also by the self-proclaimed messiahs of health and wellness like a certain Cabinet official who has always drooled over his boxing idol who chose to defy health warnings.
Now the killer virus. We are fortunate that the DOH has consistently adopted measures tosecure the islands from the disease. And yet, may nakalusot pa.
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We bumped into Sec. Sonny Alvarez in Baguio City recently. Sonny, who has many relatives in Pangasinan, has been going around preparing the country to the negative effects of climate change. He is the Al Gore of the Philippines.
He has expressed the apprehension that the massive pollution that is slowly killing our country — and the whole world, for that matter — should be resolutely dealt with.
He predicts that unless checked, the world by the year 2040 would have unbearable pollution so that all people would be wearing protective masks in order to survive. Probably we would not live by that time, but we should think of our children and the future generation.
We are lucky to have people like Sonny and Al Gore. Well, Sonny has been tasked by the President to do what he is doing. So this good work is also attributable to the President.
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Our schools should play a vital role in the elimination of pollution from our planet. We should teach our children how to keep the environment safe. And even the captains of industry who use giant power plants, air condition systems and other machines that superficially make lives comfortable should be taught proper ways in ensuring a safe planet.
Whatever happened to the much praised but ended in a whimper l billion trees project of then Speaker Joe de Venecia? We should rally our children and the broad masses of our people for the greening of our country and save it from climactic reversals.
You’ll notice that our school — the Lyceum Northwestern University — has been espousing environment protection measures. We got a pat on the back from Malacañang for it. You should have noticed the trees, the shrubs and the greenery on the campus, which are all part of the effort to protect and preserve the environment.
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We came across a news item that came from Vocal Alfie Bince — pagani ganin vice governor — that Pangasinan Day could be set on December 11, 1411, a date he must have seen as a common ground after a series of formal and informal meetings by those tasked by Gov. Amado Espino to fix the date of our province’s founding date, an all-too important occasion.
Our view, and this we have communicated to the special committee of historians and scholars formed by the governor, is that we should undertake more research on the matter.
Maybe, the news story that emanated from Board Member Bince’s staff could only be based on a hunch sans formal communications with officials and scholars of Spain.
But we are glad at Alfie’s consistent follow-up of this issue which is vital in the province’s march to progress.
But Sir Alfie, we need more study on this. We have instructed our staff to write the Spanish Embassy to help so that we would come out with a foolproof if historic find.
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