Punchline
A call to arms for the senior citizens
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
JUST as I feared, Malacanang is poised to veto the bill providing for expanded benefits and discounts for senior citizens as recently passed by Congress.
The only response I can think of is a preemptive strike against the Malacanang occupants. The local associations of senior citizens in the province must send a dire warning each to President Arroyo through Guv Spines and all our congressmen – Sign the bill into law or all Lakas-Kampi candidates are kaput and nalespak in the May 10 elections!
Believe you me, it’s the only language that politicos who presently wield the power today understand, 4 months before we go to the polls.
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In reaction to initial indications that President Arroyo will veto the Congress bill exempting senior citizens from E-VAT coverage, Senator Pia Cayetano, the principal author of the senate bill, had this response:
“Congress has already done its part with respect to this measure. It is now up to President Arroyo to decide whether her government is willing to provide relief to our elderly who have long been deprived of the full benefits of the 20 percent senior citizens discount because of the 12 percent VAT. It’s time our government gives back what is due our elders who had given much to our country in their lifetime. The lolos, lolas, and parents in our families deserve every bit of care and attention. The estimated foregone revenues of P54.4-million is a small loss to government, compared to society’s gains from improved health care and increased purchasing power that our elderly are bound to gain. The lost income is not a compelling reason to deprive our elders of the quality of life they deserve.”
She could not have said it any better…indeed, government cannot simplify the welfare of senior citizens by equating it with loss in government revenues. The only acceptable response from Malacanang is to say: “Yes, the senior citizens deserve more care…we will sign it into law and we will make up for the inevitable loss in revenues by deepening our resolve to stop corruption in the bureaucracy!”
That should translate into a more positive perception of the beleaguered Arroyo administration.
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A POSTCRIPT ON SHOTGUNS. The continued defiance by almost half of the barangay kapitans to turn over their provincial-government issued shotguns is enough indicator that the shotguns were issued to irresponsible officials. (Ironically, Liga ng mga Barangay chief Deo Espino wrote Comelec for an exemption from the gun ban because, he said, the shotguns were issued to responsible officials. Duh?)
At this stage, the insolent kapitans cannot even remotely use their pending petition for an exemption from the Comelec as an excuse to delay or keep their shotguns.
And if Smiley PD Barba cannot get the kapitans to comply with his directive promptly in compliance with the provision of the memorandum of agreement signed by the Espino administration with the kapitans, then that says a lot about how they regard him as a law enforcement officer.
And since Mr. Barba knows who the defiant kapitans are and where they live, wonder of wonders, he refuses to arrest them. Why? On orders of Guv Spines? I should hope not.
Perhaps the kapitans have become cheeky in the belief they are malakas with Guv Spines because they are led by Guv’s brother Deo, and, therefore, cannot be held accountable for violating the gun ban and the spirit of the MOA on the use of the shotguns. If so, then Guv Spines will only have himself to blame for their foolhardy conduct. He has not lashed out at these audacious kapitans and Mr. Barba for failing or refusing to enforce the law.
These are unusual and regrettable events in Mr. Espino’s governance and law enforcement so I can only bid Guv Spines “Good luck!”
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ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN DAGUPAN. It appears that police chief Supt. Sonny Verzosa has decided to protect the illegal gambling, by hook or by crook, that continues to openly operate in Caranglaan district by the highway.
Not only has it been allowed to operate with impunity nightly for almost two years today inside a permanently parked ‘karnabal” but ‘remedial’ measures have also been employed to keep it away from the pesky media. A wall of tarpaulin has been installed to effectively camouflage and block the view to the ‘Drop Ball’ area from outside! Lokohan talaga!
Curiously, City Administrator Alvin Fernandez himself has not lifted a finger to close the illegal presence of the ‘karnabal’ that has since ceased operating. I’m appalled that the city hall won’t even do it to keep school children and teens away from the clutches of gambling operators.
So, how much is the city hall’s take nightly, Alvin? I hope the grease money is worth risking the administration’s touted performance in governance. Perhaps, Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez should already step into the picture before former Mayor Benjie Lim embarrasses her for loyally covering up for the Fernandez administration’s illegal gambling protection racket.
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IMMIMENT FISH KILL. Before summer sets in, local governments with capabilities to dredge their rivers must begin to do so lest their fishing industry suffers another fish kill.
Dagupan City used to have this capability, at least for show, but the previous Lim administration bought the wrong dredging machine at an outrageous price. The machine is now dry-docked, inutile. With still a number of untouchable illegal fish pen operators continuously flouting the ordinance, polluting the Pantal river and its tributaries with impunity, the other legally operating fish pens now face the risk of losing their investments with a potential fish kill this summer. It’s time to call in the ‘fish kill-busters’ led by Wesley Rosario of the Bureau of Fisheries to do the testing of the quality of the river’s water in the city!
That reminds us of the unfinished business at the city council. City agriculturist Emma Molina promised to reveal the names of the illegal operators some 3 months ago but she has not done so, and neither does the city council appear to be interested as well. Bakit kaya?
