A new champion?

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

THAT was a refreshing image that Dagupan City Councilor Chito Samson cut when he finally took the floor at the city council to denounce the proliferation of illegal gambling in the city although I cannot but agree with Mayor Benjie Lim when he chided Mr. Samson with “why only now?”

It was, indeed, long overdue but it was welcomed by the city nonetheless.

I was particularly struck by his audacity to provide telling clues on the identities of the people behind the thriving illegal gambling in the city.  I never imagined he would go that far since the suspects he described are obviously known to him.  And my city hall mole says Mayor Benjie more than anyone else knows whence the councilor speaks of. Are we beginning to see in Mr. Samson the looming image of a new champion against illegal gambling? Let’s hope so.

In the same vein, I find the seemingly disinterested and unaffected reaction of Mr. Lim to Mr. Samson’s privilege speech disturbing.  By pooh-poohing his former political ally’s challenge to act on the problem, Mr. Lim merely succeeded in projecting a defensive posture. It was even more disappointing to see Mr. Lim conveniently and quickly tossing the proverbial hot potato back to Mr. Samson by asking the latter to provide more information. Gosh, that’s the classic pussyfooting response that indicates no positive action can be expected from him soon.

Mr. Samson, a mere councilor, already gave clear hints of the identities of the suspected financiers and protectors, so surely Mr. Lim, a mayor surrounded by competent sources who can provide reliable information, should be able to quickly add the middle names to the identities of the persons described by Mr. Samson.  But he lamely asks Mr. Samson instead for more information to help the police. Hello? (Or was that intended as an indictment of the city police for not knowing anything better and more than Mr. Samson?)

It also doesn’t help Mr. Lim’s newfound image as “Mr. Clean-up” for him to point to the national government to act first on illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, before he does. In my book, it’s called a “cop-out”.

From where I sit, I can only surmise that Mr. Lim is still presently inclined to protect illegal gambling in the city by doing nothing and would rather have someone like Mr. Samson, not him, to do the dirty work.

Is Mr. Lim saying Mr. Samson would make a better mayor?

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LA NINA’S  TARGET. In case you missed this news item, climate satellite mapping expert Dr. Esteban Godilano forecasted that the rainlfall, floodings and soil erosion that will be induced by La Nina this year will impact heavily on 69 provinces. And Pangasinan is on top of the list.

The other provinces placed on critical watchlist are Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, La Union, Tarlac and Zambales.

To ease the expected disastrous impact of La Nina, he urges the local government units to draw up contingency measures this early in tandem with the Department of Agriculture, National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Efforts, he stressed, should focus on “anticipatory and community-based disaster risk reduction measures” to prevent the loss of more lives and properties.

If it is still not too late, Guv Spines, as chairman of the peace and order council in the region, should convene the council to draft a coordinated effort for rescue and response strategy at least in the region if we want to minimize losses in the region. No province can no longer feel safe when its neighbors are hit hard by La Nina. We have been served this lesson by typhoon Pepeng.

Guv Spines would have the moral authority to lead in this effort since only Pangasinan is now conceded to have the most organized, well-trained and best-equipped rescue-and-response team under the direction of the provincial disaster and coordinating council.

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SUPER-STORM SERGE O. There is a super-storm brewing but not from China Sea or the Pacific.  This time it’s coming from the senate codenamed “Serge O”.  The forecast is it will hit north-south-east-west parts of the country where senior citizens live and business establishments thrive.

“Storm Serge O” is bent on filing an amendment to the law granting VAT exemption to senior citizens. He wants the exemption recalled to ensure more funds for the government.  To placate the vulnerable yet politically influential sector, he wants the private sector to shoulder the burden by giving senior citizens a full 30% discount instead of just 20% as mandated.

I take his position as utterly insensitive and misguided. Instead of rallying his colleagues to look into plugging all loopholes that leak billions of people’s money to corruption by people in government, he chose to keep the senior citizens and business sector over-burdened if only to keep the tax receipts bigger for the benefit of corrupt officials who never end in jail.

Believe you me, Senator Serge O is bent on this plan. The vast dark clouds are already visible and moving fast.

Our federation of senior citizens and chambers of commerce should plan and act, and make representations in the senate to prepare for super-storm “Serge O’s signal no. 5”! The worst is certainly going to hit senior citizens and the business sector if they sit idly by in their comfort zones today.

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