Playing with Fire
Dagupan’s inevitable progress
By Gonzalo Duque
SAN FRANCISCO, California—Our column articles on Metro Dagupan’s inevitable progress, additionally triggered by the forthcoming establishment of SM Dagupan have received positive reactions in the U.S.
One reaction went as far as to confirm earlier reports that the national government’s ongoing construction of NLEX’s extension from Tarlac up to the Ilocos would, as reported by Board Member Jaming Libunao, pass Central Pangasinan, particularly San Jacinto and San Fabian and is therefore expected to trigger an avalanche of economic activities hereabouts.
There is a price to be paid by the Metro Dagupan folk for this, it was pointed out. It would worsen traffic to monstrous proportions, hence the panic button.
We’d like to assuage anxious feelings though by informing them — and the rest of the public — that the city government in collaboration with national efforts is drawing up if not in fact already implementing a new circumferential road to precisely anticipate unparalleled socio economic growth and heavy traffic in the area.
Let’s give way to progress, folks!
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Our dear friend, former Mayor and revered businessman Bing Arcinue felt bad of our use of colorful words when he opined that the opening of SM IN Dagupan would not find favor with Mayor Benjie and Vice Mayor Belen. The reason is obvious, of course.
We’re sorry for inconveniencing our dear friend. You see, columnists usually liberally use figures of speech to dramatize their point.
Kuya Bing couldn’t really have used such phrases as “cut my neck” and “mimisa ak ya labos” being, he said, “not my style.”
His view is shared by many. People say it would be too high a sacrifice — an economic suicide — for Benjie and Belen to allow SM to come to the city. And so it’s a question of their being statesmen or businessmen. Let’s just them by their stand on the issue.
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It seems our local officials are openly defying President Aquino’s policy for not advertising politicians’ faces in billboards to show off their “good” acts on this and that government project.
Sige kayo, magantay antay lang kayo ng kaunting panahon, dadapuan kayo ng presidential temper, hala..
Di na kayo nasatisfy sa tagal ng pagpaparada nio ng inyong mga mukha, gwapo man o pangit, duing the long campaign period.
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Fil-Ams from Dagupan here are happy about Mayor Benjie Lim’s clean-up drive for our rivers. Many of them, fishpond owners did not expect that the day would come when the rivers in the city would be cleaned and cleansed. In fact, many were already mourning the slow death of Dagupan’s rivers. Salamat kuno ed Mayor Lim, ta bibilayen to ray ilog lalamet.
Apring Dawana who is here, a few miles away, looks like he is still campaigning for Benjie Lim, katatapos lang election. Para hindi raw mapapagod gagawa ng tama sa ating mga ilog, he was quoted as saying.
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