Playing with Fire
Why we are not for Benjie Lim?
By Gonzalo Duque
YOU might be wondering why this early, we already stating our choice – or choices — in the forthcoming local elections in Dagupan City.
We want to be honest, truthful and open. We are a community, we are a family, nothing good will be achieved if we still hide and conceal anything from each other.
Our mayor, Benjie Lim, a cumpadre, friend or former friend if that’s what he wants to make of us for our critical attitude of his administration, we don’t care anyway so long as we serve the truth and our mandate as a columnist – is, of course, at center stage being the head of the city.
No, Ermin, our publisher has not influenced us on this. Ermin and we just happened to share a lot in common such as our view of the leadership in the city.
Antayo, ayay gawa min managpanday na opinion para nalukasay mata na ombahley, mairap ya. Dakkel so napabarong. Dakkel so mansamba ed bilay tan ngaran tayo, no wala ray apasikatan tayo.
But there’s a call of duty there’s a mission, because we have a stake in the life and future of our children, our grandchildren!
Mayor Lim and this columnist were in the local Jaycees when we were younger. We fought – then we kissed and made up, never ya nan below-the-belt so labanan mi. And so it was not hard for us to really and all-out back him up when he ran and won in the Philippine Jaycees elections. Kasi kawkawanen so sakey ya lider ya manambisyon na ataguey ya betang.”
Lately, however, when he aspired to be mayor, then congressman, then back to mayor, we, too, followed his rise.
But there’s only one constant thing in this world—change. Ag binmayag, kimapoy so record to as mayor, you all know it. Limabo, dimmutak.
We could not forget his promise to us in 2001. He told us: “I’ll solve the city’s garbage problem. If I can’t do it in six months, I will resign!” It’s now more than 10 years. Ambanget so ciuda, unsanitary, makapabaing itayo ed aray bisitas, tan pati sicatayon dili”.
This dumpsite issue would lead us to the heart of corruption this administration is notorious for.
The mayor bought the notorious Awai property for P6 million. Bayar iman ed dumpsite”.
Amtayo so ginawa to ed Awai property? He sold it to the city government for P16 million! Repeat, Pl6 milyones hya kateng kateng, agagui. He purchased it out right without any bidding and up to this day, he could not show any title for the purchase! He bought it without checking if it has no encumbrances, like if is it under Land Reform or not? Balasubas ya kagagawa.
Modesty aside, we were also in government service in the past. We were former Vice Governor, Deputy Administrator of POEA, Legal Counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Executive Consultant of CHED, and others.
We also ran for congressman twice against former Speaker Joe de Venecia, but lost. Talagan talo, but we gained wisdom in that encounter. You know, if you fight a good fight —- angapoy saolan, marakep so ogip mo, awa, Manny Baby?
And so after a brief stint in government, we decided to go private. We became president of Lyceum Northwestern University. We were overseeing the education of our youth.
After these facets in our life, we felt a great need to make our dent in the community, here in the city where we exercise our right of suffrage. We joined the media again. Why again? Because we were a columnist of the Courier in the late 70’s and early 80’s. As a lawyer and educator, we felt we could contribute to the betterment of the future generation.
As a young man, we wanted to be out front in working for reforms in government. Yes, we were activist. Ging Cardinosa knew this. Jun Velasco introduced us to Marxism, Leninism, Maoism for which Papang was incensed, forbidding us from using the family mimeographing machine to print destructive issues decaying Philippine society.
We still were—we still are — passionately for freedom, justice and democracy!
In our effort to achieve our good government goals, we couldn’t help confront our immediate environment, which happens to be our beloved city of Dagupan.
Dakkel lay apikewet, agagui. Bimanget lay suko- sukong na ciudad. The main—the biggest blame — is the way the administration is running the affairs of the city. Manonaan so bulsa, Manny. Dakdakel la so inexposed na media, rather, Punch.( Akin kayo, Manny Celso tan aray kakaibam, agyo nanengneng so katwaan, pikewet, singa atay impan file nen Belen Tamondong Fernandez at the instigation of BSL himself, atay panag balaw na aray old families of the city simply because they are helping Belen Fernandez to become mayor; atay man import na jeeploads of new voters from Calasiao, Bayambang, etc (watch out Remarque Ravanzo! Scrap these fake Dagupeno voters list.)
Our column this week is just one of the many issues we’ll raise in our solemn duty to help our city- mates see through misleading propaganda.
Paid hacks and apologists will always devise schemes to twist, distort, belittle, belie and obliterate the truth in line with psychoanalyst Karl Jung’s treatise that “a lie repeated several times will be accepted as truth. Manalwar tayo. Our advice to the apologists: Do your best because we’ll do our worst. That’s a promise.
* * * *
Next week: The Judases in the Sanggunian are worse than the repentant Judas of the Holy Bible. Yes, because he repented. Impawil to may 30 pieces of silver, And when his guilty conscience wouldn’t leave him, he committed suicide. . . Thanks, Kuya Leony Galvez, our U.S based correspondent, for his sharp reminders to local politicians. He cares for our city.
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