Think about it
Give peace a chance
By Jun Velasco
“Make the best use of your time,” Ephesians 5:16
WE have good news for journalists who want to “see the world.”
Manila Bulletin’s Liezle Basa Inigo yesterday told us how she led four Pangasinan media people – Susan Yadao, Jimry Biosa, Frame Sabado and herself – to a trip in Malaysia last week free, thanks to Air Asia’s promotions.
It was supposed to be a 4-day trip, she said, but the foursome did not have passports (sayang!), and so they were confined at the world’s most beautiful airport quarters, the Malaysia Airport.
We saw the airport when we attended a world publishing forum in Kuala Lumpur in 2007.
At the board meeting of the Pangasinan Press Club, Aksyon Radyo manager and PPC executive director Ging Cardinoza (congratulate him for bagging PDI’s prestigious feature writing award) told us there are many travel programs for journalists. One needs only to find out in media houses and the internet, it was learned.
Ging, a member of the Pangasinan US visit during Oscar Orbos governorship, has the travel details.
We remember our days in the Bulletin when our tourism column earned free trips to India, the US and Canada.
We’d like to see our Pangasinan Press Club under the “re-inspired” presidency of Atty. Gonzalo Duque, rise to a world observer. His 10 directors gave him a solid vote of confidence in a recent meeting.
Instead of being mired in divisive politics, the media should explore avenues that will expand the horizons of practitioners.
Gons, who often goes to the US, would be at home in this job, having presided and participated in education forums in Beijing and other countries.
In 2002, Maning Almario and this columnist hobnobbed with Beijing journalists for two weeks. We saw that in terms of talent and education we at PPC won’t be far behind our Chinese counterparts. The Chinese editors returned the compliment by coming to Manila and Dagupan visiting the PDI, Manila Bulletin, ABS CBN and Ermin Garcia in the Punch and Mayor Benjie Lim at city hall.
In l987, Ramil Tamayo, who was a staff of a modern hotel in Saipan, and this columnist as editor of Marianas Review, used to socialize with world tourists and media editors in the US Territory. When downing Budwiser at Hafa Adai, our favourite topic was our Pangasinan newsmen can be world-class, right Ramil?
At this juncture, our pal Benny Antiporda, National Press Club president, is asking Gonzalo to join an NPC committee to draft the mechanics of community journalists joining the national media organization. This is one good step that would expand horizons.
When he was alive, Dr. Ado Duque, then chair of the Lyceum Northwestern U, used to kid his regular visitors Ruben Rivera, Ruel Camba, Charles Tabayoyong and Orly Navarro discuss world issues. Ado at the time was waging a war against nuclear tests in the Pacific. It was a small voice in Pangasinan, but look, the nuclear tests stopped!
We thought our media can sound the same call as Ado did to influence world leaders to take the path of peace. Like the sage said, “a drop of ink makes a million think.”
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While listening to John Lennon’s “Imagine” – one of our favourite songs — which he composed to help promote world peace, we were saddened by his treatise that “religion,” is causing all these wars and conflicts that afflict mankind.
Ironic, because all these religions and cults promote faith in an All Powerful God. But, as John Lennon mourns, instead of achieving peace and unification, religion or what passes for what we know it to be, drives people to maim and kill one another.
This is so because many if not most of those engaged in promoting peace are actually promoting their own parochial belief, their narrow religion; they are not selfless; they become millionaires and billionaires, creating suspicions about their real intentions.
John’s song and Matt Monro’s “Exodus” convulse us these days with the worsening conflict between Israel and Palestine. We read in the papers yesterday about a truce brokered by the US, but how can it last when at the back of their minds, the negotiators argue from their own national (not world’s) interest? They can only arrive at a compromise to be shattered later.
We shudder at the Middle East war as a fulfillment of prophecy. The recent bombings hit us merely as news material, but they hardly portend peace – but a holocaust that we should prepare for.
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The vice gubernatorial contest is getting interesting with the two protagonists carrying a high level campaign. Vice Gov. Freddie Calimlim, son of our kin the late Gen. Joe Calimlim, and our cumpadre General Arturo Lomibao have a deep respect for each other, thus carry a contest not unlike a beauty contest. And they both are good singers.
In the gubernatorial joust, a poll survey commissioned by former President Ramos showed re-electionist Spines leading challenger Nani Braganza by the proverbial mile. What Nani’s supporters are doing is to put him on the defensive to whittle his lead. Overdoing it could backfire. They should follow the vice gov campaign style, so that when they’d swap smiles when they meet again as in Rachel Arenas’ party.
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Congrats to our Tony Patungan, manager of East West Bank Dagupan, who will also head another EWB branch beside Chowking on AB Fernandez Ave that will open on Nov. 29. Tony’s wife Iya, says “from ll7 branches in 2011, East West Bank now has 230 branches nationwide.” Tony is lucky to have a gorgeous wife with excellent PR…. Rey Quizon wants to thank Art Lomibao for visiting his Mug Zhots bistro in Calasiao town.
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