Think about it
Globally competitive
By Jun Velasco
“Your enemies will never win as long as you don’t hate them back,” Unknown
LAST week was gloomy.
Two high school buddies—classmate Roberto “Bobby” Tan succumbed to cardiac arrest. Ditto with Architect Aquilino “Jun” Pastoral Jr.
As we wrote this, we were on our way to Manila to join some classmates at Evergreen Chapel in Pasig City to visit Bobby’s remains and condole with his family.
We had joined Architect Gil Estrada earlier to have a last glimpse of Jun Pastoral’s body at the St. John Evangelist Chapel and expressed our sympathy to his wife, the former Zenaida Decano, a high school friend.
Someone noted that many of our friends and acquaintances are dying, as if in a great race to see our All Powerful Maker in the Life Hereafter.
The race leaves us in a wondrous state, to assure Him that even right here where we are in our earthly state, it’s best to live a worthy life, according to His will.
Let’s pray for the repose of their souls.
* * * *
Our brief—but lasting—exchange with Region 1 Medical Center Director Joseph Roland Mejia last Thursday gave us a glimpse of the modern edifice and globally competitive medical services of his facility.
“In a short while,” Director Mejia said, “a great medical center, which aspires to be one of the best in the world, will be within the reach of our Northern Luzon public.” Words to that effect.
The words “globally,” “one of the best in the world” might strike us like they were from an amateur advertising man.
But Director Mejia cited solid, concrete, specific facts. The facility, largely initiated by the De Venecia couple—former Speaker Jose de Venecia and his wife, Rep. Gina de Venecia, the Department of Health, Mayor Belen Fernandez and Mejia’s aggressive leadership — is being briskly completed. It has just done five kidney transplants amid public applause. The proposed towering 11-storey building which could accommodate hundreds of patients, followed by a new West Wing and opening of novel cures, including stem cell therapy will cap his visionary zeal as North Luzon’s medical leader.
Our chat riveted to a seminar he said he was going to attend shortly, how to bring to Dagupan stem cell treatment with Department of Health’s imprimatur.
Ok, doc. Go for it!
* * * *
After that dressing sown by President Pnoy of the National Irrigation Administration czar Antonio Nangel in his State of the Nation Address, our Pangasinan folk have become anxious what would await the P12-billion, 34,000-hectare Agno River Integrated Irrigation project in Eastern Pangasinan.
Based on reports we are getting from Bulletin correspondent Liezel Basa and Regional Examiner’s Jose “Edwin” Tandoc, the local project is the biggest in the country and funded by China Eximbank (4.3 billion for the construction of the Re-Regulating Pond and 6.9 billion for the construction of canals and facilities by the Phil. Gov’t and the China CAMC Engineering Co. LTD. If completed, palay yield will increase 10-fold—or about 345,000 metric tons yearly.
Mencias, often a recipient of outstanding services award, is the father of newly elected Alcala Mayor Paolo.
Backed by cold data and statistics, the NIA project here beats most government-sponsored project on a significant scale, P400-million savings, and finished 4 months earlier. This feat makes Rey Mencias a rare bird, don’t you think?
* * * *
That movie “Liars,” based on the 1992 world headline-making story of the World Little League Baseball championship in the U.S. “won” by Long Beach California credited a wrong whistle-blower, a lady, according to a PDI report.
Lie, a big lie.
So “Liars”– the title of the movie — fits the movie makers to a T.
For in point of fact it’s our esteemed cumpadre, our columnist Al Mendoza who FIRST exposed the unscrupulous “doctoring” of the Filipino players’ age by some corrupt countrymen to qualify them in the games.
And they did it. The over-aged players won!
Was there rejoicing on the land?
Yes, but when the truth, the cheat was out, the victory went pfft, resulting in the gnashing of teeth.
There were, as there still are, a few, perhaps many Filipinos who were aghast, dismayed, scandalized by the cheat.
Those of us who preferred the truth over “false Filipinism’ denounced the cheating.
We praised Al for his honest reporting,
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