Think about it
Fisherfolks are mad at fishpens’ dismantling report
By Jun Velasco
“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in abundance of his possessions, “Luke 12:15
TYPHOON Odette was slamming Dagupan when we wrote this last Friday.
Btw, storms don’t make news in our country anymore.
What’s news, nay, what’s history is many storm-drenched countrymen’s stubborn refusal to leave their homes amid disasters.
And so relief and rescue operations and weeping residents on TV make up our daily fare.
Fortunately or unfortunately, our more newsy menu is some public officials’ unthinkable betrayal of the public trust.
Expectedly, the public no longer bites the flurry of defenses put up by thieving officials.
Out there in Zamboanga, this guy Nur Misuari who used to inspire our youthful activism never had it so good under the Ramos presidency; he is now littering Zamboanga’s streets with corpses and mayhem due to ego trip and misplaced ideology.
In such a messy situation, we should use the crisis to buoy our sagging spirit to remain alive and kicking and help restore normalcy.
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Many fishery folk—or fishers folk—were upset by a City Agriculture’s office report that the hated fish pens have all been dismantled.
Not so.
What did they, fisherfolk, do?
Off they formed an inspection team– joined by mediamen — to make a look-see of the situation last week.
What happened? To their chagrin, they found out the ugly fish pens, some feasting in the middle of a river in Barangay Lucao particularly.
By their conservative count, only 40% of the illegals have been dismantled.
Methinks, there’s something curious about the lie in the reporting.
Why do they mislead the public?
The group proposes Mayor Belen, Bishop Socrates Villegas, leaders of civic groups with enough care, concern and sympathy for our marine industry undertake another look-see of our river and be shocked by ugly reality!
The disturbing question: Why the persistent lie on the state of the fishpens?
Is there money involved?
The fishpens issue strikes at the core of Dagupan’s lifeline. Known worldwide as big source of the tasty bangus, our river system will sink or swim on this issue—illegal fishpens!
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NOTES: Death has recently claimed another buddy—Salvador Alano Galvan, well known former lord and king of the rural bank industry in Central Pangasinan.
Mang Buddy was also known for his warmth and nice and easy ways in civic and business circles.
We extend to wife Irene and family our sincerest condolence and praying….
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According to proverbs, “close friends are more deeply connected than we might think. Though we may view ourselves as independent individuals, we are joined to our close friends by something akin to permeable membranes, those ultrathin walls through which tiny particles can pass back and forth. What passes between close friends are values, convictions, morals, habits and goals. They pass back and forth whether we realize it or not, so despite our illusions of individuality, we end up being deeply affected by either the wisdom or the foolishness of our friends.
This means that we can enhance our chances of growing in a positive direction by choosing the right people with whom to become friends. If we want to develop sober judgment, we should choose friends renowned for making wise decisions. If we want to strengthen our convictions, we should pick people with reputations for standing up for what they believe. If we wish we were kinder, we should spend more time with those who treat others with gentleness and grace. If we want to walk more closely with God, we should put ourselves under the influence of people who make spiritual disciplines a priority. Choosing the right friends is like putting together our own personal development team; it will greatly enhance our efforts in moving forward on the right path.
But the converse is also true. Foolish friends can ruin us. Their folly can seep into our lives and taint our desires and goals. Their faulty moral compasses can steer us off course. Their distortions of truth can undermine our understanding of God and his ways. ‘Do not be misled,’ says 1 Corinthians 15:33, ‘bad company corrupts good character.’ If we let ourselves be corrupted, we’ll pay; as Proverbs says, we’ll suffer harm.” I know this is true; I’ve heard a thousand variations on this theme. It is uncanny how often people whose lives aren’t working well can trace their downfall back to the choice they made to forge a friendship with a foolish person.”
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