Playing with Fire
No media night, but media will spread cheer on Christmas Day
By Gonzalo Duque
JUST before Christmas, we have encouraging report about Mayor Belen Fernandez succeeding as a crisis manager.
Having taken over a most bankrupt city government with a measly P2-million left by the past administration, the mayora was able to restore order against all odds.
But the city unfortunately is still full of rats!
This late, we came across some of them lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on the big-hearted mayora in unison with other sinister forces.
There’s this unladylike Rowena Soria who would misrepresent the city’s effort to drum up tax collection to make Mayor Belen look like a contra-vida. They would ram down the heads of taxpayers the ugly line which says Mayor Belen is exacting high taxes to recover the massive expenses during the campaign. This group would agree to converting business tax to residential tax for a consideration, of course, and each time make mayora a villain. Some 40 store owners have complained against this ugly practice with Rowena Soria of the Tax Division behind the devilish tactic.
This Rowena, together with the clever city treasurer Romelita Alcantara, Alan Zarate, and the ilk, won’t even serve Mayor Belen with any modicum of sincerity.
If there’s a performance rating, we know they won’t pass the test. If we were the mayora we won’t have any qualms in exorcising the city officialdom from their kind. These are clear and already unmasked saboteurs of the new government!
* * * *
We got hold of a Decorp GM Jojo Liwag’s letter to the city regarding the transfer of the electric meter from the MCAdore to be used for the Baratillo project, a come-on of the city for the Christmas celebration.
From the looks of it, we find Jojo cowering in fear in doing what the city government wants done in light of the pending case involving the city government and other parties and the MCAdore.
What!!??
Fact of the matter is there’s no pending case yet. And why is he acting like a dog with its tail between its legs?
As a worthy citizen of the city, Jojo should have obeyed the city government’s decision, rather than contouring to the whims of a controversial interest.
* * * *
At a recent presscon, a proposal was made for the local media to hold a Media Night as part of the Christmas celebration.
Frankly, we have reservations about the idea.
Not because there’s so much misunderstanding in our ranks because there’s only a small band of recalcitrants when we are dealing with in the court of law.
We find the majority very ok.
But our reservation about it coincides with the mindset of our Gov. Spines who did cancel his own Media Night and Christmas Party in deference to the tragedy that struck the Visayas,
We could not swallow in conscience the idea that we are feasting or frolicking while thousands are groaning and hurting.
Some kindred souls suggested that we could instead celebrate Christmas by bringing cheers to the suffering, the poor, the infirm and the dispossessed. So what we should do is to initiate a gift-giving for the prisoners, for the homeless and the poor and get our group to go around on Christmas Day for this.
We are asking Ging Cardinoza, our executive Secretary, to prepare a program where a few songs will be rendered to spread Christmas cheers to the poor.
Merry Christmas!
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