Punchline
Stop that noise!
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
IF there is one ordinance that is sorely needed in Dagupan City and in other cities in Pangasinan, it’s an anti-noise pollution ordinance that specifically addresses noise emitted by motorcycles, cars, jeeps, vans and buses, firecrackers, etc.
Dagupan City Ordinance No. 1879-2006, authored by then Councilor Jake Reyes, only addresses noise from singing activity, i.e., caroling, videoke bars, nightclubs etc.
I do recall that some 4 years ago our Fire Player Gonz Duque had complained about the screaming motorcycles speeding through the Tapuac Road every night that disturbed city visitors billeted at the Le Duc Hotel along Tapuac Road. He wasn’t successful. There was and still is no ordinance regulating noise pollution.
Well, I was in the Le Duc area after our usual Friday presswork around 11 p.m. and with all the motorcycles and tricycles that sped through with mufflers built to emit loud crackling and booming noise, one wondered if the residents (and hotel guests) in the area ever got a good restful sleep.
Residents in the areas feel helpless and can only shake their heads in frustration because their barangay has not done anything to regulate the noise.
But the situation is not exclusive to Tapuac. Arellano and Bonuan districts are favorite haunts of the devil motorcycle riders with backriders and tricycle riders (obviously without franchises). I note that these super noise polluting machines become scarce only when police checkpoints are in place.
The problem begs a question: Where can’t barangay officials take the initiative to promote peace and quiet in their communities?
Sanggunian Secretary Ryan Ravanzo recalls that a draft ordinance was filed in the past but never got past a committee hearing. Will someone please consider filing a draft ordinance on noise pollution?
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MAKING DAGUPAN A TRUE ‘I.T.’ CENTER. The news that the government has partnered with Facebook to set up finally a high-speed internet infrastructure by 2020 or earlier, promising a capacity that would be “almost equal” to that of the advanced cities in the region, was received by many as “Ok… let’s see…” reaction.
The news reported that officials of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and BCDA have signed a landing party agreement with Facebook for the project, which would be called the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure.
But one detail that did not escape the eyes of Dagupan’s ultimate information technology expert, Wilson Chua, is the plan to construct and install a node in one or two remote places in Pangasinan for the project.
He frantically texted me to say “It should be in Dagupan!”
So, he sought out the project planners and attempted to show the benefits of having the node in Dagupan that will benefit city residents and complement its status as PEZA’s IT center in the region!
Alas, he was asked to present an official position paper that can debunk studies of the planners. So for him to succeed in this effort, the city government must help and supply Wilson all the data that should convince the planners to redirect the node to Dagupan City.
Mayor Belen Fernandez should not waste time to hook up with Wilson for the opportunity to make Dagupan truly an IT center before planners decide to ignore Wilson’s recommendation. A window has already been opened for the city.
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MORE TRUST THE PNP. With the announcement of President Duterte calling the PNP out from the stations to be reactivated in the war on drugs, communities will again feel more secure with the expected return of higher visibility of the police in their areas.
Contrary to media reports claiming that more people mistrust their police because of reported extra-judicial killings, more are, in fact, have been hoping that the high visibility of the police at the height of the war on drugs would be restored soon.
In stark comparison with the reaction of foreign governments that share the claim of human rights groups in the country saying that the government is behind 13,000 EJKs, our communities are aware that claimed EJKs are not a regular occurrence in their barangays. In fact, reports about drug syndicates liquidating members of their own network who knew too much and, therefore, could not be trusted, are more credible than the incessant claims of human rights groups attributing the killings by motorcycle-riding hitmen to police operatives in the war on drugs.
Sure, many believe there are a 101 corrupt cops who thrive on tong for protection but to kill two-bit drug peddlers? That’s a different story.
To my mind, if there’s a serious charge that could and should be leveled at the police leadership, it’s their inability to contain the operations of guns-for-hire motorcycle-riding criminals victimizing not only petty drug peddlers, but businessmen, activists, journalists, barangay officials, etc.
But also to police operatives’ credit, some of these criminals have already been tracked and arrested, if not killed, and several have been found to be ex-cops! But a lot more need to be done!
Meanwhile, let’s get on with the war on drugs! Expose the protectors, push out the peddlers, rehabilitate the victims (users and pushers)!
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WHERE’S THE BURGOS CENTER? In Pangasinan, while we have been receiving reports of hundreds of self-confessed drug users and pushers being rehabilitated through community-based programs, local governments are beginning to wonder what ever happened to the touted rehabilitation center in Burgos town?
So far, only the DOH rehab center in Dagupan City has served the war on drugs, receiving moderately and highly affected users.
The province has not been updated since Guv Pogi projected some three months ago that the Burgos center will be ready to accept patients by November.
Perhaps, a gentle reminder to the guv while watching the basketball tournament he organized will make him decide to start kicking some ass for failing him.
With the resumption of the war on drugs in full swing, the services of the Burgos center will be needed more than ever.
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P500 BDAY GIFT FOR SENIORS. Here’s a bit of good news for our senior citizens that our local government leaders in Pangasinan hopefully can promise to look into.
The Taguig City council has passed an ordinance approving an increase, yes, an increase in their seniors’ cash gifts.
Ordinance No. 25, series of 2017, the city’s greying seniors will start receiving P3,000, P4,000 and P5,000 cash (depending on which age bracket they fall under — the 60-69 bracket, 70-79 bracket, or 80-above respectively, in January 2018!
Can our towns and cities begin to consider at least P500 birthday cash gift? It’d help if the seniors’ federations can forward a formal request to their respective sanggunian.
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