By Gonzalo Duque

 

I hope it isn’t too late to thank our kabaleyans in the United States for the generosity and hospitality given me when I was there prior to my assumption of post as administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority in 2019.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Dagupan City Association of Northern California who honored me with its “Dayew na Dagupan” special  award. (Architect Jose “Pepe” Rosario received the award for me and delivered to me when I was already out of the PCA).

When I was in Milpitas, Mayor and Mrs. Jose “Bogs” Esteves  hosted me in their home.  Jose “Pepe” Rosario, Jess and Claire Ugro, Madam Judy Fornoles and a host of others from their association, kept me company during my stint. A million thanks to you all, folks!

The award and the key to the city, courtesy of the  city of Milpitas, are two mementos that earned a special place in my home.

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That visit to Milpitas gave me an insight on what its officials and people are doing to make their city bubbling with life, truly a city of their dreams.

Nakakainggit ang Milpitas. They have a beautiful city hall. Theirs is a state of the arts that any Milpitan up to the next generations will surely be proud of.

Compared to ours, already outdated if not antiquated whose upper floor often dangerously shake when too many people assemble there. It’s an awful sight that does not suggest that the city is earning more than a billion pesos in taxes each year. It is not only flood-prone but also a fire hazard.

Wala talaga tayong maipagmamalaking city hall sa Dagupan!

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The issue about the Dagupan City Hall is an issue that has been there since time immemorial.

Just a throwback, then Mayor Libring Reyna had started to build a new city hall in Tapuac, not far away from his home. But the next administration of then Mayor Opring Manaois halted its construction for the reason many already knew.

Then, the family of Mayor Belen donated a lot for the new city hall but instead of thanking the Fernandezes, those in today’s city administration claim Belen’s family had a personal agenda in mind. So, the plan for a new city hall was again scuttled.

But a discussion on the pros and cons of having a new Dagupan City hall at this time is not timely because the biggest issue confronting us today, is how we should address the pandemic, especially now that we have close to 700 active COVID-19 cases as of this writing.

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I miss my friend Boy Rayos who had this piece of advice for young bachelors of Dagupan. He said “It’s OK to be involved with women who are ADAs—Abandonada, Separada and Diborsyada. But not with the UDA or viuda.  But if the widow is a multi-millionaire,  “Go and get her.”  The barkadas always enjoyed that.

But I cautioned the barkadas that widows should never be viewed as jokes. There is an old saying I read, I think in the Bible that said “Widows belong to God!” 

Nakakalungkot Boy Rayos bade us goodbye a few weeks ago. Also no longer with us were friends like Molly Reyes, Willie Zuniga, Gil Biagtan and, of course, Nap Donato and Jun Velasco, a fellow columnist in this paper.  Without any exception, we will all go but what is important is how we existed and found the road to wisdom because wisdom is the relative of humility.  

Kung may kasabihan na ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng magnanakaw, the road to wisdom can also lead to being humble. Masarap ang fried chicken pero ang PRIDE ay nakakatakot! Ito ang siyang sumisira sa ating pagkatao! 

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Since the election period has started, we remember vividly former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who continued the unexpired term of deposed President Joseph Estrada. She was initially a reluctant candidate for president. In fact, during the Rizal Day celebration in Baguio, she made a bold announcement not to run for president .

But she changed her mind and filed her COC with then Senator Noli de Castro as her running-mate. I had an A-class information it was on the advice of a ranking Catholic clergy who saw that other candidates aiming for the presidency were incapable of preventing an Erap comeback in the person of his bosom friend Fernando Poe Jr. Gloria won by a narrow margin against FPJ,  and history tells us that she survived her presidency despite all the attempts to unseat her.

We are seeing a similar situation today. From where I sit, I can see every other religion actively getting involved in politics, throwing the constitutional provision about the separation of the Church and the State down to the gutter.

Allied to this is the question: Who the administration will support for President since Bong Go already backed out from the race. PD30 has been sending signals that he does not like BBM and considers him as a weak leader, so many interpret this as an expression of discontent against BBM. But his daughter Sara is a teammate of BBM and we know that blood is thicker than water. Many think PD30 will still change his mind in the last minute and ultimately  throw his support behind her daughter’s choice for President. But will he really?

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