By Leonardo Micua

 

AS I was writing this piece, breaking news from CNN came on TV about President Donald Trump reviewing an Iran attack plan and holding off for now.

Many lives have been lost, maimed and decapitated on both the Israeli and Iranian sides since the war between their countries started last week, and the fighting is getting more deadly each passing day.

The world is now tethering in fear, aware that if the two countries do not allow diplomacy to prevail, World War III might just be around the corner.

To date, as the Philippines is working on an evacuation plan for its citizens working in Israel, the price of gasoline and diesel has again abruptly risen, and is expected to continue rising as the Middle East conflict persists.

With that, we  Filipinos should brace for more fuel price hikes, adding burden for most of us, especially the poor.

We learned that Filipinos in Israel, despite the dangers to their lives, are not too keen to be repatriated for fear of not finding jobs back home.

And if World War III ensues, don’t you think that the Philippines would also be vulnerable to a missile attack because of its deep-rooted alliance with the United States?

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It was not only in Pangasinan where an International drug syndicate from Hong Kong and Taiwan landed shabu. Parcels of shabu, same as those found earlier in our shores and Zambales and Ilocos Sur, were also found last week floating off Ilocos Norte and Cagayan.

It was the biggest shabu bust ever scored since time immemorial by law enforcement agencies, with the indispensable cooperation of fishermen who first spotted the floating drugs.

We are appalled by the audacity of the international drug syndicate to make a ship-side landing (or jettisoning is the word) for such a big volume of shabu to the Philippines, possibly thinking that fishermen, because they are poor, can easily be corrupted and won’t report their find to the authorities. Wrong. 

With such a big volume of shabu, it appears that the syndicate and their Filipino accomplices, whoever they are, would like to make good their evil plot to flood the whole country with shabu.

It’s good that the over P9 billion worth of shabu did not fall into the tentacles of the syndicate in the Philippines.  

Since PDEA and the PNP are confident there are no more drug laboratories anywhere in the Philippines today, there is strong suspicion that the illegal drugs may have been surreptitiously landing on our unguarded shores long before in connivance with corrupt security officers and even public officials.

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In my quick trip to Baguio, together with my wife, Lilia, last Wednesday, I found that the “summer capital” –  where I spent probably the finest part of my young journalism life as PNA bureau chief for Northern Luzon for six years from 1978 to 1984 – is again facing a serious problem on solid waste.

This could be seen from piles of bundled garbage lining up a hillside close to the road at the approach into the city from Marcos Highway.

Then I saw a story in the  Northern Philippine Times – with Alfred P. Dizon as publisher-editor, who I can recall was a former staff of the old Baguio Gold Ore, which during its heydays was edited by Peppot Ilagan, my late kumpadre –  entitled “Baguio trash hauled to Porac as Urdaneta dumpsite closes; folks urged to reduce waste.”

So, that explains it.

Our Dagupan City is suffering the same predicament because it was also delivering garbage to Urdaneta.

But Dagupan City is in a better position with its long-term partnership with Holcim Philippines for waste that can be used as fuel for the manufacture of cement and as a component of cement.

The remaining garbage that could not be sent to Holcim is being processed into cheap fertilizers, good for gardens and farms.

I am sure that the temporary closure of the Urdaneta landfill will not pose any problem to the scheduled total closure of the Bonuan dumpsite by the end of this year, as there is just a little mound of garbage left to haul.

By the way, I bought my copy of Northern Philippine Times from Luisa’s Cafe on Session Road, which had become a regular hangout for journalists after the Dainty’s Cafe, across the road during our time, had given way to bigger establishments that have come to Baguio over the years.

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