Barrita: Drive-by shootings

Small bites

Saturday, February 18, 2012

CEBU City Mayor Mike Rama blew his top over the recent rise in drive-by shootings in the city.

“Convince me, why should I not be angry?” Rama said.

He said the City Government gave the police 44 motorcycles for quick response and he wondered what the police are doing with them.

It seems Rama wouldn’t be convinced unless the police can arrest the culprits.

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It was bad enough before when so-called vigilantes gunned down pre-selected targets, usually those who are former convicts or with criminal records.

It’s worse when car-riding men pepper people with bullets at random and go scot-free.

Cebu City Police Chief Melvin Ramon Buenafe has assured Mayor Rama they are doing everything to address the drive-by shootings.

Woe unto us, then, if they have done everything.

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The 100-year-old Fuente Osmena, one of the most famous landmarks in the city, will soon get a facelift, with a P13-million pledge from M. Lhuillier.

The facelift must proceed even if Fuente Osmeña is the subject of an ownership tug-of-war between City Hall and Capitol.

Anyway, Mayor Mike Rama and Gov. Gwen Garcia are friends, so both can call it “our
Fuente Osmeña.”

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People welcoming friends to their homes usually say, “Welcome to ‘our’ house,” to make them feel at home.

This probably comes from the Spanish mi casa es su casa, my house is your house.

But never ever ask the man of the house, “Is this our wife?”

***
Rep. Tomas Osmeña was dismayed that President Noynoy Aquino is not in favor of his “Happy 8” bill which he filed in September 2010.

Osmeña’s House Bill 3152 seeks to declare Dec. 25 to Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 as special non-working holidays, an eight-day or ”Happy 8” holiday.

How can a happy bill make the sponsor unhappy?

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 18, 2012.