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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Capillas: Post-Lenten ruminations
By Stephen Capillas
The Lowdown
THE two days of rest during the Holy Week, while brief, at least relaxed the frayed nerves of a lot of people here in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newsroom.
The advantage that print media bring is that they aren't required to go live like their counterparts in the broadcast media.
Hence it was good for this writer to sit back and for once be like everyone else and monitor the news from the point of an observer, rather than being part of the news scene.
That week being Holy Week, nothing much occurred other than the usual petty crimes at least in this part of the country.
Holy Week in Cagayan de Oro can be likened to a lazy day in the sun especially on Good Friday, where barely anything moves except the occasional car or so while the sun beats mercilessly on anyone unfortunate enough to walk down the heat-baked roads.
Now that the Lenten season is over the newsroom is again abuzz with activity as most of us look forward to another break -- Christmas and New Year breaks, which are a full eight months away.
At least that's something to look forward to.
* * * * *
In contrast the only people to have continued full operations are the police, military, and the hospitals. Of course since these guys dispense crucial services their presence is urgently needed but often under-appreciated.
So even with the Lenten season over, these people, with the exception of the few highly placed officials who can afford to take vacations, our soldiers, police officers and medical personnel do continue to plod on to keep this country safe and secure in both mind and body.
And yet they remain among the most underpaid in society. At least the nurses get the opportunity to work abroad and earn dollars or euros while retiring soldiers and police officers are often tempted to engage in a life of crime if only to earn more than what they are paid for.
So all this talk of police or military modernization is empty political rhetoric if the national government doesn't once and for all finally address the salary and benefits requirements of their fighting men and women.
Either that or they can do what "Kumander Beth" Tamayo did and join the "Pinoy Big Brother" reality show for a chance to win millions of pesos.
Or they can go to professional boxing and hope to become the next Manny Pacquiao and land a world title and millions of pesos worth of commercial endorsements.
There are better ways to earn a living after all.
(For comments e-mail the writer at sunspot12002@yahoo.com or warpath1232@yahoo.com)
(April 18, 2006 issue)
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