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Thursday, May 22, 2003
Oyson: GMA should cut clean on Palaro
By Manuel N. Oyson Jr.
Counter Punch
I am disappointed at President Gloria M. Arroyo. Instead of totally canceling the 2003 Palarong Pambansa, she has instead put everyone in suspense when she announced that the National Students Games would still be held in July. And in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, too. I don’t know if she said it to score some pogi points from the Dimaporos of Lanao del Norte. Besides, she is not making a run for the Presidency next year as she has declared.
I will not fault her for this, though. Besides, it was not she who made the initial announcement that the Palaro will be cancelled. The announcement came from PSC chairman Eric Buhain, with the assent of the DepEd. Initially, the President would have been the one to announce the cancellation or the postponement of the Palaro because of the shaky peace and order situation prevailing in Mindanao.
NOT THIS YEAR. Thus, it is not GMA who backtracked on this announcement to cancel the National Students Games. She did not make any commitment in the first place. But when the games were about to start last May 4, the PSC was forced to make a decision unilaterally when Muslim rebels raided two nearby towns of Tubod and killed some civilians. Never mind if there are only seven regions out of 16 expected to participate. The Palaro must go on, GMA insists.
But I still argue that the Palaro should not be held this year but next summer next year.
Even in Tubod, GMA premised her announcement that the peace and order situation in Lanao del Norte would improve by then (asa ka, improve?). She has even directed selected aerial and artillery attacks on Muslim separatist guerrillas suspected to be behind the series of attacks and bombings against civilians in Mindanao.
CONCERNS. If we follow her reasoning, the rebels must be wiped out or be forced to retreat before the end of July. Can the military do it? That is the month when the many-times postponed 2003 National Students Games would be staged. But to hear Gov. Imelda Dimaporo say it, it is not the peace-and-order situation that confounds the Palaro organizers. She said that the concerns of peace and order are already being taken care of by the military.
The news is rather distressing, however. Today reported that thousands of civilians fled to safer grounds in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur as the military started its massive aerial bombardment on suspected terrorist cells.
The story added that 60 terrorists were killed and three soldiers were wounded in the towns of Poona Piagapo and Munai in Lanao del Norte.
NOT UPBEAT. The Daily Inquirer also reported that the situation could deteriorate following the bombing by the military of several MILF lairs which had forced the evacuation of at least 30,000 civilians.
Is this what the lady governor meant about the military taking care of peace and order? Another problem facing DepEd is what to do with those who have already finished their high school and would in fact be college freshmen this June. The same poser also goes for the elementary graders who are now in their first year of high school.
Buhain wrote DepEd Secretary Edilberto de Jesus to waive this eligibility rule. But I seriously doubt that at this stage, those who are already college freshmen would still be upbeat about competing in the Palaro this year, regardless of where it will be held. Why not scrap it altogether? Madame President, cut and cut clean. Cancel the Palarong Pambansa 2003! What good is the Palaro if only half of the 16 regions will attend?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “President Arroyo’s bold order for the military to launch aerial and artillery attacks against embedded terrorist cells in Mindanao will only make it more difficult – if not impossible – for Tubod, Lanao del Norte, to host this year’s Palarong Pambansa.” – Abac Cordero, Philippine Star sportswriter
(May 22, 2003 issue)
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