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Friday, December 05, 2003
Wenceslao: Guns for ‘polis-polis’
By Bong Wenceslao
It must just be coincidence. The other day, talk among some newsroom people strayed to the topic of guns. Yesterday, newspapers reported that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña gave .357 revolvers to Vice Mayor Michael Rama, City Administrator Juan Saul Montecillo and 11 Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) councilors.
So the Osmeña administration is still on a spending binge, apparently eager to use government money for their kapritsos a few weeks before the ban on such spending will be imposed during the campaign period.
Only recently, the same officials plus the mayor gifted themselves with brand new vehicles. Shiny cars, shiny guns—talagang sinswerte.
The question is, what is BO-PK preparing for? Okay, the mayor can say the city has the money (after some firms succumbed to his arm-twisting and his businessmen-friends are voluntarily sharing some of their profits from City Hall transactions). Or he can declare, with the usual arrogant stance: What are we in power for?
Still, I would insist that the money spent for those vehicles and those guns should have been put to better use. There are other projects that could have been financed by the millions of pesos appropriated for the vehicles. As for those guns, we all know that the police need them more than those City Hall officials, nga mahilig magpolis-polis.
FPJ. The survey conducted by the Social Weather Station from Nov. 8-24 showed actor Fernando Poe Jr. topping the list of presidential aspirants with Sen. Noli de Castro coming in at close second. Far behind are former senator Raul Roco, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Sen. Panfilo Lacson. So is an FPJ victory a sure thing?
Just recently, I won my bet with fellow columnist Juan Mercado that President Arroyo will renege on her promise not to run in the 2004 elections. I based my stand on my knowledge of politicians and my instinct. This time around, I am not willing to concede yet that we will have a fake hero with an alias for president soon.
It’s still a long way to go from now until May 2004. There are still strategies to be mapped out and implemented. There is still a ballgame to play. Topping the surveys when the campaign has not started is not a guarantee of victory. It depends on the moves of FPJ’s political rivals. Besides, the actor has not yet been unmasked.
TALISAY. Sun.Star reporters and editors were the guest speakers in the first ever students press conference sponsored by the “new” Talisay City schools division headed by Elsa Suralta. Teachers who handled the activity, which was held at the Talisay Central School, were one in saying the press conference was a learning experience.
I agree. Setting up a schools division and coming up with initial activities are always difficult. But with the kind of effort showed by the organizers, I would say there is no other way for them to go but strengthen and grow.
P.S. Here’s some sort of a Talk Back from texter Sam Bitudio: “Please tell your friend Joel Famador to stop calling the Philippines a banana republic. We passed that stage already. He should rather use the term Circus Republic, what with all the clowns in government (and more are coming).”
(e-mail: cowens21@lycos.com; cell phone: 0927-4912362)
(December 5, 2003 issue)
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