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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Editorials: Whom to believe
There’s a brewing conflict between local government officials in Bantayan Island and the group led by lawyer Antonio Oposa, and the root cause seems to be the tracking down of the direction of the oil slick from the tanker that sank off Guimaras.
Oposa, who has served as the unofficial spokesman of a group monitoring the Guimaras oil spill, whipped up concern among Cebuanos last week with warnings like the oil slick reaching Bantayan in 10 days and quips like, “manguros na lang ta ani.”
Last Saturday, however, he announced that the worst is over for Cebu because the oil slick is dissipating and changes in sea current has pushed traces of it to Masbate.
That statement apparently doused water on the frenzied preparations done by government officials of Bantayan and Madridejos to battle what they were earlier told to be inevitable—the drifting of the oil slick toward their shores.
It also raised questions on the reliability of the monitoring by Oposa’s group considering that the natural effect of claims like “the worst is over” is the lowering of the guard, which could be disastrous if the claim is proven wrong.
In reaction, Bantayan Mayor Geralyn Escario and Madridejos Mayor Letecia Mancio insisted nothing is sure yet as the tanker may leak more oil, thus they will continue preparations despite claims of a lowered threat.
Which of course is the more prudent thing to do.
Anyway, the one good point that should be learned there is that when calamities happen or when there are threats of calamities, the matter of whom to believe should first be settled; updates must come from a unified and official source.
There must be an assurance that information on calamities, or even mere threats of these, must not lead either to overreaction or complacency of those concerned.
Labra-Garcia altercation
No matter how much Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña may downplay that altercation between Criminal Investigation and Intelligence
Bureau Chief Pablo Labra II and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s son Paulo, there is something disturbing about the incident.
While, as the mayor said, no crime was committed and no complaint was filed, the possibility of power being flaunted should not be dismissed nonchalantly, especially if those doing it are law enforcers.
The mayor must be reminded that monsters do not crop up overnight; they grow from minor but unchecked abuses.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 29, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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