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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Ledesma: The despair of FVR
By Jun Ledesma
Sunbursts
FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos travels twice each month for two weeks. Each time, he confesses, he learns of the great strides that other countries have made while we stagnate in mediocre performance brought about by disunity among our political leaders. How true indeed.
Guesting in Ricky Carandang's "Big Issue," FVR reveals his pent-up emotions. He despaired over how slowly the process of Charter change is taking place despite what he firmly believes as the people's unambiguous desire to change the form of government.
Ramos has dismissed innuendos that he is interested to regain power by becoming the Prime Minister. He enunciated that it could be Joe de Venicia or even Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or any leader who is young and has demonstrated a leadership quality.
FVR, who is a prime mover of a charter change, is thoroughly convinced that it is the present bicameral form of our government that deters the progress of the country.
The former President also expressed frustration over the foot-dragging of legislators in passing the anti-terror bill. Without naming names, FVR is saddened by views of senators who assail the anti-terrorism bill against the backdrop of illegal arrests. The proposed anti-terrorism bill, which is authored by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, an opposition stalwart, has enough safeguards against human rights violations, he said.
The bill is not about the mistake committed by the armed forces, it is about the security of every Filipino, for the country's tourism industry, an assurance of peace and stability to domestic and foreign capitalists. Indeed, I am aghast at how quickly has our lawmakers forgotten the senseless and diabolical manslaughter that terrorists had waged in Metro Manila, Davao City, General Santos City, Tacurong, Kabacan and Kidapawan.
How easily were the opposition swayed by the arguments of communist fronts in the House and avowed anti-Arroyo faction in the Senate to negate and deny the havoc and perdition that terrorists wrought not only in our midst but even in the most powerful nations in the world and in the heart of Islam.
Ramos decried the legislators' utter lack and lapses of memory. I was touched by the concern of President Ramos and hoped that the likes of Ping Lacson, Chiz Escudero, Nene Pimentel, and the other showoffs in congress were watching and listening to the words of wisdom of FVR.
BTW, I have been swamped with calls and text messages inquiring about my item on "tuba-tuba" (jatropha). May I refer you guys to the tuba-tuba king in Region 11, Mr. Tony Vergara. I finally got his contact number: 09198692236. I also got some diverse feedback on my column entitled "Dream" which has something to do about my vision of a new city arising from the ghettos in Piapi and Salmonan.
Actually I absorbed inspiration from what I saw in Cabo San Lucas, a coastal City in Mexico. I interviewed some locals who own curio and jewelry shops (just like our Aldevinco Shopping Center) as soon as we set foot in that new tourist destination in Mexico. I was told that they used to live as squatters in the coastal area.
Some intimated that they were into drugs and other shady forms of livelihood. Then one day the local government decided that they should make a go at promoting tourism. They were uprooted from the beach line and transferred to more decent tenement houses, which they are amortizing at affordable rate.
They were trained in various cottage industries and were given stalls near the tourist belt where they sell their wares. The government built roads that connect their new places of abode to their work places. Some of them have become really progressive while others confess that they now live a more decent and comfortable life than the squalor of the ghettos along the beach line of Cabo San Lucas. These days the coastline is clear and clean. Every day, no less than three luxury cruise ships, not counting private yachts, drop anchor in the City bringing with them thousands of tourists. Don't you want something like this to happen in Salmonan and Piapi?
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (June 6, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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