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Saturday, August 26, 2006
Ledesma: Politics and the sludge of Guimaras
By Jun Ledesma: Sunbursts
THEY knew they had it coming -- the big oil spill which seemed like a sabotage to destroy not only the rich marine resources but also the prime tourist destinations in Visayas.
The owners of the oil tanker that sank off the coast of Guimaras were having their own sweet time even when they had known of the tragedy much earlier than the rest. On the other hand, so far what we heard from Petron is a declaration that their obligation is limited only within the sphere of moral responsibility.
I was told that next to SMB (San Miguel Beer), Petron comes close in the list of companies that rake in a lot of profit. For once, I hope all those responsible for the slick would stop the gobbledygook and roll up their sleeves and work to contain the spill and restore what had been damaged on the rich marine and coastal resources in Guimaras, Iloilo and now in my home province Negros Occidental.
Since Petron has a corporate conscience, it did not take it eternity to act on what is now a veritable fallout of environmental hazard. For an oil spill of this magnitude, it is ideal for the company to divert its focus from the its bottom line operating margin to the catastrophe in the bottom of the sea where the not-so-sea-worthy tanker lie but still spewing out millions of gallons of oil to the seas of Guimaras.
Thirteen days had elapsed and the situational condition is now in a panic mode.
Only after 13 days have we seen government agencies moved but only after Pres. GMA herself did what ought to be done. Suddenly too many agencies woke up from their stupor but only after seeing their own boss doing the thing which they ought to have done from day one in the first place. Now there are too many cooks and I hope that this sudden surge will not spoil the broth.
I am glad that our neighboring countries have quietly came to aid in preventing the spread of the bunker spill. Meanwhile, as usual, Congress wants to go into the ritual of long and winding debate and faultfinding first before acting on the cataclysmic environmental devastation. I still have to hear one saying "I volunteer my pork barrel fund to help in the restoration of damage marine resources." As of this writing, they have not lifted a finger as they are busy perorating on the impeachment cadaver.
What's happening to our country? A dazed and fallen Manning Pelaez asked Gen. Tomas Karingal after an assassin shot him. To which the shocked police officer answered: "I don't know sir." If the same question is asked of us today, we definitely know the answer -- "politics sir, it's as dirty and ruinous as the oil sludge in Guimaras."
BTW, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and other related government enforcement agencies should act mow on the refusal of many taxi cab drivers to ferry passengers from the poblacion to relatively far destinations within the city like Dacoville and Toril in the south, Mintal and Calinan in the southwest and Bunawan and Lasang in the north.
The most notorious of the cabbies are those belonging to Mabuhay and Maligaya. They give all kinds of reasons just to avoid ferrying the passengers. We urge the men of LTO, LTFRB and the police to conduct operations against these drivers by posing as passengers in city malls and other areas to catch these notorious drivers. Only the cabbies of Holiday Taxi religiously ferry passengers. They and their management ought to be given awards.
(August 26, 2006 issue)
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