IT SEEMS perfectly apt, as responsible citizens, that we conclude short-listing Yuletide wishes for our city and start transforming 'em into issues in the hope of eluding another one of those farcical (or not) three-year terms that may end (or not) in 'boohoo'.
C'mon guys, humor your selves this one time before the pantomime season among our "would be" leaders end and the least palatable gasconade stage commences. Before you do, kindly set aside enticing influences by our favorite spiritual leaders and bearded patriarchs.
Now, imagine for the moment the Baguio citizenry is an attractive 'bachelorette' with a barrage of suitors having several chances at getting that sweet 'yes' ala ABC' television's 'The Dating Game'.
Yep...
YOU are Ms. Baguio and them guys who filed their COCs (certificates of candidacy) are the bachelors in this game.
As bachelorette, you are advised to come up with a set of questions with which you could measure the aptitude of them whose names you'll be placing in your ballot come May 2010.
Here go five 'figments of my wild imagination' as mere examples to guide you in formulating your own (could've been more but the space wouldn't allow it):
1. A Korean businessman invested in the development of the athletic bowl. He was with us on a leisure cruise onboard MV Ilagan. If he accidentally fell overboard, what would you say so you would still look cool despite the accident?
a) "Relax sweetie, we have plenty of 'em Koreans in Baguio;"
b) "It's okay, the investment is secured;" or
c) "He'll be back... they always do."
2. Me papa and mama are experts in losing family fortune in gambling. We lost our house last week. Would you:
a) Go to the gambling den and win back our losses;
b) Give my parents cash for a chance to recover our losses in the slot machines; or
c) Get friendly with an illegal gambling operator so you could build us a mansion?
3. Mama has a store at the city market. For years, her sales have been dropping like mercury in January. Would you:
a) Tell her to stop paying tariff and give her an easy-to-dismantle portable rack so she could sell her wares in the middle of Session Road and easily evade those pesky guys in black from the mayor's office;
b) Pass a resolution and allow her to do night markets along our most utilized easements out of 'humanitarian reasons'; or
c) Get creative by advising her to just lease her stall for bigger moolah so she could relax in her favorite easy chair at home while reading Vanity Fair?
4. I love cars so much I have three of 'em at home. Traffic in Baguio is getting worse by the day. Would you:
a) Legislate and implement an ordinance permanently exempting private vehicles so we could drive any car we want any day;
b) Cut 'em trees and convert 'em parks into parking spaces so we could have a car exhibit the whole year round which could double as a tourism come on; or
c) Give 'em taxi (in its generic term, taxis include jeepneys) drivers just a day to make a living so our streets can become wider?
5. My grandpa planted a pine tree and watered it everyday. Despite that, the plant dried up.
What would you do?
a) Give 'em tons of cement so he could put up his own concrete pine tree 'coz it never dies;
b) Bask in the melodramatic limelight and come up with disingenuous sound-bites to rally the whole Baguio to plant with him even if his backyard is Melvin Jones just to let him know I care about his dreams for a greener Baguio; or
c) Suggest he plants 'kamote' instead of pine because the former is easier to grow.
Now is the time to ask questions and talk "issues," man. Stir discussions up. The fate of Baguio is in your hands.
Remember, as one of my favorite quotes by an unknown writer goes, "Procrastination is like masturbation... in the end, you're just screwing yourself."