BROWNOUT, power interruption, energy supply disruption - call it by any name and the result will just be the same. That hiatus could happen on a Sunday (day of rest), weekday (during office and school hours), or even in the middle of the night and that connects your room into an oven.
In my area, I had a friendly talk with the manager and the best answer I got is, “we are doing our best.” During brownouts, frustrations come when Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Ceneco) phones just keep on ringing and nobody seems to answer. You could be lucky if someone picks up the phone to give you an answer, “Our field crew is doing their best.”
I just do not know if there is always a “someone” in the office assigned as an officer of the day (and night). Sometimes the security guard is obliged to give an answer, “There could be a bird on the line that causes disruption of power.” Great! That bird could be an eagle.
For people in the tourism industry, frequent brownouts could be a disgrace. It is hard to do tour guiding in museums if there are no lights and the air conditioning system is off. Guests having lunch in restaurants having no generators have to sweat it out. Directly, brownouts kill our tourism industry. We pray that God (not the stupid one) will help Ceneco.
There is a sound campaign against the loitering commercial sex workers. Why are they loitering? That is a part of their marketing strategy. They are residents of the Philippines and they are free to go around their favorite city - just like the Badjaos. We do not restrict the Badjaos roaming around our cities because they are from the Philippines.
Bacolod is positioning itself as a convention city. Where there is a convention attended by thousands of participants, there will always be a “nightlife” experience. Among the girls roaming, no one would know who the commercial sex workers are. These girls are around in the guise that they are selling their flowers. They could be categorized as flower vendors without the business permit.
Flower selling during conventions will always be at its peak by simply following the economic principle of ‘the law of supply and demand’. The association of sex workers (not registered by SEC) has a calendar of events including festivals, conferences, conventions, and even political gatherings. It goes with the saying, “Flowers of the same petals fall together.”
Let us not look down upon the characters of our ‘nocturnal tourism’. They are also made to the image and likeness of God whom we consider not stupid. It is now the proper time to give them new hope. They could be given a decent and profitable livelihood or employed by the government. Let us save them from the urbanized hell!
There is the proposal that barangay officials and watchmen will be given arms (guns and bullets) to help the government in its fight against criminalities. The idea is great! Investors, tourists, and foreigners will be amazed to see gun-toting barangay officials walking around. We are recreating Old Texas.
Many Filipinos believe that if they tot guns, they become three inches taller. In the Old West, conflicts were settled at the end of the barrel of the gun. There will be Djangos and Durangos thirsty for blood who will be in a hurry to meet their Creator. If drug personalities, criminals, barangay officials, watchmen, security guards, and policemen have guns, expect for a daily shootfest. That’s another festival added to our culture.
Some local chief executives are afraid to be assassinated. Who are the assassins? They are professional killers who have been trained by their organizations, or they could be former policemen and soldiers. They could be hitmen from the group tagged by the government as ‘terrorists’, or as alleged, they could be also from the active service.
Moving targets are public officials who are linked with drugs, who are blatantly corrupt, who have blood debt with the masses, and those who have political enemies. That’s the risk of being a public official. Public service is always a risk even from your political rival: If you die, that is your permanent brown out!