Polibiz
Be not afraid Lex
When Gov. Niel D. Tupas publicly announced his rejection of the operation of Small Town Lottery (STL), an influential Filipino-Chinese businessman (no offense meant to some of my Filipino-Chinese friends) and his partners concocted a new plot if only to propagate gambling in Iloilo province.
A tempting offer to the governor for his precious nod means continuous monetary blessings without sweat. All he has to do as suggested by the gambling capitalists is just to check anytime of the day his personal ATM saving accounts making sure his share of the blood money for the day is properly deposited and accurately intact. Niel, not even in his wildest dream, has tried to entertain such an idea of getting rich, in exchange for the misery of the ordinary people by giving them false hope through gambling.
Ordinary people like you and me, aspiring for an instant "rags to riches" dream are more prone to invest our last centavo from our own pocket. Hence, they make us a perfect target to divest us of our hard-earned money.
I must admit, I bet in Sweepstakes on several instances in the past, and once in a while in LOTTO but Lady Luck has never been good to me no matter how much I made an appeal to all the saints I've known since I was a kid.
How I wish Mother Theresa of Calcutta in India would soon be canonized for sainthood as she may be my only link to prosperity, definitely not through STL but to use as my instrument for spiritual inspiration. Well, who knows -- as they say, prayer can move mountains.
Going back to Gov. Tupas, his stand must be respected. He has been consistent disallowing illegal gambling in his turf and all other illegal activities for that matter since the start of his political career, so, what's the big deal if he is until now?
If he wants to leave a legacy worth emulating by the people he loves serving for more than three decades and the youth after us -- up to his twilight years, would this be a crime?
Niel is a public servant in the true sense of the word, nothing less and nothing more. Caring for their needs all his life other than his own family gives him strength and serves as his own therapy.
Others would accuse him a big hypocrite. What's hypocrisy in there?
Surprisingly, his political nemesis who'd accused him of making money out of the construction of the New Capitol of the Future and the New Iloilo Airport kept mum on Tupas' decision not to allow STL operation in Iloilo -- simply because they cannot find fallacy in Tupas philosophical reasoning.
The governor could have earned quite a fortune from the STL operation, which could hardly be traced by his detractors and critics alike if ever he consented to accept the bribe. So why bother making himself a thief out from the construction of the new capitol and airport where voluminous documents and paper trails can easily be used as concrete evidence against him? Where is logic in there?
The threat of some people to discourage Lex Tupas from running for councilor in Iloilo City next year is their way of sending a strong message to the governor for letting them down in their desire for STL operation in the province.
Their scheme is to ruin the person of Lex by fabricating gossip scandalous in nature that could make anyone concerned nauseating in shame.
Lex should be careful for this eventuality even before the "Ides of March" approaches, as the "enemies" of his father find him soft and vulnerable. They seem to look at him as a cry-baby. It is in their perception that hitting the youngest kin could result to a change of heart by the governor as far as STL operation is concerned. They will resort to anything even in a treacherous manner if only to rid the obstacle along their way.
Be not afraid Lex. Show them you are your father's son.
(For feedback/suggestions email to:: roblesnelson@yahoo.com)