Impulses
Presidential questions
Unidentified suspects lobbed an explosive at the bakeshop owned by incumbent Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas before dawn Monday, injuring a security guard, the city police chief said.
Some say that it was the working of the desperados under the Gonzalez camp. Your guess is as good as mine.
* * *
I did a rough “showing of hands” assessment with my senior students in Ateneo High last week and the result reveals that they prefer Gibo Teodoro for the presidency. Next to them is Aquino, with Villar as a close third. Gordon, JC de los Reyes and Perlas are also in the seniors’ bucket list. No one voted for Erap, for obvious reasons.
It is worthy to note that Gibo took his basic education in Xavier School, a sister school of Ateneo de Iloilo. Aquino, Gordon, JC and Perlas, who is an Ilonggo environmentalist, are all hard-core Atenistas.
* * *
If asked what would be the questions that I will ask to the presidential aspirants that are special to Western Visayas, I will ask the following questions:
Question 1: Water shortage and high electricity cost in Iloilo are two of the most pressing concerns of the Ilonggos. What do you intend to do to solve these problems?
* * *
Presidential Question 2: Insurgency in Western Visayas is still in the red, especially in the provinces of Aklan, Iloilo and Negros Occidental. What concrete, realistic strategies are you to employ in order to end this decades-long crisis?
* * *
Presidential Question 3: Western Visayas is rich in prime agricultural lands. But why do you think that it still yields unsatisfactory harvests? What tangible steps must you do to maximize the production of agricultural products in the area?
* * *
Presidential Question 4: A number of coal-fired power plants have been, are being, and are planned to be built here in Western Visayas. Do you think going coal is acceptable? Why?
* * *
Presidential Question 5: Western Visayas is the region having the most number of schools next to Metro Manila. Hence, tens of thousands of students graduate here every year. But it seems that employment opportunities in the region fall short to respond to the upsurge of graduates. What will you do to put an end to this problem?
* * *
Presidential Question 6: Remember Typhoon Frank in 2007? For the first time in history, the whole region was turned into a virtual zombieland by this weather phenomenon. As a response, the government promised a P10-billion package a.k.a. the Paglaum Fund to help the region recover from the tragedy. Three years later, the fund was slashed, delayed, and stalled—that until now it is apparently in limbo. If elected, what assurance can you give to the Ilonggos that this fund will be given to the right beneficiaries the soonest possible time?
* * *
The communist NPA is set to rake in billions of pesos from extortion this year, boosted by protection money forked out by politicians contesting the May elections, a military official said Monday.
The Joma group now competes with the military in the same business.
* * *
Coach Fred Roach said the Pacquiao-Clottey fight “will not go the distance.”
He expects a KO in the 6th or 7th round. I think it will be later that that.
* * *
Under the searing heat of the sun, 16-year-old Gallardo and some friends in Zarraga, Iloilo played basketball and drank ice water late last week.
He died by heat stroke few hours later. This is a warning to all of us.
* * *
Puerto Princesa City mayor Edward Hagedorn has endorsed the candidacy of Bangon Pilipinas standard bearer Bro. Eddie Villanueva. During Villanueva’s recent visit to Palawan, he raised the hand of the BP presidential bet in victory, declaring Villanueva as the next President of the country.
Villanueva is good. In fact, he has what it takes as a person to govern the country. But faith and personal capability are not the only ones that determine the “winnability” of a presidential bet. Sadly, he needs the celebrity appeal of Aquino, the money of Villar, and the machinery of Teodoro. Although it sucks, but this is the electoral reality in RP, and I think Hagedorn knows this.
* * *
The rich have gotten richer, but the ranks of the poor have expanded amid the economic growth since 2001, an economic adviser of PGMA said recently.
That economic adviser is in hot water right now. He is too honest to deserve to stay in Arroyo’s den of crooks.
* * *
PGMA is considering bypassing Congress in dealing with the energy crisis in Mindanao.
Who says that Arroyo doesn’t have the markings of Marcos?
* * *
Smartly Funny Quote:
You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is “never try.”—Homer Simpson.
There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.—Robert Byrne
* * *
Random Quotes:
Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.—John Updike author, critic (b. 1932)
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.—Les Brown, motivational speaker, writer
* * *
Compliments are given to the very informative websites of The News Today, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, ABS-CBN Network, PNA, PIA, joke-of-the-day.com, and The Business World.
(Engr. Herman Lagon, who “Facebookly” describes himself as a “social scientist,” is a physics teacher and a PhD. student in Math. He may be reached through h_lagon@yahoo.com.)
