What has our country done for us in Cebu?
As if we needed to do this so badly, the House of Representatives will be conducting its own inquiry to the alleged irregularities by the Supreme Court in the use of the US$21 Million loan from the World Bank. This was announced by Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II. What’s wrong with these people in Congress? Aren’t they getting enough intrigues in the Senate Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona that they must do their own investigation on this issue? I call this nothing but sheer stupidity.
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These are indeed jittery times in the national capital region when the text messages went on a full swing that Makati was rocked by an explosion last Monday afternoon. It turned out that there were no people hurt in that explosion, which occurred in a vacant lot along Salcedo Park in Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati City. There was no doubt that the explosive device was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was triggered perhaps to scare someone, or it could be someone leaving his calling card for all to see.
I’m positive that this was not the handiwork of a prankster. IEDs are weapons that kill innocent victims and the one that exploded in a vacant lot in Makati may be someone’s way of testing this device regarding the reaction of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on such incidents. At this point, I suggest that the PNP go on a full alert because there are just too many potential destabilizers who want to bring down the government for their sinister purposes.
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Lately, we’ve been writing articles for us Cebuanos to wake up to the stark reality that we have become second-class citizens in our own country. It’s almost been two years now that we’ve been under the Aquino Regime and today, the Aquino government still has to come up with their own infrastructure development for Cebu.
Alas, even the on-going road widening from Mandaue City via the Kansaga Bridge to the town of Liloan has been severely delayed. When will we get the infrastructure projects that we deserve, perhaps we should ask Rep. Tomas Osmeña who supported Pres. Nonoy Aquino’s Presidential bid. Pres. PNoy only has a six-year term and two have already been wasted. We’ve been asking for the widening of the H. Cortes Ave. in Mandaue and even that proposal was scrapped by the DPWH under the Aquino Regime.
It’s bad enough that the Tagalog language has been “forced” upon our school children, despite the fact that we are not Tagalog speakers. In my book, learning Tagalog, which is not so cleverly disguised as Pilipino, has only brought the average of our school children down. Learning the Tagalog language will certainly not land you a good job.
Meanwhile, last Sunday, Malolos, Bulacan Bishop Jose Oliveros, an official of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asked the Senator/Judges and the Prosecutors in the Senate Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona to speak in Tagalog so that the discussion will be understood by the “common Filipinos.” I can understand where Bishop Oliveros comes from, the common tao speaks Tagalog; after all, Bulacan is in the heartland of the Tagalog nation.
But for us in the Visayas and Mindanao, the common tao doesn’t speak Tagalog, but Cebuano. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile seems to agree with the CBCP official. But I say it is wrong because the moment the impeachment trial shifts to the Tagalog language, it would mean many of us in Cebu would now need a translator to completely understand what those people are talking about.
The Philippine Star carried this report last Sunday, that this suggestion came from a CBCP official. Perhaps for clarification we should ask Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma whether or not this was an official CBCP request or was it Bishop Oliveros’ personal thoughts? Whatever their reasons are, these people obviously do not care about us in Cebu. This is again another reason why we Cebuanos ought to demand for a federal form of government or if we can’t get that, then think the say way the Scottish people do - come up with a million signatures for Cebu to get out of the Philippines.
No, I’m not advocating for an armed rebellion, far from it. I am saying that there are many other ways to skin a cat. When I was young, I believed in the stirring words of Pres. John F. Kennedy during his inaugural address when he quipped, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I lived on this doctrine in my youth. But nothing changed in this country that would improve the lot of our people. Hence it is time to ask, “What has our country done for us in Cebu?” So far under the Aquino Regime… none!
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