“Not
everyone can be trusted. I think we all have to be very selective about the
people we trust.” Shelley Long
By
Alex P. Vidal
IT’S
the trust and confidence that matter most.
Iloilo
City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog made the right decision to appoint Ariel
Castañeda as the new chief of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO).
The
apprehensions registered by key leaders of market vendors associations in the
metropolis about Castañeda’s “lack of experience” to handle the job are but
natural, but experience alone is not the end-all and be-all qualifications to
manage and rebuild the anomaly-ridden LEEO.
Castañeda,
Mabilog’s hitherto political affairs consultant, is a reformist who carries
with him the competence, dynamism and idealism of a leader necessary to
streamline and iron out the kinks in the LEEO.
In
choosing Castañeda, Mabilog was not entertaining a quick fix solution to the
mess left behind by the office’s previous boss, Vicente de la Cruz.
Mabilog
wanted to infuse integrity back in the LEEO and revive the people’s faith in
the office marred previously by accusations of irregularities and
mismanagement.
With
Castañeda’s solid background in leadership and good credibility, Mabilog is
confident the LEEO will once again experience a renaissance under a new
manager.
Marker
vendors associations will easily get along with the unassuming Castañeda as he
is one of the most accessible and easy-to-approach members of the Mabilog
cabinet.
-o0o-
THE
church's silence on the proposed legalization of the Small Town Lottery (STL)
in Iloilo province is deafening.
They
have not made a stand or issued a statement since Governor Arthur “Art”
Defensor Sr. announced last month that he was in favor of the move of the
provincial board which had passed a resolution pushing for legalization of the
numbers game.
With
Defensor’s full approval, it’s only a matter of time before the resolution
authored by Board Member Manny Gallar will bear fruits in favor of the STL.
Three
operators have been queuing for the franchise to be issued by the Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
They
are: Around D’ World Gaming
Corp., Fairpoint Marketing Corp. and Iloilo Small Town Lottery Gaming Corp.
The
grapevine says the PSCO will soon approve the franchise to any of the
three.
Like
a thief in the night, STL will invade the Iloilo province without any
resistance.
The
church has been actively spearheading the clamor to halt any attempt from the
local government unit (LGU) to legalize any form of gambling in the past.
Priests
even used the pulpit to chide those who pushed for legalization of gambling.
Why
they are silent on this issue is what boggles the minds of the Ilonggos.
-o0o-
THE
image of Boracay Island will suffer in the global tourism industry if reports
were true that the level of coliform bacteria in the beach increased 47,460
most probable number (mpn) per 100 ml and, therefore, “not safe” for swimming.
Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB) regional director Jonathan Bulos had clarified that the
water sample containing the high level of coliform bacteria was taken from the
mouth of Bulabog Beach where there was a drainage system.
For
a body of water to be considered safe for swimming, its coliform bacteria level
must not exceed 1,000 mpn/ml, according to the EMB, an attached agency of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The
presence in the Boracay waters of coliform bacteria, found mainly in human and
animal waste, soil and vegetation, have been reported many years back but the
DENR assured beach goers the situation was not alarming.
-o0o-
FORMER
North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pinol, a part time boxing manager and sportswriter,
told me recently that he was not sure if he would go to Las Vegas to watch the
Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. duel on May 2.
“Ka
mahal sang ticket. Makahuluya man kay Manny (Pacquiao). Kon tag P200,000 per
ticket e times mo ina sa 50 ka tawo nga mangayu libre mga P10 million na ina. (The ticket is so
expensive. If Manny gives each of only 50 persons free tickets it’s already P10
million),” Pinol said.
I
told Pinol that Pacquiao spent some P20 million for the tickets he bought from
the Top Rank for distribution to fellow congressmen, showbiz characters,
friends, hangers-on, and members of the Boston Celtics when Pacquiao fought
Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009.
“Against
Mayweather, even if Pacquiao will spend an equivalent of P50 million for the
freebie tickets, he won’t mind it,” I told Pinol.
“Bisan
pa. Kahuluya. Kuarta man ina gihapon. Ang iban ‘ya wala lang naga paminsar. (It’s
still money. Those who ask for free tickets should think about it and have some
shame.),” he replied.
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