By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The provincial leadership of Mountain Province has to acquit itself regarding the Sabangan and the Samoki Karayan bridges. What has it done to assuage the untold sufferings of its constituents by causing the construction of the former and the repair of the latter. If the stalemate as to the conditions of the bridges continues, the provincial leadership might as well say goodbye to the Capitol come 2019. Yes, why should Mountain Province voters go for incompetent leaders?
Vote buying will not be enough this time. The suffering wrought was just too much. It will be clearly remembered.
How about those in the private sector who are causing the delay because the government or the contractor is not coming across with respect to the payment they were asking for as compensation for their land? The voters will also remember come election time. Rumors are flying thick and fast as to who these people are and some of them are gearing up to run for public office in the near future.
But even if landowners don’t want to part with their land for the bridge, then the provincial leadership should force (there are many ways to skin a cat) the proper government agency to exercise the power of eminent domain—which is simply the right to appropriate a lot for public use after payment of the value thereof as declared in the tax declaration. Often, it is much higher than that as a result of negotiations or in consideration of realities as to the value of the property involved.
As to the national leadership and concerned national officers, they should fire all responsible officers of DPWH Mountain Province for being incompetent. Let them argue their case and we are offering whatever space they need for that. The presumption, however, is that those who get employed there are those who cannot make it in the private sector, especially the engineers. Why ddn’t they put up their engineering firms? Sorry, that needs some competence.
Of course there is money in the DPWH whether (or not) you have brains.
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Having vented my ire, let me go to a more pleasant subject matter. A month or two ago, I picked up a back issue of Time magazine (Jan. 30, 2017 issue) and got interested on a space filler but quite prominent in its table of contents. I quote the whole thing—
“ Turmeric’s health benefits may be overblown
“A new review in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry found that the main chemical in turmeric—the golden spice an anti-inflammatory superfood—may have few, if any, of those health benefits, though more research is needed.”
Well, we are still searching for the Holy Grail food to keep us healthy and young no matter our vices and lack of discipline in terms of food intake. We are thinking and wishing for that. It even makes so many very gullible to the sales people of food supplements. So we were taken also by virgin coconut oil, yakon, pitu-pitu, spirulina, malunggay, turmeric, etc., and the innumerable food supplements in various forms—liquid, pills, powder, etc.—being peddled around.
Each time, we spent a lot for these and waited for the magic results that never came. For the truth remains that good health is a complicated matter. You cannot get all the nutrients you need from one magic food.
And there are things that have to be there which are unsavory to many of us: regular exercise, discipline in the things we eat everyday (avoiding the foods that are killing us like sugar and cholesterol laden meat), getting enough fresh air and being in a wholesome environment, having a positive attitude, etc.
One more thing: meditation. This makes us relax and reduces our craziness. Sure, everyone of us has some craziness to deal with.
Which reminds me of something in the aforesaid issue of Time. There was a one-page advertisement regarding one of that company’s publications. The top of the ad says: FREE YOUR MIND Discover why slowing down and staying present leads to a happier life. Then a picture of the cover of the book. The title is MINDFULNESS. Below the title is: The New Science of Health and Happiness. Then the teasers—Tune In to Your Body, The Power of Slow Eating, and Five Minute Mediation.
So there. Haven’t we been saying these all along?**
