By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The other day I was sitting in court with other lawyers waiting for the judge to come out. One of us was a lawyer who traces his roots to Kalinga. Somehow our conversation, enlivened by jokes here and there, strayed to the recent exploits of cops vs drug pushers and addicts.
Somebody contributed that two drug pushers in the Benguet provincial jail who were acquitted from the charges against them refused to be freed. They’d rather be in jail than being freed only to be gunned down.
Then there is another accused of drug pushing who was supposed to present his defense so the Benguet Prosecutor’s Office could determine whether or not the charges against him should be dismissed. His lawyer saw a legal way out of the accusation but she was afraid her client might prematurely end up at the funeral parlor. Well, better to be in jail than sorry.
Our jesting strayed towards Kalinga as somebody asked what was happening there in the war against drugs. The Kalinga lawyer said that there was the destruction of billions of pesos worth of marijuana which was highly publicized but he was wondering why a family of underworld personalities in Tabuk City operating illegal drugs, gambling and other shady businesses appear to be untouched. Apparently their businesses are still thriving.
So the question arises, why does it appear the harsh police measures against illegal drugs have yet to reach Kalinga? Or perhaps the people’s perception or this lawyer’s was wrong? Or is it because the lackluster performance of the police there is just the quiet before the storm? This might be the case or the Cordillera police regional director might soon be getting a memo from upstairs to explain an unsatisfactory performance in this “war.” Will some police officers’ heads roll? We will see.
***
The rains the past five weeks (and there will be more according to PAG-ASA) was unnerving. It has become troublesome to dry clothes that have become moldy and concrete walls inside houses that are “perspiring” due to improper water proofing on the outside. While a fireplace can do a lot of good, it can only do so much.
What is dangerous however which has become very real with the soil now having been saturated due to the continuous rains is the occurrence of landslides. They can bury you and your family, or wash away your house down the mountainside. And these can happen while you were sleeping.
I just drove down to Itogon the other day and the green mountains were scarred with landslides. I counted around six big scars in my 10 minute drive.
So what to do? Be a Boy Scout and be prepared? You bet.
***
The continuation of the expansion of SM City Baguio is a relief of sorts. At least there will be jobs for the thousands of jobless around—about 2,000 during construction and 4,000 when the project starts operating. Looked at from another angle, it can mean 4,000 families will have some income to tide them over these difficult times.
These are not even counting the multiplier effect of the income of such new employees, but also the perked up businesses of suppliers to the mall. It might mean their having to add more employees.
For those who belittle the generation of jobs as against the bad effects of the expansion, our view is that it is so easy to talk against jobs when you can eat three times a day but it is different when buying three square meals a day is a family’s Himalayan problem day-in and day-out.
How about parking problems? It can, to an extent, alleviate the situation. It appeared to be an inconsequential issue but lack of parking spaces has now become a big issue in Baguio. It has reached the point where the future of a business can be determined by the availability or lack of parking spaces.
**
