By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
It was refreshing to read in a national daily about the chosen Ten Outstanding Young Men (actually they are now more than 10) which include Byron Allatog of Bontoc, Mtn. Prov. He is now the police chief of Bogo City, Cebu. His achievement as you might very well know considering that it had been trending for sometime in the social media was in carrying out his job effectively with not even a droplet of human blood (resulting in death) being spilled at a time when drug addicts were being gunned down everywhere. His city was the first one to be declared “liberated” from illegal drugs.
Such achievement—efficiency in a humane way—takes one’s breath away.
There is however one thing that I hated about the article on his being a TOYM awardee. It did not mention that he is from Mountain Province. Yes, in a way, I am still tribal.
I hope this will cause a paradigm shift among police and military officers. I am referring to the obvious pre-occupation of them on how to get filthy rich. So much so that an acquaintance said that PMA now stands for Philippine Millionaires Association. From where did their money come from? Usually from jueteng, illegal drugs, illegal logging and other shady operations.
Certainly, philosophy is not the strong suit of the PMA. Perhaps they should make it so. It should be drummed into the ears of cadets even just the basics of “eastern thought.” A big part of it is the law of karma. Anything bad such as being involved in shady operations or in anything that is inhuman will come back soon to haunt the perpetrator, if not his family. That life does not in this lifetime as God, in His omnipotence, can cause somebody to be reincarnated to suffer for his sins. Want to be reborn as a beggar, crazy or deformed?
How about being burned in hell?
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The other day, I was at City Hall to pay for my professional tax so I could practice law. I had to get a cedula first but after I endured a short line as I was early, I was told to fill up first a small piece of paper near the door. What? After that queue? I snapped at the person behind the desk, “Ni wala pa kayong sign kung saan ang priority lane for senior citizens!”
But I had to go to a table by the door where there was no sign that people should fill up first the teeny weeny form there first to get a cedula. At least beside it was a person manning a coffee nook announcing that the coffee was for free.
I looked around and there was no flow chart or a semblance of it so people will be informed on how the process flows. With the number of residents of Baguio City, a misstep can result in the loss of 10 or 30 mins.
Why did the officer in charge of the operation not have some brains to post a flow chart which everybody can just follow for more efficiency? Well, it is government.
Then I went back to get a cedula. I asked around for the priority lane for seniors and when I was pointed to the person in-charge I was dumbfounded to see a senior citizen taking care of her fellow seniors. I told the next senior beside me, “Dapat bata bata naman ang inasign para sa atin para mas mabilis.”
Beside her was a young lad who haled me so I could be attended. When he saw the form I filled up which did not include exercise of profession as a source of income, he did not know what to do regarding what I indicated as income last year. So I was passed on to another person again. Well, again, it is government.
Writing about this is supposed to correct some deficiency in handling numerous clients who are clamoring to be attended pronto! A simple flow chart would have done the trick.
Along this line I was also thinking of visiting my friend, the city administrator, Atty. Carlos Canilao. This is also to contribute by way of comment on a minor glitz in the flow of papers regarding demolitions. When one applies for the demolition of a squatter’s structure, a letter to this effect should be filed with the city administrator’s office or the city mayor’s. Then the applicant should bring a copy to two more offices to start the process moving.
Why doesn’t one office– where it was filed– take care also of furnishing the copies to the other two offices?
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