Monday, July 21, 2008 Mongaya: PUJ operators laughing By Anol Mongaya Panahom
WHILE PUJ drivers and passengers wrangle about the correct fares, the operators of these vehicles are silently raising the daily rent, saying they too need to recoup losses as a result of higher prices for spare parts.
Come to think of it, the knee jerk approval of higher PUJ fares is not benefiting the drivers. PUJ operators don’t have any government body selling matrices that set a cap on increases in vehicle rent. They are now laughing their way to the bank.
Unfortunately, our militant drivers only see higher fares and the waging of strikes as their only response to the oil price hikes. But this will only squeeze their equally hard-up passengers, not pressure the oil companies into effecting oil price rollbacks.
Driver leaders should sit down and rethink their strategy and tactics. They might succeed in paralyzing again the metropolis. However, their successful strikes won’t stop the rising cost of oil. And what will they get from the higher fares when their operators impose again higher rentals?
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Instead of knee jerk responses to the rising cost of oil like immediately granting fare hikes, perhaps government should now invest more on research and development on oil alternatives. The proposal to use the methane from Cebu coal mines is one bright idea that policy-makers should act upon. Besides, this should make our local mines profitable.
Policymakers should also act on calls for the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law that failed to pull down oil prices.
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Pope John Paul XVI says sorry for the alleged child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests in Australia. The local clergy should follow his lead. As the pope said, “Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice.”
The local church hierarchy is however focused on another issue today. Our religious pastors are going all out against legislators who support bills on reproductive health and sex education saying these are anti-life and pro-abortion.
Unfortunately, there’s too much emotional heat in the campaign than sober discussions on whether the bills actually promote abortion.
Some church quarters are even calling on legislators and other officials supporting the bill not to take the Holy Communion. In their eyes, these people who believe in the merits of reproductive health and sex education are all “evil.” But are they really?
The way I understand the church position, promoting reproductive health of women will lead to the use of methods that trample on life in the womb. But can we not find a way of promoting reproductive health in a manner that also upholds the life of the unborn? Will the issues clear up with the use of sacramental blackmail?
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Mr. Efrain Pelaez keeps on complaining about alleged media manipulation that he believes is giving Mayor Arturo Radaza more positive press than the criticisms the businessman could dish out despite his frequent appearances in radio programs and media forums.
But then, Mr. Pelaez should check his information first before opening his mouth before journalists. If he wants his image to improve, he should stop saying things that could easily be disproved like insisting Lapu-Lapu City is not business-friendly.
Two AIM surveys effortlessly demolished this claim.
In another instance, he thought the rumor about Michael Gleissner of Bigfoot was true. Gleissner’s letter denying the rumor easily knocked this down.
Mr. Pelaez kept on saying the schoolchildren in Caubian Island don’t need computers because there is no electricity in the island. All the mayor did was to invite reporters to the island to see the truth for themselves and prove Pelaez wrong.
And the businessman should be wary of accusing journalists of alleged media manipulation. One only needs to manipulate to get unfounded criticisms published and truthful reports suppressed.
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Congratulations to our editor-in-chief Pachico A. Seares. The Gawad Plaridel Award—the sole award in the University of the Philippines System for outstanding media practitioners—highlights the continuing illustrious career of an icon in community journalism.
(Check out my blog “In Between Columns” at www.inbetween columns.wordpress.com)
