WHEN DOVES FLY:
Police officials free 120 doves, one for each year since the Philippines gained freedom from Spain.
A reminder to take advantage of second chances, a call to honor those who gave their lives for freedom, and a challenge to find good jobs were among the messages in Independence Day celebrations in Cebu.
In Camp Sergio Osmeña, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas led the releasing of 120 white doves, which represented the years since the country’s independence from Spain, an activity similar to the celebration in the police’s national headquarters in Camp Crame.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 chief had a stern message.
“If you won’t stop with your illegal activities then we will see each other at the end. Let’s see who will surrender first because here in PRO 7, we don’t surrender,” Sinas warned.
A message from Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde was read during the ceremony.
“In the Chief PNP’s message, you can see that internal cleansing is number one, the second one is our campaign against illegal drugs, and the third, is that police officers should act like one,” Sinas said.
As planned, the Cebu City Government celebrated Independence Day with a mass and short program at Plaza Sugbo.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña also presented the new Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SKF) officers led by Jessi- ca Resch, who will join the City Council in the middle of next year as an ex-officio member.
Osmeña said that the SKF officers were “more devoted” than some barangay captains and councilors from the opposition who did not show up in the event.
The mayor also mentioned a need to fight the proposal to transfer some funds meant for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project to a similar project in Metro Manila instead.
Challenges
“We will continue to have challenges. People will try to bring us down. Karon ang Manila, ilang kawaton atong BRT (Manila wants to steal our BRT),” Osmeña said.
Since April this year, proponents of the Cebu BRT have had to deal with setbacks, such as the recommendation to cancel the project because, among other reasons, the city’s roads are too narrow. Four years ago, the BRT project obtained the World Bank’s approval for a financial package of US$141 million.
Osmeña also led a minute of silence to honor those who gave their lives for the country’s freedom.
“Let’s celebrate this day quietly but with respect and honor for our country,” the mayor said as he ended his speech.
Meanwhile, 479 applicants joined the Araw ng Kalayaan Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) Job and Business Fair held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
The Department of Labor and Employment 7 and City Hall’s Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) organized the fair, in which at least 20 were hired on the spot by business process outsourcing (BPO) and retail companies.
Similar fairs were held simultaneously in different venues nationwide as part of the Independence Day celebration.
Part of the event in Cebu was an entrepreneurship, business registration and consumer advocacy seminar organized by the Department of Trade and Industry. Financial and business management counseling were also offered.
Romulo Escalera, 24, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation, was one of those who turned up for the job fair.
The former seafarer said it was hard to get hired unless one had the right experience. “I told them I have experience in construction (works), but they were looking for applicants for higher positions,” he said.
But Fidel Magno, who heads the City Government’s DMDP, explained: “We want the public to know that even if you’re not hired after several job applications, this is not the end of the world for you. Employment is not just about being hired in a company, but there is also what we call self-employment, which the government wants to promote.”