Remembering President Magsaysay’s four ‘F’s’
It’s been a week since we wrote an article chastising Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade for sowing confusion in his department. On one side, the DOTr is promoting a remake of the 70-year old jeepney, which has remained unchanged for so long because no President ever dared to change our main mass transportation system. Then came the new digital age of apps… and Uber and Grab Taxi became a reality not just in the Philippines but also for many parts of the western world.
But what did the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) do? They slapped Uber and Grab with hefty fines. Yet LTFRB cannot even sanction taxicabs that are dirty and filthy not to mention that during the rush hour if there is still such a thing, you could hardly get a taxicab to bring you to your destination. But with Uber and Grab Taxi, you need not wait nor fight for the taxicab that arrives at your doorstep and best of all, you do not need to pay your fare with money as you can charge it with your cellphone.
Incidentally, one thing good with DOTr is that they send most media men emails of what their daily activities are so we are always apprised of the happenings within the DOTr; however when we wrote that article against the DOTr, I get the silent service! Yes, no response from Sec. Tugade. At this point we do not know that fate of Uber and Grab Taxi, but what we do know is that the LTFRB cannot even find ways or programs to regulate those pesky “Habal-Habal” motorcycle taxis simply because most of the LTFRB officials who get appointed into their positions do not bring any new talent to this agency. Rather they are merely contented with continuing what the previous administration has been doing. So Sec. Tugade where are we now??
We can understand why Pres. Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte was so pissed at Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison because the New People’s Army (NPA) have been conducting numerous ambuscades in many parts of the country. But what broke the proverbial camel’s back was that NPA raid in Arakan, North Cotabato where the NPAs attack the convoy of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) last week and peppered the white Ford van with machine gun fire. If that Ford van weren’t armored, the soldiers in the van would have been killed!
When Joma Sison was interviewed by ANC he justified that ambush saying that the two PSG vehicles had no markings indicating they were government property when they reached a checkpoint manned by the rebels in Arakan town. Sison added, “There is no ceasefire, no prior identification, no prior permission for the other side to be in the spot. Whether there is a ceasefire or not, there has to be some kind of clearance.”
Let me say it here that Joma Sison is a lying SOB! Last Tuesday we wrote in this corner that a few days after the NPAs ambushed the PSG vehicle in the town of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, the NPAs ambushed a Philippine National Police (PNP) convoy on its way to respond to reports that a Provincial Board member of Negros Oriental was under attack. That ambush resulted in the killing of six soldiers including Supt. Arnel Arpon the Police Chief of the town of Guihulngan while wounding two other policemen. That convoy of PNP policemen was using vehicles marked with the PNP insignia and markings. Yet the NPAs ambushed it and killed six policemen.
Joma Sison also criticized Pres. Duterte for flipflopping on his promise to end the decades-long communist insurgency in the country. If there is anyone flipflopping, it is the CPP/NDF/NPA because while Joma Sison and his ilk are having talks with our government peace panel, their armed wing the NPAs have always ambushed our soldiers.
Incidentally if there is a ray of hope for peace with the Reds, it came from an announcement by Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella who earlier clarified that the government has not formally terminated the talks despite Duterte’s pronouncements. So the million-peso question is… will the Duterte administration formally terminate the peace talks with the Reds? We’ll find out soon enough!
Lastly, if the pissed off Pres. Duterte really want to rattle the Reds, I suggest that he release Major General Jovito Palparan (Ret) and let him work for Military Intelligence because he was the most hated person by the Reds to the point that they dubbed him as a “Butcher.” But in truth and in fact, Gen. Palparan was just extremely efficient in gathering intelligence against the true “Enemies of the State,” which is what Pres. Duterte named those who belong to the CPP/NDF/NPA. At this point, if we have to fight the Reds with the might of the AFP, we must remember Pres. Ramon Magsaysay’s four “F’s” principle, which is to Find them, Fool them, Fight them and Finish them, then offer them the hand of peace.
Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com.