AUGUST 20 - AUGUST 26, 2017 4 OPINION


E D I T O R I A L Self-reliance


Tough luck we’re in these days. Consumption of poultry has somewhat lessened in Dumaguete and parts of Negros Oriental, thanks to the bird flu scare that hit the provinces of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, which are major suppliers of poultry products nationwide. Negros island’s poultry farms are


had to be buried in Dumaguete due to concerns about the bird flu. Better safe than sorry, they say, although we feel sorry for the balut consignee who just lost P120,000 over the seizure of her merchandise. It’s good the Philippines is an archipelago, and it would take some effort for animals from other provinces to reach our shores. But that should not be enough to let our guard down. Vigilance is still needed 24/7. And if that’s not enough, we have another thing to worry about -- red tide! Now, we cannot eat sea products from Tambobo Bay in Siaton because the algae in that Bay has blossomed to lethal proportions. The consolation we have is that Tambobo is not a major source of shellfish products and most likely, many of us haven’t eaten any marine product from Tambobo Bay. What are these telling us? These


still free from bird flu, but people, especially those who do not quite understand what it is, are simply staying away. There were even 6,000 balut eggs that


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP ECON 101 whelmayap@yahoo.com S


aid Ninoy Aquino, the iconic symbol of steadfast opposition to the one-man rule of Ferdinand Marcos during the Martial Law period (1972-1986).


Ninoy was gunned down in broad daylight on Aug. 21, 1983 on the tarmac of the nation’s international airport, now named after him.


twin health threats should challenge us to produce our own food. We don’t need big tracts of land to grow food. We can raise free-range chicken. Then there’s vertical gardening, for starters. And there’s aquaponics or hydroponics for the more serious ones, which enables you to grow your own fish and vegetables in a small area.


living at its best! As the new tourism slogan of Negros Oriental goes, “This is how you want to live!”


Self-sustainability. Dumaguete


have stood here for more than two centuries. I was firmly rooted here out of necessity—to watch over the place, and to warn the people of impending danger.


I A member of the Philippine Press Institute


ALEX REY V. PAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief (On-leave) IRMA FAITH B. PAL Managing Editor


JOEL V. PAL Online News/North America Editor RICHLI D. AVES Cartoonist


Awardee, Best Editorial Page 2007 Community Press Awards


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I watched when two resistance forces coming from the north and the south converged in the park just across from where I stood to oppose the Spanish colonizers. I tolled my bells when the last guardia civil fled.


Fifty-eight years later, I watched when the people gathered in merry-making to celebrate when Dumaguete became a city. Again, I rang my bells as I joined in the celebration.


I watched while Dumaguete took on dramatic changes through the years. I watched from the time the place was only a few dirt roads and makeshift buildings to the bustling city that it has now become. I watched while the people embraced into their fold people from other


“Nene” Pimentel Jr., founding chairperson of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino, which later combined forces with Aquino’s Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) party (becoming the pillars of the above- ground opposition to the Marcos dictatorship), aptly described his close personal acquaintance with Ninoy in an article Ninoy Aquino: Man of Destiny, Hero of the People (BusinessMirror, Aug. 22, 2009). Aquino was imprisoned for about eight years after


Sen. Aquilino


Martial Law was declared by Marcos. Even in his imprisonment, he sought a parliamentary seat for Metro Manila in the Interim Batasang Pambansa, under the banner of Laban, but “lost” to the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan slate led by then First Lady Imelda Marcos. Aquino remained in


prison but continued to fight for democracy in the country, and against the oppression of the Filipino people. In frustration, Ninoy exclaimed: “Pity a nation in need of hereoes!” After suffering from


focused on attaining democracy as he continued his advocacy by speaking to the Filipino-American communities.


Upon returning to the Philippines on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport (now named Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor), he was shot


and killed at


a heart attack in March 1980, he and his family moved to the United States for medical treatment, eventually leading to his self-imposed exile for about three years. There, he was visited by Nene Pimentel, where their discussions


JESSICA D. LAYUMAS DAGUIT JessicaLayumas@gmail.com


lands, and learned to live with them in friendship and peace. I watched while these transients made Dumaguete their home.


I watched while the youth, who used to be timid and fearful, changed into happy, confident, assertive young people, eager to face the world.


I still watch. I watch while some people change their minds about me. Some say that I was just an afterthought in history. Some say that I am now an obsolete icon of Dumaguete. Others say that I offend other religions, believing that I only represent the Catholic faith.


the staircase of the plane as he was being escorted by Aviation Security Command personnel. Ninoy’s assasination led to several almost-daily protests. It was his funeral attended by millions of Fil ipinos that sparked the calling for the snap presidential elections in 1986, which eventually led to the 1986 EDSA Revolution, catapulting his wife Cory Aquino to the presidency. This holiday on Aug. 21 every year was declared


The Filipino is worth dying for


through Republic Act 9256, signed into law by President Arroyo on Feb. 25, 2004, 21 years after Ninoy’s assasination, and 18 years after the People Power Revolution. On this significant non- working holiday every Aug. 21st, recall the famous poem of Ted Engstrom: “The world needs men and women: who cannot be bought, whose words is their bonds, who put character above wealth, who do not hesitate to take chances, who will not lose their individuality in crowd, who will not say they do it because everybody else does it, who are true to their friends in adversity


as well as prosperity, who do not believe that shrewdness,cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success, who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular, who can say “no” with emphasis although all the world say “yes”, whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires.” Are we that man/ woman? The Filipino nation needs us to be that man/ woman.


But you, no matter


who your God is, look up, and you see in me the resoluteness of your faith. You go up my stairs, and at the top, you reflect on your history, and your sense of pride is awakened and inspired. You light a candle at


my foot, and you find that my presence is comforting, and then you realize that I have held the people of Dumaguete together for generations now.


I am the belltower, the watchtower, the campanario de Dumaguete.


And still I watch.


METROPOST


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