by RHEE Fer HORTALEZA 

IN THE Department of Education (DepEd), certain pupils or students and even teachers reportedly are not adept in English, Mathematics and other subjects. Is it time to call it ‘DepEd’ or Defective Education’?

* * * *

‘Gloria cuts ties with FVR, Cory’ - headline. A dislike for ultra-senior citizens, eh?

* * * *

President GMA, by her own reckoning, believes that it is she who can best lead the way through a transition should the country shift to the parliamentary system. Does GMA therefore stand for ‘Gobiyerno’y Makabuluhan sa Akin’?

* * * *

‘GMA declares state of emergency’ - headline days ago. Her reason must be ‘GMA’, or ‘Ginugulong Madalas Ako’!

* * * *

Mass weddings are reportedly aplenty in various areas of the country nowadays - with couples blissfully exchanging ‘I do’ answers. Some couples, however, should aptly answer: ‘I doubt!’

* * * *

‘Scrap death penalty law’ - newshead. But put more teeth to debt penalty laws, please!

* * * *

Two news headlines: ‘Manila cop caught sniffing shabu while in uniform’ and ‘Another lawman arrested for shooting teen boy to death’. So who can blame people from tagging most of them as ‘foolishmen’ instead of ‘policemen’?

* * * *

If it were only one case, they would have promptly dismissed it as purely accidental or not deliberate; but it occurred in three separate occasions… and many people feel that this does not speak well of Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Saplan Lim, my very own mayor and friend.

This has something to do with what many districtmates in the fourth congressional district (Speaker Jose C. De Venecia Jr.’s legislative turf) especially JDV sympathizers, describe as the ’shameful gate-crashing stints’ of BSL in occasions where De Venecia is supposed to have the top starring role!

Promptly, the complainants (who naturally invoke good taste) state that Benjie is going too far in his quest for the congressional seat of the apple of Georgina de Venecia’s eye! It is no secret now that BSL covets De Venecia’s lordship in the district come the local elections next year, especially with the NO-EL (no elections) drives evidently fizzling out now. Benjie himself had said so in a past interview. He wants the seat he used to occupy in Congress!

What gets the goat of several JDV adherents, however, is the method or methods unashamedly utilized by Lim in his quest for the district crown. According to them, there had been three instances where Benjie allegedly ‘gate-crashed’ while the invited guest, JDV, was mingling with the people.

BSL reportedly showed himself all too suddenly during the Barangay Night of the Mangaldan town fiesta, the Barangay Night of the San Fabian townfiesta and the inauguration of a water-impounding unit (?) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Bonuan Binloc in Dagupan City, the same barangay where Joe De Venecia has his residence sometimes. Joe was allegedly the ‘real’ guest there; but BSL conveniently showed himself in all three occasions!

Moreover, according to JDV sympathizers, BSL would merely show himself there, shake hands with or approach officials and the crowd, mingle or talk with them and then make an appropriate exit. This, according to them, smacks of bad taste and political discourtesy.

Well, it looks like the race for the congressional post in the district is reaching fever-pitch quite early. BSL’s barangay stints are easily noticeable, and talks indicte that he appears to be working on the ‘lower echelon’ officials in the district, especially kagawads, barangay officials and youth officials. De Venecia, of course, will not take this lying down and has surprisingly increased his physical presence in his district, indicating that he does not consider Benjie as a so-so opponent.

But while Joe’s loyalists loathe Benjie’s ‘indicent’ (?) moves, BSL’s friends promptly come to his defense. On his presence in affairs where Joe is the ‘bida’, they state that these are public occasions; thus, no one can bar him from attending these - considering, too, that he is a former congressman of the district! They likewise contend that BSL was appropriately invited therein - not by the mayors themselves but by other town officials.

“As for the Bonuan Binloc affair, what can stop Mayor Lim from attending this, when it is an occasion that is held right at his jurisdiction, his own city of Dagupan where he is mayor?” a BSL public relations man quipped.

But then, there is this talk anew that Benjie has open communication lines with no less than Congressman Pichay. And who is Pichay? Isn’t he the one who has been giving JDV some headaches as he has not made secret his desire to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, which is De Venecia’s current post?

What is the truth about this, Benjie? I really have no idea, although I know for a fact that BSL’s Magic Supermarkets or Malls sell fresh ‘pechay’ in their outlets!