A delightful Philippine tradition

One local tradition most of us find delightful to the senses, the visual, especially is the outburst of lights or brightly-lit lanterns during the Christmas season.

Christians and non-Christians alike are agreed on the logic of a well-lighted environment. One wag has suggested that if he had his way, the Christmas lights that have lately enlivened our communities should be made to stay put even long after the Yule. Zany idea? Not quite, if we only retain the not-so-kaleidoscopic ones. Of course, we need not retain Ayala Avenue’s fantastic feast of Christmas lights.

Thank PAGCOR for being the first to try the idea when it lighted up the long C-5 highway near the boundaries of Makati-Pasig and Makati-Taguig. That area before had gained notoriety for its regular close of vehicular accidents, hold-ups and stone-throwing incidents. Funding the C-5 lighting project was a mere drop in the gaming agency’s earnings, but it has effectively transformed the community to the delight of residents and motorists including Police Chief Jun Ebdane’s task force whose job was to clamp down on criminals.

A well-lighted community is always a source of joy, observes Mayor Antonio Villar of Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan which is well-lighted the whole year-round.

A social scientist opine that brightly-lit evenings are a deterrent to crime, not only because the locos don’t usually ply their trade in a well-lighted atmosphere. He says dark thoughts don’t happen in the glare of light.

In this light, perhaps the two government agencies, the Philippine National Police or PNP and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation or PAGCOR, could work on the bright idea.

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A well-edited community paper in Batangas, The Pacific Review, which is published by our friend Arnaldo Avellanedo carried this news head, “Mandanas gets foreign funding for Batangas’ rail and airway projects” with sub-head, “Germany, Italy and US firms committed to bring in multi-billion-dollar capital investments.”

Written by our partner Cesar M. Carpio, who appears to have found his Shangri-La in Batangas, zeroes in on a huge financial agreement between the Batangas government under Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and “giant business conglomerates” in Europe and the United States “to further push industrialization within the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) economic growth zone and the South Luzon region.”

The other week, Speaker Jose de Venecia announced the House’s approval of the National Railways Act to pave the way for an “efficient, adequate, inexpensive and reliable transport system” in the country.

His announcement was followed a few days later by the signing of an agreement between the Philippine and Chinese governments scheduling construction work on the railway project.

PNR Director Felipe Siapno says this long-delayed project will solve the country’s gargantuan problems including mass housing, manufacturing, mobility employment, tourism and downstream industries which will have incalculable implications on the lives of Filipinos and other nationals living in the Philippines.

Social scientists and economic managers agree that a modern railway system is a “must” for a developing country like the Philippines. Those who use the Manila Railway know this.

We hope our friends from Malaysia led by Engrt. IR Chun Chee Seng of BUMI-MIXCON SDN BHD will participate in the country’s railway program as he had intimated to us lately. According to Ms. Vickee Bravo, head of Engr. Chun’s firm in the Philippines, and lawyer Vincent Pagaoa, the British-educated Malaysian businessman is globally connected in big business.

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NOTES: Our bosom friend Ruben Tandoc, formerly of Montreal Dispatch and now residing in Puerto Princesa, reports that the grandson of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary and former Dagupan City Mayor Al Fernandez, 10-year-old Carlos Alpio Fernandez, son of former Dagupan Jaycees president Alfie Fernandez, stole the hearts of thousands who came and watched the Batang Pinoy Games in Palawan for bagging four golds in the swimming competitions.

Carlo Fernandez broke all records when he beat all his opponents in the individual, medley, freestyle and breaststroke competitions. Ruben who hails from our native Barangay Malued in Dagupan says another Pangasinense who drew waves at the Palaro was Rhemilyn Soriano of the pilgrims’ town of Manaoag, who at 12 won the 100-sprint. Congratulations!