In this contemporary world, in a city where I live which I consider my Shangri-la not only due to its inherent natural beauty but because there are people who care so much about its welfare and the well-being of its inhabitants. For decades, the city has been run and ruled by one family that has obviously earned the love and respect of the majority of people in the community as shown by the number of votes they get every election season. Those who attempted to take the seat of local power thru elections failed so, equipped with schemes to get what they want they paved a way to earn the trust and confidence of the power that be.
Just lately, I heard that a triumvirate in the local political circle are “all out” to discredit those who are close to the returning head of the city. They are allegedly concocting malicious stories to destroy the credibility of those who are slated for promotion. What they do not realize is the fact that they are being secretly watched by the local media. These trio can easily be identified because most of the time, they “grab all the opportunities, shift all the blame and take all the credits.” Now I understand why our Seven Lakes Press Corps President Sandy Belarmino posted in his FB wall “Daig ng sipsip ang masipag.”
Well, as the saying goes, there are so many ways to skin a cat. The best way is to “burn” them – not in the literal sense of the word but figuratively. How do we do it? First, let the returning local chief executive know what these three are up to by writing about them. One is a floating head of a department who is due to retire from service this year. According to my very reliable source, he is a certified ‘balimbing’ – a turncoat who openly campaigned in the past against the returning head but is now trying to be as close as possible to the latter. The nerve!
The other one is an incumbent elected local official whom I am leaving to you to identify. The last one on the list is a total stranger to me but the local media practitioners describe him as the “most corrupt”. He is always looking allegedly at the pocket of the chief executive for his own benefit, sometimes using the other two as his stooges.
These seemingly powerful trio remind me of the prehistoric dinosaurs – the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. rex), a huge carnivore that primarily ate herbivorous dinosaurs, meaning they fed on the flesh of their kind. It’s analogous to incest – a crime supposedly punishable by death. Sad to say, our present society seem to condone these kinds of social structure by abolishing death penalty – the reason why corruption and crimes remain unabated. But this could be the subject of another story.
Before this article is finally published, the returning local chief executive will already be occupying his seat at the City Capitol and I can only wish him good luck. I hope and pray that the Universe will give him strength, courage and political will to do the best thing he could for the benefit of the city and its inhabitants.
Melinda Bagsic Evangelista
I was born to write and I believe that’s my calling. I love writing because it brings me to the realm exclusively of mine. It is also my opinion that “immortality” can be achieved not by searching for the Holy Grail and drinking from it but by living your life worth-writing or writing something worth-reading. Since I cannot promise you a life worth-writing, I keep myself busy writing something worth-reading. I am thankful to God for giving me the talent and skill to see life in different perspectives not seen by many and the courage to share it to my readers. This first ever Tutubi Digital News Magazine is a perfect avenue to bring you the many facets of life that you can ponder upon in this time of the pandemic. Enjoy reading all the articles.
