So young to die

Talisay City Mayor Anthony Lizares was too young to die. That was the common opinion not only of Talisaynons but most Negrenses. Yesterday was supposed to be his birthday and some family members originally thought he deserved to have his life prolonged for at least just a day.

He was, however, released from further sufferings, the doctor objecting to let him live only through a life-support system since things no longer mattered.

It must have been a devastating blow to Amelo (Miling) Lizares, Ton's father and mother, Teresita Valderrama-Lizares. But Miling must be consoled with the awareness that his three-termer son will long be remembered by Talisaynons as the one who pushed through with its graduation into city status.

He also has received accolades for Talisay's brand new city hall. The envy even of Bacolod folks.

And, as Gov. Joseph Marañon pointed out Talisaynons will miss him and the work he has done.

Goodnight, Ton. We all salute you.

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Senior Supt. Pedro Merced has accepted the challenge by the city's holdup gangs. But, as earlier pointed out by critics, he must do more than just assure the public that everything is under control and that the suspects would be bagged soon.

As it is, the Negros Daily Bulletin had tagged it right - robbers and snatchers had a field day. I won't say there is a crime wave developing, but the situation is fast deteriorating. Thus, unless the perpetrators are put behind bars, soon we may lose our reputation as one of the most peaceful cities in the country today.

That's the same thing happening in the case of the city's traffic situation. Yesterday, I demonstrated with the security guards of the Security Bank and asked them to immediately phone the police to drive away from the no-parking area the passenger jeepneys. Several of these resisted our persistent honking to let us park in the parking area.

"Sir, there used to be a traffic aide. But he is no longer around. It seems that the drivers simply don't respect us even if we courteously remind them about the "no parking sign," commented one guard.

The same situation holds true along North Drive, in front of the Riverside Medical Center and the Colegio San Agustin. For the past several days, I had already noticed that they (jeepneys) were three deep, leaving only one alley for other vehicles to use. And nary a whistle. The same spectacle is noticeable daily at the corner of North Drive and La Salle Avenue. Once I almost lost my temper when I saw a traffic aide standing by completely oblivious to the fact of the pile-up behind him at the corner. But the one that raised my blood pressure was when a jeepney from Bata stopped right in the middle of the narrowed street and the driver kept calling for passengers, refusing to budge despite our having honked the horn several times.

As pointed out by Junior Cuaycong, during a talk at the wake of my late brother-in-law, Ernesto Llavore, "there are a lot of press statements but virtually no achievement." That referred to the traffic situation.

The police, of course, can't get their men sans cooperation by the Bacolod public. But that's a two-way street, the public will support their police officials when they learn to trust them, i.e. that they need not be afraid that nothing would come out with their testifying against suspected criminals and erring drivers. I remember how the Manila Police Department used to be able to grab their suspects fast. Their police intelligence bureau had identified the names of the gangs operating in a particular area, their modus operandi, etc. So when a crime occurred, detectives, armed with the proper information, often bag their subjects fast.

That's what earned Mayor Eking Morales his reputation as the best officer in Manila's Finest. And, yes, every police precinct had its own profile of criminals, both major and minor. I hope that Col. Merced could spur his people to improve police intelligence if they want to have a clearer picture of what happens in the city. Because they trusted their MPD officers, they immediately reported the presence of suspicious newcomers in their area.

The rigodon of PNP officers may be good in certain instances. But there is also need for them to develop empathy with their subjects. And the only way to do it is through professional dedication over a prolonged period of time.

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Teamwork, that's exactly what enabled the La Castellana police under Senior Insp. Placido Camposa Jr. and PO1 Pleve Jun Camposa of the 604th Regional Mobile Group in Barangay Mansalanao to achieve their unprecedented feat of nabbing in four hours the holduppers of the Jane Bakery delivery van of P10,000 in cash.

Negros Occidental Provincial chief Charles Calima lost no time in congratulating the father-and-son team for their feat. But there was also the cooperation by the NOPPO Neighborhood Watch Program.

In short, the Neighborhood Watch Program proved successful for without them, the police may have had a harder time catching up with two of the suspects.

Kudos to the Camposas. And also congrats to the members of the Neighborhood Watch Program.

That's the kind of organization that will help the police in their drive to curb criminality and also safeguard a neighborhood.

But, of course, respect and trust must have to be won. It cannot be imposed.

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Bloomberg (the business news international channel) predicted yesterday that the price of sugar is slowly reaching an unprecedented 25-year high.

The international news agency attributed this to a dwindling production and the priority given to ethanol production.

The emerging slogan in the business community - long on ethanol, short on sugar. In short, sugar is now just a by-product.*

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