Deaths of cab drivers
must be solved

The slaying of a well-heeled person is usually solved fast by lawmen. But the average man often ends up in the long line of unsolved killings. But we are sure that the Bacolod police will not take it lying down, the murders of two cab drivers, one after the other in the span of one week.

What makes it troubling is that the killer or killers may think that they can get away with it, and commit more of the same.

What is more important is that the slaying of the two virtually means also depriving their families of their principal wage earner. It is double death. The provider gets killed and the rest of the family, especially the children, are reduced to poverty.

The latest victim driver was 33-year-old David Gallego, of Florenceville Subdivision, Barangay Pahanocoy. Earlier, the body of Ivan Saludar 34, of Phase I Barangay Handumanan was discovered in Hacienda Panaygaw, Barangay 4, Silay City.

The case of Saludar is more serious. He had 24 stab wounds on his back. And there are indications that he may have been strangled from behind by his attackers.

In the case of Gallego he apparently had been engaged in a drinking spree with friends before the incident.

Whatever may be the reason for their killings, the police must be spurred to solve their deaths with dispatch. We cannot afford more incidents of the same kind.

Cab drivers are earning an honest living. They work long and hard. And their take home pay is usually just about enough to maintain their families. Thus, they represent the working symbol of simple folk who eke a living through honest labor. Thus, it is unconscionable that they are killed, often by drug-crazed killers.

That’s a challenge to our local police force. Simply because they are poor, no reason why their killings can drag on sans speedy solution.

* * *

Kudos to the two new Ceneco directors – Edward Gasambelo of District 4 and lawyer Vicente Sabornay of District 5. Gasambelo won over tremendous odds against Andy Leonardia, himself not only a brother of Mayor Evelio Leonardia but also former official of the VRESCO.

Leonardia chided the two for having said that they are opposing the power connection to the new government center because the city government owes Ceneco P200 million in electric bills.

While both were considered by Leonardia as antagonistic, he should have gone out of his way to explain to them the reason for the city’s failure to pay its obligations to the power cooperative.

In short, the problem must be resolved through negotiations, not by taking potshots at each other. The issue of the franchise tax must first be resolved. And Ceneco as well as the city government must secure speedy court resolution of the conflicting opinions on whether CENECO really must pay the tax or not before charges are hurled by one against the other.

* * *

Gov. Isidro Zayco is developing into a statesman. He recently pointed out the imperative need for safeguards to ensure  the food security of Negrenses while producing biofuels. And Zayco came out with the point – the province has an over supply of sugarcane. But still, there are a lot of uncultivated public lands as well as CARPed area that need to be stimulated to produce more food crops.

Vegetable, for example, can be planted in many vacant areas just within Bacolod City. As a matter of fact, I’d like to point out that my two nephews have planted vegetables in the two lots of my daughters in Espinos II. Monday night, we had a tasteful dinner of their vegetables.

And they are planting in more areas nearby. These include another vacant lot of two more daughters nearby. My brother-in-law has also been busy cultivating a small farm area in Cabatangan, Talisay City. It produces a lot of things, including vegetables.

In short, all we have to do to anticipate the food shortage is to cultivate the fast tracts of vacant lands around us. Including those in the city of Bacolod.   But our attention has been focused on the verbal exchanges among our top political leaders. As if there is nothing more they can think of worth our attention or needed to address the predicted food crisis.

* * *

In Iloilo, meanwhile, the exchanges had become more sharper, including the filing of cases against Vice Governor Rex Suplico by Administrator Boy Mejorada. Suplico has been asked by Malacañang to answer the charges of oppression, grave misconduct and abuse of authority filed by Mejorada for allegedly removing several Iloilo provincial posts in the budget. Suplico, in turn, stressed that he does not recognize Mejorada because no less than Civil Service Commission Director Raymund Gonzales had ruled the position is “vacant.” Mejorada, he added, should have been extended a new appointment by Governor Niel Tupas which shall be concurred in by the provincial board.*

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