Fires – Christmas tragedies

Nothing can be more devastating than fire. Especially at the start of the Christmas season. The flames leave nothing, particularly when they gobble up makeshift homes.

That’s what happened in Tabucon, Iloilo City. The flames ate up in record time 27 houses. Most of the residents of the enclosed area failed to salvage their belongings. The reason – even firefighters found difficulty in reaching their homes because the streets were not donated. Thus, they were not improved.

But there was something more. A blaze in Bacolod that gutted five homes, two of them only partially. But the toll was higher. One child dead, another three-year old seriously burned.

And the problem that surfaced – the couple who had rented Apartment No. 3 were selling clandestinely fireworks and pyrotechnics. Hence, the rapid spread of the blaze.

Victorino Torres rushed home to preside the recovery of his two-year old son. Three-year old Michellere was rushed to the hospital with serious burns. So with several other persons who suffered slight injuries.

Senior fire warden Gerry Candido said the firemen recovered several cartons of pyrotechnics from the burnt apartment. What was worse, they had no permit to sell pyrotechnics.

Now, not only has Victorino to contend with the burial of his two-year old son, plus the medical expenses of his three-year old daughter, he has also to face a possible suit for engaging in the buy and sell of firecrackers.

In the case of the Iloilo fire, Mayor Gerry Trenas dispatched assistance to the fire sufferers who were housed in the Tabucon Elementary School. But, as usual, the fire victims were vocal in their protestations that they needed more than just their daily needs. After all, this is Christmas and the population is expected to rush to help out the needy.

Bus strike

Nothing can strand thousands from going home for Christmas than a transport strike. Especially if the strikers are from the biggest bus firm servicing a province.

And that is just what happened when the &6 Transport Company that services the Antique-Iloilo route went on strike early this week.

Of course, there are alternatives. One could always take the jeepneys. Then, there is the other alternative – the Ceres Bus liner. But that entails a lot of units to be fielded.

And travel by jeepney is more difficult and cramped. But, for lack of any other alternative, Antiquenos, without their own private vehicles, may be forced for the time being to take to the jeepneys.

Thus, local officials and labor department officials are trying to untangle the mess that led to the strike. Before it turns worse.

He turned his back on a million

Ronald Pantillo was the most surprised last week. During the Monday flag ceremony at the city hall, Mayor Trenas had asked him to attend the ceremonies.

The reason – he was cited for being a sterling example of an honest worker, a true Filipino.

He had not expected his good deed to be recognized. He story was simple. From his point of view. He had long been employed as driver of a Japanese national. Later, the same employer gave Pantillo about 50,000 in Yen plus a P4,000 bonus. the reason – he wanted the driver to kill him or hire someone else to do it.

"But I could not do it. That’s when I later returned the amount to him," said the astounded Pantillo.

That may have been another story if Pantillo enjoyed a good life. Instead, he earns a living driving a car. He rents a house of light materials for P400 a month. And he has six children to support. The seventh – a boy – had already married and was living apart.

But six children! The oldest Shirley is only in high school. The others – Agnes, Jachiacan Lan, Sheila, Jessa, and Rona Mae.

To those who have the courage to stand up to the blandishment of getting rich quick, there may actually no be much reward. But there is the awareness that one did the right thing. That’s more than enough.

A tale worth looking into

Christmas is not the time to start digging into strange tales. But the Karapatan Negros is not one to be deterred in trying to unravel the strange tale of Maoreto Arcadena, 38.

Arcadena was picked up by elements of the 11th Infantry Batallion last November in Sitio Pulog, Barangay Manlukahoc of Sipalay City. He was with nine other farmers.

The group was suspected to having allegedly participated in the ambush of a military patrol that resulted in the killing of a soldier.

Later, the group found Arcadena missing. He was finally traced to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City where he was taken by a certain Mayor Joe Ayong, introduced as Antonio Tiafan, purportedly of Barangay Baras, Mabinay town of Negros Oriental.